Drainage and septic tanks
Nothing on the visit sampled a cured-in-place liner, opened a short patch or tested the rest of the run still unlined. What has to stay undecided?
The bond of the liner, the short patch and the rest of the run that is still unlined have to stay undecided. Nothing on the visit sampled the cured-in-place liner, opened that patch, or tested the unlined pipe. A cured-in-place liner is a lining formed inside a drain. A short patch means only a length was lined. The survey has not decided the patch is stuck, has not decided the original defect stopped at the patch, and has not seen the condition of the pipe still bare. The repair was named. It was not examined.
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?
A cured-in-place patch is resin formed against the inside of the pipe over a limited length. It can bridge a crack or a hole, and it can also mask a defect that continues either side. You learn which only by seeing the liner and the bare pipe, with a camera or by opening the drain. This visit did neither. The note is not a sample of the resin and not a survey of the unlined remainder. The patch is a claim of repair until it is inspected.
Ask the solicitor for the lining warranty and the camera report that should have come with a patch, then ask a drainage firm to survey the whole run. The home survey has not sampled the liner and has not tested the unlined pipe. Do not assume the short patch cured the drain. Do not assume it failed. Tell a lender only that a patch was named and not examined. The undecided points stay the bond, the length of the repair and the pipe still unlined.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How did you know a cured-in-place patch was there if it was not opened?
- Was any paperwork for the liner on site, or only a mention in the report?
- Which part of the run is said to be still unlined?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave the liner, the patch and the unlined pipe undecided.
- Ask the solicitor for the lining paperwork and any earlier camera report.
- Have a drainage firm survey the whole run before you rely on the patch.
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
Does a short patch mean the rest of the drain was found to be sound?
No. A short patch means only a length was lined. The survey did not test the unlined remainder and did not see the original survey that justified the patch. The bare pipe may be sound, or the defect may continue. That is exactly what stays undecided. Ask for the earlier footage and a new look at the whole run.
Can you rely on a lining warranty the survey did not read?
Not yet. A warranty is a document, and this visit did not sample the liner or read the papers. The solicitor needs to obtain them and check the address, the length and the date. Even a valid warranty would not describe the unlined pipe. The survey has not decided the patch is bonded. Paper and resin are both still unchecked.