Why check the drains before you buy
A standard homebuyer survey will normally only comment on what can be seen, such as a manhole cover in the garden, and does not usually include a camera in the pipes. Check the wording of your own report. Once you own the house, the drains are yours to deal with, and repairing a cracked or collapsed run can mean digging up a drive, a patio or a kitchen floor. Knowing about it before you exchange puts the cost in the negotiation rather than in your pocket afterwards.
Which properties most need one
Any property can have a drain problem, but the risk is higher for:
- Victorian and Edwardian terraces, where the original clay drains are over a century old
- Homes built in the 1950s to 1970s that may have pitch fibre pipe, which can deform over time
- Houses with mature trees close to the drain run
- Properties that have been extended, where building work may have gone over an existing drain
- Homes on shared drains, where a fault may lie in a section you share with neighbours
What we check
We run a camera along the accessible private drains between the house and the point where they leave the property or meet a shared drain, and look at each inspection chamber on the way. We are looking for cracks, roots, open or displaced joints, collapsed or crushed sections, standing water that shows the pipe has lost its fall, and heavy scale or grease. We also note where the drains run, which matters if you plan an extension. For more on reading the pictures, see our guide to what a CCTV drain survey shows.
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How it works alongside a sale
The best time is after your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts. We need access to the property, so you will need the seller's agreement, usually arranged through the estate agent or your solicitor. The survey shows the condition of the drains on the day, so we tell you what we found, what it means and what it is likely to involve. You can ask for a written report to give to your solicitor. What you do with the findings is your decision: ask the seller to repair, renegotiate the price, or walk away. A drain survey is not a replacement for a building survey, it covers one thing and covers it properly.
What a survey cannot tell you
A drain survey covers the drains and nothing else: it says nothing about the roof, the walls or the wiring. It also shows the drains only as they are on the day, and a pipe that looks sound can still fail later. Where part of the system cannot be reached, for example a chamber that has been built over, we tell you what we could not see so that you can ask the right questions before you exchange.
What affects the price
The size of the property, the number of drain runs and chambers, how easy the access points are to open, and whether a run needs jetting first so the camera can see all affect it. A written report will also change it. We confirm a price before we start.
What happens after you call
You speak to the team and tell us the address, where you are in the buying process and who to arrange access with. We agree a time that fits the sale, carry out the survey, show you what the camera found and explain what it means for you.