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SPANC query


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Hi

I have searched the forum for information re SPANC inspections and found lots of info.

However, I am a bit confused as some threads state that you have 12 months to put anything right and others state 4 years. We are thinking of putting our house up for sale and know that we will have to have an inspection done before then. We have a fosse septique which appears to work okay.

Thanks

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As a local councillor I get to see and hear a lot about SPANC in our commune and agglo. From an initial inspection you have FOUR years in which to comply. I have said this before and will repeat, ALL INSPECTIONS are kept on record and followed up and if you do not comply at the end of the four year period then you will be fined. A private householder must comply with the regs and finance his own work although you may possibly get a bank loan upon producing the proof from SPANC regarding the work and a devis from a contractor.Sorry to bear the bad news, but unfortunately those who have polluted the land,never installed proper drainage or septic tanks have ruined it for the rest of the population as something has to be done.We have a list at the mairie of all the properties and their owners who have not complied so far with the law so I am afraid you cannot just forget about it and hope it goes away. If you also wish to sell the property, this subject will also come to light and a potential purchaser may ask for the price to be adjusted to cover the costs involved.
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[quote user="Quillan"]What if you have never had an inspection?[/quote]

It may still come - all has been quiet in our little village until now, just been notified that inspections will begin in March and householders are privileged to pay 77 euros each for the 'welcome' inspections.

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They visited our village a few years back but some time before we came here they delivered main sewage inlets to every house for people to connect to which most have done. I understand that they only knew of a few that still had a fosse but not all of them therefore some have not been inspected.
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[quote user="PaulT"]

[quote user="Quillan"]What if you have never had an inspection?[/quote]

It may still come - all has been quiet in our little village until now, just been notified that inspections will begin in March and householders are privileged to pay 77 euros each for the 'welcome' inspections.

[/quote]

Lucky old you.  I posted a month or two back about having been SPANC'd and thought then that there was no fee.

Just came back to a bill for €150.  The inspection took 15 mins and there's still no sign of a report.

It won't get paid until the report turns up and if it turns out to be a five-liner, then we'll all be revolting around here!!!

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[quote user="Val_2"]As a local councillor I get to see and hear a lot about SPANC in our commune and agglo. From an initial inspection you have FOUR years in which to comply. I have said this before and will repeat, ALL INSPECTIONS are kept on record and followed up and if you do not comply at the end of the four year period then you will be fined. A private householder must comply with the regs and finance his own work although you may possibly get a bank loan upon producing the proof from SPANC regarding the work and a devis from a contractor.Sorry to bear the bad news, but unfortunately those who have polluted the land,never installed proper drainage or septic tanks have ruined it for the rest of the population as something has to be done.We have a list at the mairie of all the properties and their owners who have not complied so far with the law so I am afraid you cannot just forget about it and hope it goes away. If you also wish to sell the property, this subject will also come to light and a potential purchaser may ask for the price to be adjusted to cover the costs involved.[/quote]

Yep you're absolutely correct, but you forgot to mention that SPANC don't have any authority to fine anybody. If a penalty is to be charged that order comes from the Mayor, and in our village of 90 souls; possibly most of the  Fosse systems aren't 100%, and with an election coming up who is going to fine most of the electorate? I think French politics are wonderful. [:D]

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[quote user="NickP"]

[quote user="Val_2"]... I have said this before and will repeat, ALL INSPECTIONS are kept on record and followed up and if you do not comply at the end of the four year period then you will be fined.[/quote]

Yep you're absolutely correct, but you forgot to mention that SPANC don't have any authority to fine anybody. If a penalty is to be charged that order comes from the Mayor, and in our village of 90 souls; possibly most of the  Fosse systems aren't 100%, and with an election coming up who is going to fine most of the electorate? I think French politics are wonderful. [:D]

[/quote]

And what possible point would there be in issuing a fine to some old dear who doesn't have the means to install a new system?

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[quote user="Jay"]   And what possible point would there be in issuing a fine to some old dear who doesn't have the means to install a new system?
[/quote]

Absolutely and in our village that would mean about 60% of the population. One of the things I love about the French; their practicality. Shame that the integrated mob from the UK don't have the same mentality. [:P]

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Don't shoot the messenger. I was only repeating the facts as we have had to receive them and continue to do so at least three times per year in the SPANC updates to each commune. As you say, no one has yet got to the four year deadline and I have certainly not heard of any fines being sent BUT......as the maires are losing their power hand over fist especially like here where the agglomeration runs the 18communes in it's sector, its anyone's guess as to what they will do. As you rightly point out, french rules and regs are sometimes beyond practicalities and means of most of the inhabitants so it remains to be seen what will actually happen or whether or not it is all huff and puff by the authorities. One thing though that  I did point out was if you wish to sell and then the matter will come to light which may result in reducing the price to cover a new installation which is how the implementation may work in some cases.
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For a basic septic tank installation with soakaways etc around the €5000 mark but what you can install depends on the report done for the mairie first and you may even need a pumping station which will take it around the €10,000 mark. Until you get a proper devis which lists all the work involved, it is difficult to say but basically €5000 is the minimum.
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I am also on our local council in a canton in Normandy. I know in our area, if you have a Point Noir report for your SPANC report there is a very strong possibility that you will get a grant of up to 60% of the installation costs. I know this for a fact in our area as I took some Brits to the Syndic D'eau and sat down with them and the official responsible and filled in the paperwork. There are contditions; You have to sign to say you will accept an "etude" by an organisation nominated by the Syndic (250 - 300 Euros). Once the Syndic have got the tenders in for all the work to be done in the commune, you will be told how much the work will be. If you accept their quote, minus the 60%, then the initial inspection is also discounted by 60%. If you elect to have the work done by someone else, then you pay the full inspection charges, and do not get the 60% discount! I have been chasing this for 2 years, everyone has a different story, even our Mayor's office sent someone in the wrong direction. So if you have a "Black Spot" report, its well worth checking with your Syndic D'Eau office if there is a similar scheme in your area. As previous posts have said, a vast percentage of the local population cannot afford to fund the full installation costs.
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We had ours inspected in August last year. It took substantially

more than 15 minutes mentioned above. We’re a village of about 30 dwellings,

and our mayor negotiated a group price with the SPANC contractors. We paid 45 euros,

and luckily were only 1 of 4 in the village who passed, although the price was

quoted before the inspection, so wasn’t “ pass “ related.

Point is, there must be plenty of scope for communal deals,

or individually,  based on the high

prices given.

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Lehaut - There was a similar grant scheme in our commune, with a 3000€ upper limit but as you say some conditions applied. As we have a non-conforming fosse we could have applied but couldn't even afford the rest of the cost (we had quotes for 7-8000€).

I think there was a limited amount of money to fund this which has been exhausted now.

The last Spanc man that was here said the only fine would be if your effluent was flowing into a major waterway. But if we sell then we'll probably have to take a reduction in price .

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There is the usual haze of confusion over the SPANC money as, is usual, each area seems to make up its own rules. Here, there is no cap on the funds available (I have been told) and its the Syndic that is arranging all the works by competitive tender, not grants As the owner, you have nothing to pay until the work is done., and then only 40% if you accept their scheme. If I understand the rules correctly, everyone was expected to conform by end 2012, they won't even start work on this scheme until mid 2013! We helped people sell a house here that just had a hole in the garden as a fosse. As you say, they just reduced the price of the house to reflect this. The Notaire did not prevent the sale.
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I've had no correspondence from SPANC to date, but I assume that as my two Fosses are only 6 years old, the Marie will have the necessary reports from when it was passed by the inspector.

I certainly wouldn't want to pay for another inspection to tell me that all is still in order.

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