What should a homebuyer drain survey cover?

A general home survey and a specialist CCTV drain survey are different products. The RICS Level 2 scope describes an inspection of accessible drainage chambers where it is safe to do so; it is not a camera survey of every underground run. Read the RICS Level 2 scope of inspection (opens in a new tab) and the terms agreed with your own surveyor.

Do not assume that choosing a higher home-survey level automatically includes specialist internal drainage footage. Ask the surveyor what they will inspect, what evidence they will retain and whether any specialist follow-up is recommended. RICS also publishes a broader consumer guide to home surveys (opens in a new tab).

• Your building survey identifies a drainage concern or recommends a specialist inspection.
• Your solicitor, lender or insurer requests a particular drainage report or supporting evidence.
• The property has a history of recurring drainage problems disclosed by the seller or recorded in the purchase information.
• The drainage route, shared arrangement or connection is uncertain and that uncertainty matters to the purchase.
• Planned building work may interact with a public sewer or drain and the relevant authority has specified evidence.

These are prompts to investigate, not diagnoses. For build-over work, obtain the exact requirements from the relevant authority or water company first. England’s regulatory starting point is Approved Document H (opens in a new tab), while water-company processes can differ—as the published United Utilities (opens in a new tab) and Thames Water (opens in a new tab) guidance demonstrates.

Ask who will use the output and what they require. A verbal explanation that reassures a buyer may not satisfy a solicitor, surveyor, lender, insurer or water company. Where a professional has requested evidence, send their wording to the contractor before accepting the quote.

Buyer-only reassurance

Decide whether you need retained footage and a written record, or whether a basic inspection would answer your limited question.

Surveyor or solicitor follow-up

Ask them to state the concern and the minimum evidence they need to review.

Lender or insurer request

Obtain the required report format, scope and any contractor qualification before instruction.

Build-over or development process

Follow the named authority or water company’s specification rather than a generic homebuyer checklist.

These are comparison prompts, not a universal minimum specification. Consider asking the contractor to state, in writing:

1. The accessible chambers and drain runs included in the price.
2. Whether the survey is visual-only or includes retained CCTV footage.
3. Whether you receive a written report, still images and a summary of observations.
4. Whether locations or a drainage layout are included, and to what level of accuracy.
5. How inaccessible, blocked, shared or off-site sections will be recorded.
6. Which cleaning, clearance, tracing, lifting or additional access work is excluded.
7. The total price, VAT basis and delivery timescale.

Our printable survey brief turns these points into a contractor-ready checklist.

Ask whether the delivered report identifies what was inspected, what could not be inspected and what evidence supports its observations. Keep the report and footage together. If the conclusion matters to your purchase, return it to the professional who asked for the evidence; this site cannot interpret defects or tell you whether to proceed with a purchase.

No CCTV report can show a hidden or inaccessible area that was not inspected. Read our full report and deliverables guide before comparing survey packages.

A private drain, shared sewer and public sewer are not the same thing, and the rules differ across the UK. In England and Wales, start with Ofwat’s public and private sewer guidance (opens in a new tab). In Northern Ireland, see the official sewerage-services guidance (opens in a new tab) and buyer information on connecting a home to the right drains (opens in a new tab).

If responsibility is uncertain, ask your solicitor and the relevant water or sewerage company before commissioning private work. This guide does not determine ownership or liability.