How much does a CCTV drain survey cost?
The short answer: most CCTV drain surveys in the UK cost £90 to £500 in 2026, and the average is about £250 (MyJobQuote, August 2026). A quick camera look at one blockage sits at the bottom of that range. A full survey with a drain plan and written report is nearer £350 to £500. Our surveys start at £150.
A CCTV drain survey cost comes down to two things: how much pipe there is to film, and what you need at the end of it. A camera pushed down one drain to find a blockage is a short job. A survey that films every run, maps the layout and produces a coded report for a house purchase or an insurance claim takes most of a morning. The prices below are 2026 market figures, so you can judge any quote, including ours.
CCTV drain survey prices in 2026, by survey type
| Survey type | What you get | Typical 2026 price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic blockage inspection | A camera run to find one known problem | About £90 |
| Basic drain and sewer inspection | Your drains checked through to the sewer connection | About £150 |
| Locating a blockage or defect | Fault finding, with the problem's position marked | About £250 |
| Full survey with drain mapping | Every run filmed, a plan of the layout and a written report | About £350 |
| Robotic crawler survey | A motorised camera for wider or longer pipes | About £350 |
| Full push camera survey | Every run filmed with hand-pushed cameras, 3 to 4 hours on site | About £500 |
| Homebuyer survey, standard home | A full survey and report before you buy | £250 to £350 |
| Larger property | More runs and chambers, up to 4 to 6 hours | £350 to £450 |
| Jetting first, if the pipe is dirty or blocked | Clears the pipe so the camera can see | £100 to £150 extra |
| Finding or uncovering a buried access point | Digging out or locating a hidden chamber | £100 to £300 extra |
Source: MyJobQuote drain survey cost guide, updated 25 August 2026, based on quotes given by tradespeople on its platform. Treat them as averages, not fixed prices.
Some independent drainage firms advertise starting prices of about £100 to £125. That can be fair for a quick look, but check it includes a written report and a copy of the footage. Check VAT too: some firms quote without it, which adds a fifth to the bill.
How much does a homebuyer drain survey cost?
A pre-purchase survey of a standard home costs £250 to £350 in 2026, according to the same MyJobQuote data. Our homebuyer drain survey starts at £195.
It fills a gap your house survey leaves. The RICS Home Survey Level 2 (formerly the HomeBuyer Report) does not investigate the drainage installations, and for flats the surveyor doesn't inspect the drains at all. At best, a loose manhole cover gets lifted for a look.
A drain survey is most worth it when you're buying:
- an older home, where clay pipes and their joints have had decades to crack and shift
- a home from the 1950s to the 1970s, when pitch fibre pipes (a tar-soaked fibre that can blister and flatten) were popular
- a home with big trees near the drain run
- a home where an extension, conservatory or drive sits over or near the drains
- a home on a newer estate, where shared pipes may not have been adopted by the water company yet
- a home with cracks, damp patches or sinking paving
You'll need the seller's permission, so ask your estate agent to arrange access early and leave time before exchange. If the survey finds a defect in your future private drain, the report gives you evidence to renegotiate or ask the seller to fix it. If the defect is in a shared pipe or the public sewer, it's the water company's to repair, not yours. Our guide on who is responsible for blocked drains explains where that line falls.
What changes the price of a drain survey
- How much drain there is. More runs, more chambers and longer pipes mean more time filming and more to write up.
- Access. Covers that are seized, painted over or buried under paving take time to open. If there's no access point, one may have to be found or dug.
- Whether the pipe is clean. A camera can't see through standing water or thick fat, so a dirty or blocked pipe may need jetting first.
- Pipe size and camera type. Most house drains are narrow enough for a push camera fed by hand. Wider or longer pipes need a crawler.
- The report. A spoken summary on the day costs less than a coded written report with a drain plan, stills and the full video.
- How far it goes. Checking your connection into the sewer, or a shared run, adds time.
- Urgency and location. Short-notice visits can cost more, and prices run higher in London and the South East.
What a proper CCTV drain survey report includes
A good report lets someone who wasn't there understand every metre of pipe. When the Financial Ombudsman Service looks at insurance disputes over underground pipes, it checks the drainage report has enough detail, a diagram of the pipework, a list of problems showing where they are, and what the pipe is made of. That's a sensible standard for any survey. Look for:
- a plan of the drains, with every chamber numbered and the direction of flow shown
- for each run, where it starts and ends, its length, its width and the pipe material
- each defect listed with its distance from the start, a still image and a grade for how serious it is
- defects coded to the industry standard, the WRc Manual of Sewer Condition Classification (currently the 5th edition)
- the full video, not just a few stills
- any run that couldn't be surveyed, and why
- clear recommendations, separating what's urgent from what can be watched, with any repair price kept apart from the findings
- which pipes are private and which look shared or public, so you know whose cost each defect is
Red flags in a cheap drain survey
- No written report, or a report with no plan and no distances.
- No footage. If you can't see it, you can't check it or show your insurer.
- A free survey tied to booking repairs. Whoever profits from the repair shouldn't be the only one judging whether you need it.
- A big relining quote with no defect locations or grades. You should see exactly which metre of pipe needs work and why.
- Only one chamber checked when the house has several runs.
- A quote to repair the public sewer, or a shared pipe beyond your boundary. That's the water company's job, and Southern Water warns that private contractors aren't allowed to work on public sewers.
- Pressure to decide on the day. A good report still makes sense next week.
- A price that quietly excludes VAT.
Is a drain survey worth the money?
Often, but not always. It's worth it when the same drain keeps blocking, when you notice smells, damp, rats or sinking ground, before you buy an older home, before building an extension near the drains, and when you're making an insurance claim. The Financial Ombudsman Service notes that insurers usually appoint a drainage company to film the pipes when a claim for underground damage comes in, and that subsidence investigations usually include a CCTV inspection of drains close to the house.
You probably don't need one for a single blockage that clears and stays clear. A quick camera check after unblocking is usually enough to confirm the pipe is sound. If you're seeing warning signs, our guide to the signs of a collapsed drain helps you judge how urgent they are.
What our CCTV drain surveys cost
- CCTV drain surveyA written report within 48 hours, plus the footage
- Homebuyer drain surveyA written report for your purchase within 48 hours
The price depends on the number and length of drain runs and how easy the chambers are to open, and you get a fixed price agreed before any work starts. No call-out fee. All prices include VAT. We show you the camera footage before we leave. Every price we charge is on our prices page.
When to call an engineer
Book a survey rather than another unblocking when:
- the same drain has blocked twice or more in a few months
- you can smell sewage outside but can't see a blockage
- paving, a lawn or a drive over the drain run has started to dip
- you've seen rats in the garden or under the floor
- you're buying a home and exchange is weeks away, not days
Call 0800 246 5347 or send a photo of your manhole with a callback request, and we'll tell you which survey fits and what it costs before we book.
The engineer who wrote or checked this guide, with their role and the date it was reviewed.
Drain survey costs: common questions
How long does a drain survey take on the day?
Most take around two hours. A basic look for one blockage can be done in about an hour, and a full mapped survey of a larger home can take three to four hours or more. The written report follows afterwards. Ours arrives within 48 hours.
Does a normal house survey check the drains?
Not properly. The RICS Home Survey Level 2 does not investigate drainage installations, and for flats the surveyor doesn't inspect the drains. They may lift a loose manhole cover and comment on what they see, but only a camera survey shows the condition of the pipes underground.
Who pays for a drain survey when buying a house?
Usually the buyer, in the same way you pay for your house survey. You'll need the seller's permission for access. If the survey finds problems, you can use the report to negotiate on price or ask the seller to put the drains right before you exchange.
Will my insurer pay for a drain survey?
If you make a claim for damage to underground pipes, the insurer normally appoints a drainage company to film them. Tell your insurer before you book any repair, because most policies want to inspect first. A survey you arrange yourself, with no claim, is usually at your own cost.
Does the survey price include clearing the drain?
Usually not. Most survey prices cover the inspection and report only. If the pipe is blocked or coated in fat, it may need jetting first so the camera can see, which is normally priced separately. Ask for both prices before the visit.
Can a camera survey show where rats are getting in?
Often, yes. Rats move between the sewer and gardens through broken pipes, open joints and old unused connections, and a camera can find these. Southern Water notes that damage or defects in the network make it easier for rats to reach the surface.