Lead pipes and drinking water
Who tests for lead in the tap water, the surveyor or the water company?
The water company tests the kitchen tap if you ask them and they agree to sample. A home survey does not. The Drinking Water Inspectorate says that if the company finds lead pipes or another source, it should give written advice. The surveyor, if you ask, comments on pipes they can see.
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?
Those are different documents. A laboratory number can be set beside the 10 micrograms per litre standard. A sentence in a survey cannot. Do not wait for the surveying firm to phone the water company unless your instruction says they will. Ordinary RICS terms do not include water sampling.
Written advice from the company is what you show a plumber. DWI recommends a WaterSafe-accredited plumber for the work. The survey does not appoint one, and it does not say the seller must pay. Any price talk is between you, your solicitor and the seller, after you know whether lead is actually there.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Are you able to see the incoming pipe on the day?
- Is a water test inside your fee, or outside it?
- Where would a sample have to be taken: the kitchen tap?
What are the typical next steps?
- Request the water-company test yourself if lead is a concern.
- Do not treat “pipes not inspected” as a pass or as a fail.
- When the written advice arrives, ask a plumber to quote against that advice, not against the house’s age.
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 you use a home test kit instead?
DWI points you to the water company for a test at the kitchen tap. A kit is not the written advice they describe.
Does a mortgage valuation include the test?
No. A valuation is not a water sample and not a home survey.