Survey costs
The survey says consider a drain camera. Why does this page not give you the price of that camera?
Because this page does not price a drain camera, the survey's words 'consider a drain camera' come without a price. A home survey can suggest a further look. It does not hire the camera, and it does not publish the cost of hiring one. RICS does not publish the survey fee as a percentage of the purchase price, and it does not publish a camera price either. A friend's figure is not your quotation. This page will not invent one. Ask the firm who would do the camera for a written price for this address.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Further investigation is a flag, not an invoice. When the survey says consider a camera, the next document is a quotation from someone who cameras drains, for this run of drainage, with the access this house actually has. MoneyHelper's reminder that a mortgage valuation is not a structural survey is a different distinction, but the same habit applies: do not borrow a number from the wrong document. The home survey is not a price list. This page is not a price list.
Ring two firms if you want, and compare written quotations that describe the same drains. Do not add a round sum in the margin of the PDF, and do not use a percentage of the purchase price as a stand-in. RICS consumer guidance is that you ask for quotations because cost varies. It is not a tariff for cameras. Until a quotation arrives, the honest position is that the price is unknown. Considering a camera is not the same thing as knowing what it costs.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did the survey suggest a camera without stating a price?
- What would a quotation need to name so it is about these drains?
- Is a friend's camera bill a different job from a quotation for this house?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask a drainage firm for a written price for a camera at this address.
- Do not invent a camera price from the survey or from this page.
- Do not use a percentage of the purchase price in its place.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the survey says the drains are urgent, can you assume a camera cost?
No. Urgency is not a price. This page still does not give you the price of a drain camera. Ask a firm to quote.
Does the lender's valuation fee include the camera?
No. MoneyHelper distinguishes a mortgage valuation from a structural survey. Neither of those documents is a priced drain camera for this house.