Why a CCTV drains inspection is essential for all old buildings

During a property inspection there might be some aspects that can’t be seen and you may feel it is necessary to recommend a ‘further investigation’.

Surveyors are often criticised for an excessive use of recommendations for further investigations.  This is seen by many consumers as simply being an excuse to avoid providing an opinion.

However, there is one such investigation which should be considered as being an essential requirement in addition to a comprehensive building survey.   The recommendation for a CCTV drains inspection should be a standard requirement for all older properties.    Within any building survey, the surveyor is limited to only taking up inspection chamber lids and trying to assess if water flows away from a bath or toilet.  That has limited value unless the chamber is actually blocked.   Watching the bath water flow away is not an indiction that the drains are actually functional.

A CCTV inspection is a thorough and professional assessment of the drainage installation using a camera.  It records and documents the condition of the drains and defects can be accurately plotted.   Drainage repairs are very expensive and the investment into a good CCTV inspection will be easily proved worthwhile when unknown defects are revealed.   In a property purchase scenario this could then be used for renegotiation of the purchase price.

Drains can be found to fail from blockages, open joints, collapse or perhaps roots from trees and bushes.

While each case is individual, our informal observations after a CCTV inspection has been carried suggest that as high as 75% of older properties have defective drains.