When you’re buying a new home, there are numerous important tasks you need to cross off your to-do list, from exchanging contracts to finding a reliable removal company. With so much else to think about, you could well be tempted to adopt an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to the property’s drainage system instead of booking a specialist homebuyer’s drain survey.
After all, you’ll almost certainly have arranged for a surveyor accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors or Residential Property Surveyors Association to conduct a general survey of the property (which is sometimes referred to as a home, house or building survey). That kind of survey is regarded as ‘an expert inspection of a property’s condition’, says Which?, the consumer affairs organisation. You might therefore be wondering whether you really need a homebuyer’s drain survey as well.
However, you may not have realised that in-depth drain inspections ‘aren’t usually included’ in standard surveys of residential properties, as mortgage broker Habito points out. As leading Bristol and Bath drainage engineers, we often conduct specialist drainage surveys for homebuyers using powerful colour CCTV drain cameras (indeed, we were early adopters of this technology) and know they can be invaluable.
The reality is that a surveyor conducting a general survey of a house is unlikely to have the expertise or equipment required to perform an extensive drain inspection or test the drains. General surveys can certainly be helpful for homebuyers, but they tend to focus on visible, accessible areas.
By contrast, when you ask Mega-Rod to perform a homebuyer’s drain survey, you can be confident that one of our highly skilled drainage surveyors will examine every inch of the underground pipework. This specialist survey will only take a couple of hours or so and doesn’t require excavation work. Our CCTV drain cameras are mobile and fitted with LED lights. We have full control of them and can pan, rotate and zoom, as well as take photos and make recordings. We also have the ability to employ sonar technology to pinpoint a pipe’s location, for instance. Plus, we’re more than happy to perform drain cleaning on the same day as the survey to spruce up the pipework.
You can therefore be confident that your homebuyer’s drain survey will give you a clear, in-depth understanding of your chosen property’s drainage system (including its size and location) in addition to identifying any problems. For example, the survey might reveal drain congestion or blockages, rodent infestations, invasive roots, cracks and leaks or bigger structural issues such as collapsed drains. All our findings will be included in a detailed drain survey report, and we’ll also discuss potential next steps with you.
While a specialist drain survey can benefit anyone buying a home, this service is likely to be particularly helpful if:
Another compelling reason to book a homebuyer’s drain survey is that your chosen mortgage lender and/or home insurance provider may insist on one because they want to know exactly what condition the property’s drainage system is in before entering into a legal agreement with you. This is a clear indication of how important a drainage inspection can be when you’re moving home.
Your homebuyer’s drain survey will ideally take place after your offer on the property has been accepted by the seller but before you sign on the dotted line. If it reveals a major concern, you therefore have the opportunity to withdraw from the sale or negotiate a better deal with the seller.
In a nutshell, a homebuyer’s drain survey could help you get a mortgage and home insurance, resolve drain problems before they take hold and become less affordable to fix, and reduce your new home’s purchase price. Indeed in light of the potential benefits, a homebuyer’s drain survey is ‘arguably something that more people should consider,’ emphasises Homebuilding & Renovating magazine.
When you need an efficient, comprehensive, specialist inspection of a property’s drainage system in Bath, Bristol or the surrounding area, you can rely on our professional, helpful drainage surveyors.
Book your homebuyer’s drain survey or request a free quote by calling Mega-Rod today on 01225 422980.
