Have you been asking: how much is a home buyer drainage survey? Blockagegone offer pre-purchase drain surveys for properties throughout Ipswich and the surrounding areas of Suffolk. Find out more about what is included in a home buyers drain survey report and what factors impact the cost of a drain survey.

How much does a CCTV drain survey cost?

Having problematic drains can be a real headache for homeowners. But the first step in fixing any problem is finding out what the source is. And when it comes to drains, CCTV drain surveys are the best way to learn where your drain issues are coming from. Even if you're only thinking of purchasing a property and aren't a true homeowner yet, CCTV drain surveys can still be useful. In fact, surveying the drains is an important part of the buying process.

Unless you know that the home is in good condition throughout, you won't know if the listed price is accurate. Drain surveys are carried out by professional plumbing engineers. They can complete a full drain survey in about a day, giving you a full report on the status of the drains and pipework of a property. But what does one of these surveys cost?

The average cost of a CCTV drain survey is around £90. Your local plumbers will usually offer you a choice of two types of drain surveys. The basic one is the £90 option, which will assess the condition of the drains. However, a more comprehensive survey and report will cost a lot more, usually around £200 - £350. If your plumber finds a minor blockage during a survey, they can usually remove it there and then. However, this will naturally increase the cost.

There are several other factors that affect the price of a CCTV drain survey. These include the following:

What factors impact the cost of a drain survey?

Here we'll go into greater depth about the factors affecting the price of a CCTV drain survey. The three most crucial factors are:

 Length of Your Drains

Alongside the diameter, the length of your drainage system will also affect survey costs. Of course, larger homes have larger drainage systems, meaning it takes longer to carry out a complete survey. And, naturally, the longer it takes to complete, the more expensive it will be.

For larger homes, the average CCTV drain survey costs can reach between £350 to £450. These larger surveys usually take around 6 hours to fully complete. Add on to this the time it takes to generate the reports and you can see why these larger surveys cost more. 

 Drain Access

For some properties, mainly older ones, it can be difficult to actually get to the drains in the first place. This makes it more of a pain for your plumber to perform a CCTV inspection. In the very worst cases, you may need to excavate an area of ground on your property to get to your drainage system.

In this case, there will be additional costs for labour. On top of the roughly £300 for the CCTV inspection, you can add another £100 to £200 for labour costs. If you're lucky, your drains will be easy to get to, meaning your costs will be much lower than this. 

What is a Home Buyer's Drain Survey?

A drain survey is similar to the regular RICS home buyers survey you conduct before buying a property. While the RICS survey aims to determine the condition of the property's structural elements, the drain survey assesses the state of the drainage system. The point of these surveys is to give you as a buyer a thorough overview of the property's condition. 

Knowing what lies beneath a property is just as important as the property itself. If the drainage system is faulty, blocked or damaged, you can negotiate a cheaper price for the property or have the existing owners remedy the issues before you purchase.

These surveys also help you avoid potentially small issues that could grow into serious ones. You don't want to spend a serious amount of money on a property, only to have to spend more when your drains collapse. CCTV drain surveys help you avoid these catastrophes. 

Do You Need A Drain Survey When Buying A House?

What is included in a Home Buyers Drain Survey Report

There are a few key things these surveys look for:

The surveys themselves cover several areas of a property's drainage. It's not just about finding areas that are damaged. Any sign that an issue could arise will be looked at, including roots breaking into the pipework. This information will help you when negotiating a property purchase. 

What are the Additional Costs of a CCTV Drain Survey?

If you're thinking of having a drain survey performed on a property, there are a few additional costs to bear in mind. Here are some of the most common costs you should budget for:

Guttering

In some cases, issues with your drainage system can be due to your guttering. You may even need to have your guttering replaced. Again, the cost for these jobs will vary depending on where your property is, how large the property is and the materials needed to replace the guttering.

For new guttering on a terraced house, you can expect to pay around £400 to £500. For detached homes, this goes up to £500 to £700. But, having new guttering installed can resolve any drainage issues your property might be experiencing. 

Home Survey

If you are planning to buy a home, alongside the drain survey you may also want to carry out a full home survey. The same factors affecting the price apply, such as the location and size of the property. However, for new-build homes, a full survey will cost around £250 to £650.

Beyond this, you may want to carry out a condition report, which will cost between £250 and £600. More in-depth homebuyers reports cost around £360 to £600 and a home-building survey will cost much more, around £450 to £900. Depending on how much you want to know, you can budget for one or more of these surveys.