New-build drain surveys: check the handover evidence first

NHBC advises buyers to check a new home before completion and again when moving in. Its guidance also explains how Buildmark policy documents should reach buyers. Neither point means every home has NHBC cover or that a handover automatically includes a CCTV drain report.

Ask the developer what drainage drawings, inspection records and test results are available for your particular plot. Record the document date, plot reference, areas covered and any open items. Ask who maintains shared drainage or surface-water features and where that arrangement is documented. Treat these as questions to resolve, not assumptions about what the builder must supply in every development.

• Does the drawing identify this plot and the current layout?
• Does each inspection or test name the pipe sections covered?
• Were later changes recorded after the original inspection?
• Is there an agreed contact for drainage concerns after handover?

Sources: NHBC.

Approved Document H for England treats drainage testing and inspection separately. A document saying a test was completed should therefore be read for its actual method and scope, not silently relabelled as a camera survey. Ask the developer or building-control contact to explain any ambiguous record.

If your concern is a particular pipe section, ask whether the existing evidence covers that section. If it concerns a surface drain or an uncertain outlet, explain that instead. Avoid ordering a whole-property package before the person advising you has identified the missing evidence. This page does not prescribe a new-build testing standard or imply every buyer needs the same investigation.

Sources: Approved Document H; DASA.

Use a short record with the plot or address, exact location, what you observed, when it occurred and any photograph taken safely. Add the date you reported it and the developer's reference. For example, describe which fitting drains slowly rather than asserting that construction debris is the cause without an inspection.

Ask for a named next action and a response date. Where a contractor attends, request a written account of what was checked, what was found and what remains unresolved. Keep later observations in the same record so the developer can distinguish a repeat of the original issue from a different location. These are practical record-keeping suggestions, not a formal warranty claim template.

Sources: New Homes Quality Board; DASA.

Before paying for an independent visit, ask the developer, your surveyor or warranty provider what evidence they need and whether they intend to arrange their own inspection. Clarify who is commissioning the visit, who pays and who is allowed to receive the report. Do not assume reimbursement has been agreed.

Give the contractor the relevant drawing and your concern log. Specify the pipe runs to investigate, any known access restrictions and the report recipient. Ask for an explanation of the findings, not a promise that the camera will settle a dispute about responsibility. Leave covers and below-ground access to the people carrying out the work; never enter a chamber yourself.

Sources: New Homes Quality Board; DASA; HSE.

The New Homes Quality Board advises starting with the developer's after-sales complaints process. It explains that further options depend on the applicable warranty, consumer code and the developer's registration and activation position. Do not assume the same ombudsman route applies to every home.

Keep the original concern, responses, drawings, reports and outstanding questions together. Ask the relevant provider what it needs next and preserve any deadlines in your own documents. If a repair is proposed, request the completion evidence as part of that scope. A warranty document, a building-control record and a contractor report have different purposes; keep all three identifiable rather than treating one as a universal sign-off.

Sources: New Homes Quality Board; NHBC; Approved Document H.

• Which drainage records relate to this plot?
• What was inspected or tested, and when?
• Does the current drawing include later changes?
• Who maintains any shared drainage features?
• What concern remains unanswered and who will investigate it?
• Has payment for an independent survey been agreed?
• Which warranty or complaints process actually applies?

Find and check a drainage contractor when you are ready to ask for quotes.