26 Feb 2015

A question about : Overhead power line compensation.

Hi All,

I had a letter a few days ago regarding compensation for power lines that cross over my house.

This was from a company called PCC who claimed to have been acting for the previous owner and been very close to the end of the claim after the previous owner had an offer.

I have since moved in around 3 months ago and they advise that I am entitled to this payment.

First I phoned up the electric company direct who confirmed this was the case and after numerous callback I spoke to the man who was handiling the case and he advised the power company had offered Ј4173.

He did advise that I would have an easement with the electric company and they would then have permission to run the power lines over the house he also added that the likly hood of getting the moved or removed was next to none.

I then phoned PCC who advisd that they would charge Ј1000 for there services so I would get Ј3173 but the man at the electric compnay did advise I can apoint my own solicitor and they would pay reasonable costs meaning I would get the full amount.

So my question is has anyone on here heard off or done this before and if yes what restrictions adds to your property.

Best answers:

  • Ј4,000 ain't much for any kind of retrospective easement even if it was the right to run a buried cable under your land. The Olympic Delivery Authority decided it was unacceptable to leave power lines over the Olympic Park and thats just for a couple of weeks in the spotlight of the world's media and they didn't do it to power the spotlight
    What type of cables have they got draped over you ? 6.6KV or 11KV? I can't imagine it goes over your house if it is any greater ... but then I'd not take just Ј4K to let them carry on doing it.
    However it seems there is some stuff on the internet if you can dig it out. I have assumed the power line is 6.6KV or 11KV. Try this Google Search:
    https://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sclie...)%20site%3A.uk
    One interesting document that comes up is https://www.electric-fields.bris.ac.uk/SAGELegal.pdf and a section on page 70 of that original document (p.71 of the pdf file) talks about compulsory purchase in the event of no agreement reached and the electricity company being able to prove a case of necessity or expediency
  • Assuming there is not yet a wayleave in place (which would seem to be the case) I suggest you contact a firm called Hamer Associates in Solihull.
    Their boss has co-written a book on the subject.
    Having spoken to them I think you may find you can even tell the electricity company to simply remove their equipment from your land altogether although it will depend on the circumstances of the case.
  • Power lines over a property will devalue it and in many peoples' eyes (inc mine) it will be a house to avoid. Ј4K odd is chicken feed.
  • Thanks for your advise I will look in tithe links further the house is valued at 95000 and I understand the figure is generated from the value. Thing is 4000 at the moment is alot of money but I don't want to lose any rights.
  • Going to phone a solicitor tomorrow to act on my behalf. Just wondered before I do if anyone also has had any dealings with overhead lines.
  • Make sure you choose one who understands your rights under the Electricity Act.
  • I have a friend who has also just received this letter and are wondering what to do so I would be interested in knowing what you find out please?
  • I've recently received a similar letter (from Thomson Broadbent) and I've been doing quite a bit of reading up about this 'cos I don't want to jump in willy-nilly, so I'd also be interested to find out how you get on, please.
  • I have decided to no longer carry this on. I was entitled to the compensation but it would be a one off payment. This is fine however you have no rights to claim compensation for example if it is found that the lines cause health issues or this is what my solicitor told me. If any one knows different please let me know.
  • do it yourself. Call the company that owns the line. Thompson Broadbent stated they take 15% compensation (up from original 10%) so from an offer of Ј1550 they want 15% . They also recommend a solicitor, funnily enough with Broadbent in their name too) just received a letter from the power company's surveyors, the total claim is Ј2750. This probably includes the solicitors fee but from another thread, a guy who sorted his own claim said all it took was a phone call and employing a solicitor to sort the legal stuff AND thomsons received a fee.... must be big with the additional Ј1200 and thats before their 15% commision.!!!!
    Does anyone know, if thomsons are receiving 2 payouts for my claim ie 15% compensation and a fee, can i just employ my own solicitor to answer the letter from the power company and claim the full compensation myself? or is it too late. i dont mind paying 15% but under their terms they are getting Ј1500 and im getting Ј1250, that doesnt seem right....
  • You can apoint your own solicitor if they act from the start. Once you have signed the form that gives the company permission to act on your behalf it is binding or that is my understanding anyway.
    I am still interested in doing this but i just cant get past the issue of not being able to claim should they be linked to health issues.
  • Hi, I work at a law firm who handle these transactions for the distribution network for two 'regions' in the UK. In my time I have seen 1,200 of these transactions completed by my firm (a fair proportion by own fair hands), for the last 2.5 years my firm has handled them exclusively for two the regions.
    I should point out, my firm act for the electricity company - a different firm acts for the homeowner (you). What I am about to say is not legal advice, just my personal observations
    We have dealt with claims that were initiated by PCC and claims initiated by Thomson Broadbent as well as claims initiated by homeowners without an agent. The database of comparables that I have access to is bigger than any of the agent's as I have details of every claim in my regions, whereas they only have their own past claims to go by.
    Ј4k is a very 'normal' settlement, I have seen many many claims at much less than that. The compensation scale has been tested at land tribunals in the past and deemed reasonable so (although I don't know your specific case) its very possible that Ј4k is what your claim is actually 'worth' and I would add that even if you refuse it, the electricity companies have lots of legislation behind them which makes it very hard to get the lines removed, if at all, and the process can take years upon years to go through.
    PCC and the like are agents who 'negotiate on your behalf' and charge you a percentage of your compensation for their troubles. They also act as your surveyor and charge the electric company for that element of the work (basically visiting your property, taking some pictures and valuing it). Then a solicitor does the legal work of reviewing the easement that my firm sends to them and advising you on the legal aspects. The electricity company pay for this too.
    Thomson Broadbent do have a 'connected' law firm, Batt Broadbent - set up to capitalise on the fact that my client pays all legal & surveyors fees, on top of the compensation. I find them slow and awkward to deal with personally. PCC like to refer their claims to a handful of firms who do not seem connected. I have worked closely with all of these firms (as you can imagine handling 200 claims at any time means you deal with these firms over and over) and I must say that 3 or so of the PCC preferred firms work very quickly without fuss and aside from making my job easier, it means the homeowner gets their money quicker and I get one more file off my desk! I have noticed that when a homeowner uses their own firm, the solicitors have no experience with the documentation and sorts of issues it presents and the claim can take over a year just on the legal side. The PCC favourite firms can do them in 3 months, even less in some cases.
    On the whole 'liability for health problems' issue, although I cannot give you any specific advice on that (thats what you pay a solicitor for ), I would say that if it were me (and I know the easement document like the back of my hand) I would not be concerned that by signing it I am in someway waiving any right to compensation if health issues developed in the future connected to the lines.
  • Just to add, most of the easements we handle are 132,000 volt (132kv) lines! We rarely see 6kv or 11kv lines being secured with easements.
  • Thats a great help. Thanks for all the info.
    If i can just ask one more question if you dont mind.
    I understand the easment will go on the land registry document is this the case?
    I just want to know the facts as I dont want it to ruin the chance of me reselling my house.
    Thanks again.
  • We've had a new agent start sending jobs through called knightsbridge-consulting.com. Seem the cheapest so far at 10% of commission.
  • Right......... I am finally going to apoint a solicitor tomorrow after months of debating I have decided I should take the money as the lines are in place and it is very unlikly I will get them removed as the electric company has the majority of the rights when it comes to removal.
    The only thing I have doubt over is it may cause issues when I come to sell my property as it has a deed of easment on the land registery documents.
    I have contacted estate agents who say they have sold properties with deeds of easments before with no real issues but I guess I will ony find out when and if the time comes.
    So here it goes I will keep you updated with how it goes.
  • How do you go about finding out which power company owns the line. I have 3 large cables which they have entwined going right across my front garden.