Drainage and septic tanks
The report says a drain camera is outside the scope of this inspection. Has the pipe run been filmed?
No. The pipe run has not been filmed. The report says a drain camera is outside the scope of this inspection, which means the visit did not include a camera pass through the pipes. What a home survey can record is limited to what that inspection includes, such as chambers if any were opened, and only as the text describes them. A camera survey is a separate instruction. Stating that it sits outside scope is the finding. It is not a film of the run, and it is not a clear bill of health for the underground pipes.
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?
Underground drains are hidden. A cover, a gully or a slow sink can be noted without anyone seeing the pipe between them. A camera is the tool that travels that pipe. When the report places the camera outside scope, it is refusing to pretend the travel happened. Do not fill the gap by assuming the run is clear because the sinks emptied on the day. Everyday use, even if it was watched, is not a recording of the pipe.
If you need the run filmed, instruct a drainage firm and agree access, including any shared length or chamber off the plot. Tell the solicitor the home survey did not include that film. A lender who asks about drains is asking for something this report has already said it does not contain. Keep the recommendation and the camera report, if you later obtain one, as two documents. The sentence about scope does not become footage.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does outside scope mean the camera pass was not done?
- Is a filmed pipe run a separate instruction?
- Does a sink that emptied prove the underground run is clear?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the pipe run as not filmed.
- Instruct a drainage firm if a camera survey is required.
- Do not tell a lender this report contains footage.
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
Can the surveyor add the camera later and alter this sentence?
Only if a further visit is agreed and a revised note is issued. The sentence already printed says the camera was outside this inspection. A later film does not rewrite that sentence by itself. Ask the firm whether they offer the extra work or whether you should instruct a drainage contractor. Until a new report exists, the pipes remain unfilmed.
What of a shared drain may still be unseen even with a camera?
Any length the camera cannot enter, including a run beyond a blocked point or a chamber the contractor cannot reach. Shared drains also raise a question of whose land must be opened. The home survey has not answered that, because it did not film the pipes at all. Tell the solicitor if the plan shows a shared line. Access is part of the next instruction.