Deed Of Easement - Sewer Connection...

[Jellybean_13]

Hi There,
We own an end of terrace property in Bedford and we currently have 3 manhole covers in our back garden which is for the 3 adjoining houses.
We have been approached by a property developer that is building 2 houses behind our house (at the end of our back garden), and he has asked if we would agree to get a deed of easement for them to make a connection to the main sewer which site on our land. They said they will compensate us £3,000 for them to do the work.
The work will consist of them digging a trench about 2ft wide and 3ft deep, 30 yards long. They said the work will take a couple of days and they will put everything back as it was.

Please can you advise if this will affect the value of our property and also what the going rate is for the compensation for a deed of easement?
We are first time homeowners so we do not want to make the mistake of agreeing to something that will regret later on.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

[atalanta]

You need professional advice here. I once lived in a house which had an arrangement like this, but we were flooded by the neighbours' blockages.
Very unfortunate blockages they were, too. Their sewage overflowed in our garden because they put the wrong things down their drains.

[Peaspeculiars]

Wow Jellybean, you have been busy on forums :-) Hopefully you have by now received some good advice:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4925320

I wish the land registry had been a bit more helpful for you, so it looks as though contacting your solicitor might be a good idea to check a few things. Apart from the practical side of things, you will definitely need to check with your mortgage lender to ensure they would be happy with you agreeing to the deed of easement and that there are no hidden charges. Also, if you are first time buyers - don't underestimate the knowledge of your parents - ask them :-)
Although the builders will try and put things back to normal - will they? What if the works over-run? What if they do a rubbish job - make sure you have something in writing to ensure that you are covered financially if this happens - again, something to a legal-eagle.
Ask the Mortgage lender if the value of your property will go down if this work is done.
And lastly - If you do go ahead - the property developer will literally 'up S*** creek' if you don't agree - so hold tight until they up their offer considerably - remember, you have All the time in the world - They don't!
All the best with whatever you decide to do, money is money, but your house is YOUR home :-)

[Jellybean_13]

Thank you so much for all the advice, everyone has been so helpful.
I will speak to the developers tonight and get a little more information and then speak to a solicitor.
I will update later on :)

[Peaspeculiars]

Good Luck - and remember - developers can sniff out a confused first time buyer from 1000 paces - so be in control, like I say - it is Your property and you have the upper hand :-)