Know the condition of the drains before you exchange. Recorded camera survey, WRc/MSCC5 defect grading, and a written report with a drain map — arranged entirely online with a fixed price up front.
Free, no-obligation — we'll call you back fast.
A mortgage valuation and even a full building survey stop at ground level — nobody looks inside the drains. In Brighton and Hove that matters more than in most cities: a large share of the housing stock is Victorian or older, running on original clay drainage that has spent a century settling, cracking at the joints and attracting roots.
A collapsed or badly defective drain found after completion is the buyer's problem, and excavation-and-repair bills run well into four figures. A CCTV survey before exchange shows the actual condition of the runs — and if defects are found, the graded report gives your conveyancer something concrete to negotiate with.
The same survey answers two other common Brighton questions: why a drain keeps blocking, and what condition a public sewer run is in before Southern Water will grant a build-over agreement for an extension.
Complete the enquiry form with the address, why you need the survey (purchase, recurring blockage, build-over) and any access notes. Everything is arranged online.
You receive a fixed price for the survey before anything is booked — no call-out fee and no on-the-day extras for the agreed scope.
The engineer surveys the accessible runs with a recorded CCTV camera, locating defects and mapping the layout as they go.
You receive a written PDF report with the recorded footage, defects graded to WRc/MSCC5, a drain map of the surveyed runs, and plain-English recommendations.
If an extension, conservatory or conversion will be built over or close to a public sewer, Southern Water — the water authority for Brighton and Hove — requires a build-over agreement before work starts. A CCTV condition survey of the affected run is a standard part of that application, and a follow-up survey after the build is sometimes required to show the sewer was not damaged.
Our survey report and drain map are produced in the format that process expects, so your builder or architect can submit them directly.
One fixed survey price, confirmed before you book
You are quoted a single fixed price for the survey before anything is arranged — no call-out fee, and no on-the-day extras for the agreed scope. Tell us the property, why you need the survey and any access notes, and we confirm the price in writing before a date is set, so you can budget for it or pass it to your conveyancer with confidence.
Your fixed survey price covers:
A standard homebuyer survey does not inspect below-ground drainage. A CCTV drain survey shows the actual condition of the drains before you commit — root intrusion, displaced joints, or a collapsed section can cost thousands to excavate and repair after completion.
A written report with recorded footage, defects graded to the industry MSCC5 classification used by drainage engineers and insurers, and a drain map showing the layout and connection points of the runs we surveyed.
MSCC5 is the WRc Manual of Sewer Condition Classification, 5th edition — the standard coding system UK drainage engineers use to describe and grade defects consistently. It means your report can be read and acted on by any drainage contractor, surveyor or insurer.
If an extension or conversion will be built over or near a public sewer, Southern Water requires a build-over agreement, and a CCTV condition survey of the affected run is a standard part of that process — typically before work starts and sometimes again after completion.
Yes. If the same drain keeps blocking, the camera shows why — a sag holding standing water, scale or grease build-up, roots at a joint, or a structural defect — so you can fix the cause once instead of paying for repeat clearances.