Drainage and septic tanks
What should you hand a drainage firm if the home survey only suspects a problem?
Hand them the survey sentence, the address, and which covers were lifted or not found. Do not hand them a diagnosis the survey did not make. A RICS home survey does not camera the drains unless that was in the quote. The firm should say what they will inspect and what they cannot see if a cover is buried.
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?
Useful sentences are specific: a recurring blockage, a wet patch, roots at a gulley, a crack beside a run, a cover that could not be lifted. Vague “check the drains” invitations become vague invoices. Approved Document H is not a work order. There is no RICS call-out price. Ask the firm whether the visit is a camera, a jet, or both, and where they stop if the camera cannot pass.
If the suspicion came from a tree and a crack, say both. If it came only from an old pitch-fibre note, say that, and do not add a collapse. The firm’s findings replace the suspicion. They do not rewrite the rest of the home survey.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which sentence should I pass on, word for word?
- Which covers did you find?
- Are you suspecting a defect, or recording a limit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Send the paragraph, not a retelling.
- Ask for a plan of how far the camera got.
- Do not dig the garden before the firm has said where the run is.
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
Should the seller’s plumber do this instead?
Only if you will trust a report you did not instruct. A home survey still has not tested the pipe.
Does a clear jet prove the joints are sound?
No. Jetting can clear a blockage. A camera is what looks at the pipe. Ask which you bought.