CCTV Drain Property Survey, House Inspection, Home Report Advice, Building Design
CCTV Drain Survey for Properties Guide
Homeowners Report for drainage system: Properties Survey Article
25 July 2019
Buying a house
Buying a house throws up numerous concerns. Before you exchange contracts, it’s important to know that the property you’re buying is in excellent condition. As such, you carry out a survey to see if everything is as it seems. In recent times, it’s recommended that you also get a CCTV drain survey before buying your house. People are starting to realise the benefits of having a drain survey commissioned and the risks of not having one.
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So, if you’re planning on buying a home, then you need to know about CCTV drain surveys. In this guide, we’ve provided you with all the essential information:
What is a CCTV drain survey?
Effectively, this refers to an inspection of the drainage system under your property. A quick Google search will equip you with lots of companies providing CCTV drain surveys for property owners in London. But, it’s important to understand the details of what you’re paying for before arranging for a survey.
Firstly, your drain is located, and the cover is removed. From here, a CCTV camera can be inserted down into the drain. There’s a light attached to the camera, which lets us see what’s happening inside. The footage from the camera is recorded and streamed live to a screen that your surveyor will hold. Not only does this help guide the camera around the drain, but it also lets the surveyor see any blockages or damages in the drain.
When the entire drain has been recorded, the cameras can be taken out. Now, all the footage is checked and examined in more detail. By doing so, it allows the drain surveyor to analyse every frame and make notes of any and all issues. You can view the footage as well, and the surveyor will talk you through everything, so you understand what’s going on. Source a CCTV Drain Survey and Drain Cleaning in Crawley.
If there are any problems, like an obstruction in your drains, then you’re notified immediately and can take steps to resolve the situation before buying the house.
Why do homebuyers need drain surveys?
Well, why do you need general property surveys? To make sure you’re not being sold something with lots of lingering issues. Drainage systems are highly complex, and they can cost a lot of money to fix. So, if you buy a house, then discover problems with the drains, it will cost a fortune on top of what you just paid for the home.
If your CCTV drain survey discovers some significant issues, then this can stop you from making a bad decision and buying the home. You could negotiate a new price with the seller that accounts for drainage repairs, or insist that you won’t buy the property until they fix it.
CCTV drain surveys should form part of the normal house buying process. After all, the drainage system is still part of your property. You get a surveyor to look at everything else and calculate how much any repairs will cost, so why wouldn’t you do the same for the drains?
What are the benefits of having a drain survey commissioned?
Clearly, the main benefit is that you have peace of mind. An extensive drain survey will let you know the health of a home’s drainage system. So, you can buy the house without worrying about any problems.
Additionally, a CCTV drain survey will potentially save lots of money. As we mentioned before, it stops you from buying a house and discovering costly drainage repairs. It’s rare for estate agents to take the drainage system into account when valuing homes. Therefore, when issues are present, you can definitely haggle for a better deal. Or, as we said, make the current homebuyer pay for any repairs if they want you to pay the asking price for their property.
What’s more, having a drain survey commissioned is extremely non-invasive. The other options include excavation and a lot of work. Realistically, you can’t do either of these things before buying the property. So, the benefit of drain surveys is that they’re pretty much the only way to check the drainage system before you buy.
Finally, CCTV surveys let you manage any drain problems more effectively. You know precisely what’s wrong with your drains, so you have a list of repairs at hand. There’s no guesswork; you get to the root of the problem and understand what has to be done to fix it.
What are the dangers of buying a house without a CCTV drain survey?
What happens if you neglect to proceed with a drain survey before buying your new home? Well, you’re taking a considerable risk. If you’re lucky, then there are no drain issues to worry about. However, you risk buying a home that’s riddled with unseen drainage problems that you are responsible for repairing.
Remember, a CCTV survey can identify potential problems in your drains. This may include things that haven’t happened yet. For example, the cameras pick up signs of significant wear and tear on a pipe. While it isn’t causing an issue now, it may lead to the pipe bursting in a few months time. Without a survey, you won’t know this. So, you buy the house, then get shocked by a burst pipe 6 months down the line. All of a sudden, you’re paying for expensive repairs that could’ve been avoided.
Ask yourself, would you buy a house without commissioning a general survey of the structure? You wouldn’t. So, why take the risk and buy a home without a CCTV drain survey?
How do you get a CCTV survey commissioned?
First of all, you must trust the right company to handle this task for you. They must be experienced, have a detailed knowledge of drainage, and have access to the right CCTV equipment.
Most importantly, they have to be NADC certified. When a company is certified by the National Association of Drainage Contractors, it means they have to live up to specific standards. This gives you confidence knowing that they will provide a high-quality job.
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