Drainage guide
Do I need a drain survey before buying a house?
A standard RICS homebuyer survey barely inspects underground drainage. A specialist pre-purchase CCTV drain survey (£150–£350) checks the condition, connections and ownership of the drains before you exchange — potentially saving thousands, given collapsed-drain repairs can run to £10,000+ (industry cost guides, 2026).
Typical cost: £150–£350 for a pre-purchase CCTV drain survey — set against repairs that can reach £10,000+.
What does a homebuyer survey miss?
A RICS Level 2 or 3 survey assesses what a surveyor can see, and surveyors cannot see underground. Drainage gets only a cursory mention — which is why hidden pipe damage is one of the most common nasty surprises new owners face.
What does a drain survey actually check?
A CCTV drain survey inspects the condition of the pipes, how they connect, and which parts are yours versus the water company’s — identifying cracks, root ingress, displaced joints and collapses, with a recorded report you can act on.
How do I use the findings to negotiate?
A dated report showing a fault lets you ask the seller to fix it, reduce the price, or retain funds at completion. Because collapsed-drain repairs can run to £10,000+, finding a defect before exchange puts the cost on the seller, not you.
When should I book the survey?
Ideally once your offer is accepted and before you exchange contracts, so any repair cost can still be negotiated. Leaving it until after completion means any fault — and its bill — is entirely yours.
How much does it cost?
A pre-purchase CCTV drain survey typically costs £150–£350 (MyJobQuote, 2026) — routinely recovered many times over in negotiation if a fault is found.
UK drainage in numbers
The scale of the problem
Sources: Water UK, Ofwat and the ABI (2024–2025). Figures are UK-wide and rounded.
Buying a home?
Get quotes for a pre-purchase CCTV drain survey before you exchange.
Book a pre-purchase survey