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The drains are said to need a camera. Is that camera part of the surveyor's Level 2 visit?
Outside that visit. A camera in the drains is a further investigation, not a tool the Level 2 surveyor is already using as part of the standard inspection. Level 2 may look further into drainage chambers than Level 1 where it is safe, and that chamber view is still not a filmed run of the pipes. If the report asks for a camera, the camera has not already happened.
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?
On a standard Level 2 the surveyor does not take off secured chamber covers, and does not lift a cover where it would be unsafe. What they can see in an opened chamber is written up as part of the visual survey. A camera survey is someone passing a camera along the drain and recording that. It is closer to the specialist reports that follow a home survey than to the home survey itself. No level guarantees the concealed length of pipe, which is why a camera is sometimes the next sentence.
Book the camera as its own instruction, with its own scope: which run, from which chamber, and a written record of what the film shows. Do not ask the Level 2 author to add fictional stills. The original report remains the visual inspection, including any not-inspected line where a cover stayed down. Cost is variable and there is no single national price for adding a camera to a Level 2 after the event. Ask the drainage firm for their own figure rather than assuming it was inside the survey fee.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which runs do you want a camera to cover, as distinct from chambers you already saw?
- Did any part of this Level 2 already include a camera, or is the answer no?
- Which covers stayed down, so the camera firm knows the access limits?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the camera as a new instruction outside the Level 2.
- Tell the drainage firm which chambers were not opened.
- Do not describe the Level 2 fee as including the film.
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 surveyor owns a camera, was it part of Level 2?
Only if the report says they used it. Owning a camera is not the same as having surveyed the pipe.
Does a clear chamber mean you can cancel the camera?
Not if the report still asks for one. A chamber you could see is not the hidden run.