You have a property for sale on the French Riviera? Ange d’Azur agency will accompany you throughout the process. The use of a renowned real estate agency such as Ange d’Azur allows you to save time and to quickly access a good visibility of the property on the market. The sale of a property is subject to numerous obligations. Indeed, when selling a property, the seller must submit several mandatory diagnoses, including the SPANC diagnosis and the sewage verification diagnosis.

Non-collective sanitation diagnosis and sewerage verification diagnosis

When selling a home equipped with its own wastewater treatment system, the SPANC diagnosis and the sewerage verification diagnosis are mandatory certificates. This diagnosis verifies that the individual wastewater treatment systems comply with the regulations in force. Since January 1, 2011, the sale of a home equipped with a septic tank must be accompanied by a sanitation diagnosis dated less than three years ago.

What is the purpose of a sanitation diagnosis ?

The SPANC diagnosis and the sewerage verification diagnosis guarantee the proper functioning of the autonomous wastewater treatment systems before the sale of a property. In France, non-collective sanitation (ANC) concerns between 5 and 6 million homes. Most of them are defective and/or badly maintained. In addition, it is estimated that about 600,000 homes discharge wastewater directly into the environment. This has harmful consequences for the environment, waterways and groundwater. Thanks to the sanitation diagnosis, it is possible to validate the conformity of these ANC systems, through a compulsory control audit, at the time of the sale of the housing. It also allows to make the owners responsible to respect the standards in force. It also allows to avoid lawsuits for hidden defects. Indeed, the diagnosis can lead to an obligation of works for the seller or the buyer, in case of non-conformity.

When should a sanitation diagnosis be carried out?

The sanitation diagnosis is compulsory when selling a property that is not connected to the municipal sewerage system. This includes individual houses equipped with septic tanks, cisterns or microfiltration systems, but also alternative systems with compact filters or grinders. The sanitation diagnosis must be annexed to the technical diagnosis file, which includes all the mandatory certificates such as the DPR, gas, electricity, etc. The seller must present this diagnosis to the buyer, at the latest at the time of the signature of the sales agreement. In its absence, the seller risks prosecution for hidden defects which may lead to financial penalties or cancellation of the sale.

Who can carry out a SPANC diagnosis and a sewerage verification diagnosis ?

The owner who puts his property up for sale must carry out the sanitation diagnosis, like all the other mandatory diagnoses. However, unlike the other certificates, the sanitation diagnosis must be carried out by the SPANC or Service Public d’Assainissement Non Collectif. This is a local public body that controls non-collective sanitation systems. The seller must contact the nearest SPANC, or your municipality, which will put you in touch with an operator, in order to carry out a sanitation diagnosis. Indeed, each commune is directly linked to a SPANC. The validity of a sanitation diagnosis is three years, from the date of its realization. It is imperative that it is valid at the time of signing the sales agreement.