I wouldn't be keen on a shared one. In my experience, you quite quickly adjust to using a lot less water, especially bad habits like leaving taps running to warm up and having lots of deep baths. If your tank needs frequent attention you will all be arguing about who is to blame. If it is just for you, you are in control.
@John36 there is no technical reason for it to be a problem to share a septic tank, the objections are all political i.e. do your neighbours know how to use it properly and will they agree to share costs for proper maintenance. We have a shared water treatment plant (the modern equivalent to a septic tank) which is in our neighbour's garden. It's emptied annually and the company that do that split the bill between us and the neighbour so we have no liability for their share of the cost (nor they for ours). It costs £100 a year. The same company let us know if there are any technical issues with it when they empty it - last year it needed a new blower motor so an extra £100 which will hopefully last at least another 10 years. It's not an expensive option, on the whole. The maintenance company do the work and again, split the bill. We get on fine with our neighbours but it wouldn't much matter if we didn't to be honest. The tank is on their property, so it's in their interest to keep it running properly, as they'll be the ones dealing with the consequences if it doesn't work.
The obligation to pay half is in our deeds and theirs. The costs are comparatively small. It's never been an issue.
There are thousands of people all over the UK living with septic tanks of various antiquity. There's no reason to be scared of them - they are very well understood. Just make sure your solicitor gets all the info and is clear who's liability it is to do what. If it's legally messy, then there's reason to walk away, but not just because it's a shared tank.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
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We have a shared water treatment plant (the modern equivalent to a septic tank) which is in our neighbour's garden. It's emptied annually and the company that do that split the bill between us and the neighbour so we have no liability for their share of the cost (nor they for ours). It costs £100 a year. The same company let us know if there are any technical issues with it when they empty it - last year it needed a new blower motor so an extra £100 which will hopefully last at least another 10 years. It's not an expensive option, on the whole. The maintenance company do the work and again, split the bill. We get on fine with our neighbours but it wouldn't much matter if we didn't to be honest. The tank is on their property, so it's in their interest to keep it running properly, as they'll be the ones dealing with the consequences if it doesn't work.
The obligation to pay half is in our deeds and theirs. The costs are comparatively small. It's never been an issue.
There are thousands of people all over the UK living with septic tanks of various antiquity. There's no reason to be scared of them - they are very well understood. Just make sure your solicitor gets all the info and is clear who's liability it is to do what. If it's legally messy, then there's reason to walk away, but not just because it's a shared tank.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”