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You’ve found THE house – it ticks all the boxes and on the surface everything seems to be in order. It’s an exciting moment, especially if you’re a first time buyer just stepping on to the property ladder.
One important thing to remember, though, before you sign on the dotted line, is that one of the most important principles that house buyers should bear in mind is that of “buyer beware”. You’re buying the house at your own risk, so you have no-one else to blame if you later find there are defects or costly repairs that you weren’t aware of.
On viewing the house may look fine, and when you commission a building survey it could all come up smelling of roses. You have solicitors to handle the legalities and various searches to uncover the history of the planning and building regulations relating to the property. In fact it seems that no stone is unturned – especially by the mortgage lender – to investigate the state of your dream house.
One thing that is often neglected when you’re keen to buy a property is what is happening under the ground – what may be lurking down in the drains! There’s a sure way to find out – commission a CCTV drain survey.
A drainage company like Drainage Surveying Specialists in Bath will visit the property with their high-tech camera equipment which is cleverly designed to enter the drains via a convenient manhole and travel around the drainage network.
An operator monitors the visual sent back by the camera on a screen above ground, and is able to scrutinise every inch of the pipes, alert for any anomalies.
The survey can expose existing and potential issues like drain subsidence, blockages and root incursions, as well as allowing the expert operator to assess the condition of the pipe and drain linings.
Depending on the size and extent of the drain network, the survey can take a few hours to complete, and requires no invasive digging – in fact there’s no evidence left behind that any examination took place and no-one has to get their hands dirty.
At the end of the survey you’ll be given a written report pointing out any problems, and a copy of the video exploration of the drains.
Don’t forget, you’ll need the vendor and/or estate agent’s permission to carry out a survey on the property you fancy.
Your CCTV drain surveyor will issue you with an industry standard report which is accepted by water authorities and insurance companies, which will include a diagram of the system – very useful for any future development on the site like if you were envisaging building on an extension.
Of course, if any faults are spotted down the drains, you’ll be aware as the prospective purchaser that remedial work is required if you go through with the house purchase.
If there are any issues detected then you could bring these up with the vendor, and perhaps negotiate to have them fund the cost of the drain work needed.
If you’re planning on buying a house be wise and factor in a CCTV drain survey while you’re shopping around – knowing what lies beneath could save you some expensive and invasive drain work down the line. In the Bath and North East Somerset area contact Drainage Surveying Specialists to arrange a Home Buyers Drain Survey.
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