Choosing a survey level
You instructed a Level 3 and the drains are still only what could be seen at the chambers. Why has the building survey not become a CCTV survey by virtue of its name?
The building survey has not become a CCTV survey merely because it is called a Level 3. The drains are still only what could be seen at the chambers. A Level 3 looks at the building in more detail than a Level 2, within what can be seen and reached. It does not put a camera down the pipes. The survey has not traced the runs or tested the drains. The name of the report does not add a drainage survey that was not instructed.
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?
Chambers show water, benching and the pipes at that box. They do not show the bore further along the run. A camera survey is a different instruction. Choosing Level 3 changes the depth of the building inspection. It does not include that camera. If the report describes only the chambers, that limit is the finding. The title did not film the drains.
If you need the pipes filmed, instruct a drainage contractor to do a camera survey, and keep it separate from the Level 3. Tell the solicitor the building survey saw the chambers and did not become CCTV. Do not ask the surveyor to relabel the report until the drains sound tested. They were not. The level of the survey is not a substitute for the camera.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the drains limited to what could be seen at the chambers?
- Why does the Level 3 name not make this a CCTV survey?
- Was a camera survey a separate instruction that was not given?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the drain notes as chamber observations only.
- Do not treat the Level 3 title as a camera survey.
- Instruct a separate CCTV survey if the pipe runs must be filmed.
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 chambers were clean, have the runs been passed?
No. Clean chambers show the boxes that were opened. They do not film the pipes between them. The Level 3 has not become a CCTV survey, and the runs remain untested. A clear chamber is not a camera of the run.
Does lifting every cover upgrade the survey into a drain test?
No. Lifting covers is how the chambers were seen. It is not a camera, a water test or a tracing of the runs. The building survey stays a building survey. The name Level 3 does not add a film of the pipes.