Drainage and septic tanks
What should you ask if a drain camera report mentions roots?
Ask where in the run the roots are, and whether the pipe is cracked or only invaded at a joint. Roots are a drainage finding on that camera report. They are not, by themselves, subsidence of the house, and they are not a Japanese knotweed category. The home survey did not become a camera report because you stapled them together.
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?
Trees and drains interact. A root in a pipe can mean a joint was already open. The Association of British Insurers links drains and trees to investigations when the ground is moving. A root on a video, with no crack in the house, is still a drain repair question. It is not automatically underpinning. The camera firm’s grades are theirs. RICS condition ratings are a different scale.
Repair might be a local liner or a dig-down. The firm should say which, after you ask. There is no RICS price. Do not fell every tree because a root was filmed, and do not ignore a root mass that is blocking the only drain from the house.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the home survey mention the drain, or only the camera report?
- Is the house cracked near this run?
- Are the roots identified, or just called roots?
What are the typical next steps?
- Get the drainage firm to mark the location on a plan.
- Keep tree removal and pipe repair as separate decisions.
- Do not jet the drain blindly if the report says the pipe is collapsed.
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
Are roots the same as a rat?
No. The report should say what it saw. Do not swap the words.
Does a root mean the drain is on your land?
Not always. Shared runs and public sewers are a solicitor and water-company question. The video does not decide ownership.