Comprehensive drain survey before buying a London property — essential for Victorian terraces.
Free, no-obligation — we'll call you back fast.
A pre-purchase CCTV drain survey provides essential information before buying a London property. We insert an HD camera into the drain system and produce a written report to WRCm standards that identifies any defects, their severity, and recommended remediation. Furthermore, the report is suitable for use in price negotiations, mortgage valuations, and insurance applications, giving you documented leverage that a vendor cannot easily dispute. For London's Victorian and Edwardian housing stock, a drain survey is as important as a structural survey because the most expensive defects — root infiltration, joint displacement, and pipe collapse — are completely invisible from the surface. In addition to the on-site survey, we provide a verbal briefing on the same day with our preliminary findings. Therefore, your conveyancing solicitor can begin drafting any necessary enquiries to the vendor straight away rather than waiting for the formal report. As a result, surveys booked early in the conveyancing timeline rarely cause completion delays, and any defects discovered can be priced into the deal before exchange. That said, in our experience surveying thousands of London properties, around half of pre-1960 homes inspected reveal at least one significant defect — so the small upfront fee almost always uncovers value many times its cost. Same-day reports are available for buyers with an imminent exchange deadline.
Access drain from inspection chambers or through-the-toilet access
Camera advanced through all accessible drain runs
All defects recorded by location, type, and WRCm grade
Written report with footage and still images produced within 24-48 hours
Optional: verbal briefing on key findings for use in purchase negotiations
Pre-purchase CCTV drain surveys for London residential properties typically cost £150-£350, depending on the size and complexity of the drain system. The cost is small relative to the potential repair costs that a survey can identify.
A CCTV survey adds 1-2 hours for the survey itself and 24-48 hours for the written report. In most cases, this is easily accommodated within the exchange-to-completion period. We can also provide same-day emergency surveys if required for an imminent exchange deadline.