Lead pipes and drinking water
Is the drinking-water lead standard a number your surveyor writes on the pipes?
No. The Drinking Water Inspectorate publishes a standard of 10 micrograms of lead per litre at consumers’ taps. That is a water-quality limit from a test, not a condition rating and not a pipe measurement a surveyor takes. A home survey does not sample the kitchen tap.
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?
DWI says lead pipework was commonly used to connect homes before 1970 and that this use was then banned. A house built after 1970 is unlikely to have lead pipes. Unlikely is not a certificate. Lead is not described as present in the wider public supply. It dissolves from plumbing while water stands in a lead pipe.
If you suspect lead, DWI says you can ask the water company to test the kitchen tap. If they find lead pipes or another source, they should give written advice. That test is the fact. A surveyor’s note that a visible pipe looks dull and grey can support a suspicion. It does not replace the sample, and this page states no cost to replace a pipe.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see a lead pipe, or are you only noting the age of the house?
- Was the incoming pipe visible, and where?
- Are you advising a water test, or have you already called it a defect with a number?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the water company to test the kitchen tap if you suspect lead. Do not guess a concentration from the build year.
- Tell the surveyor, before the visit if you still can, that you want visible pipes commented on. They still may not see buried ones.
- Do not agree a price reduction from the number 10. That number is a water standard, not a quote.
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 10 micrograms mean the house has failed?
Only a test result can be compared with the standard. The survey does not contain that result unless someone attached a laboratory report, which is not part of a normal home survey.
Are infants mentioned by DWI?
DWI says infants and children are particularly at risk because lead can affect mental development, and that adults may be affected in other ways. That is why you test. It is not a rating.