A domestic CCTV drain survey typically costs £90 to £350 in the UK, depending on the size of the property, the number of drain runs and the depth of the report. A quick look at one problem run sits at the low end; a full pre-purchase survey with footage, report and drain plan sits at the top. Prices vary by firm and area, so confirm exactly what is included before booking.
A camera survey is the diagnostic step of drainage: instead of guessing what is wrong underground, you watch it on a screen. The price question is fair, because "CCTV drain survey" covers everything from a ten-minute look down one gully to a full mapped inspection of every pipe on a property. This guide sets out honest typical prices, what actually moves the cost, what a proper survey must include, and the situations where it pays for itself several times over.
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Typical CCTV drain survey prices
Across the UK, most domestic camera surveys fall somewhere between £90 and £350. The spread is wide because the job varies so much: a short investigation of a single blocked run is a very different piece of work from surveying every drain on a four-bedroom house and producing a full written report for a solicitor. Prices also vary between firms and regions, so treat the figures below as a typical UK range rather than a quote.
| Survey type | Typical UK range | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Single-run investigation | £90 to £180 | Camera through one problem run to find a blockage or defect, with verbal findings and footage on request. |
| Full domestic survey | £150 to £300 | All accessible runs surveyed, written condition report, recorded footage, defects located and graded. |
| Pre-purchase (homebuyer) survey | £200 to £350 | Full survey plus a formal report suitable for solicitors, lenders and negotiation, often with a drain layout plan. |
| Clearance plus survey combined | Survey price plus the clearance | The drain is unblocked or jetted first so the camera can see, then surveyed in the same visit. |
Be wary at both ends of the market. A rock-bottom price sometimes buys a cursory look with no report, which is worthless if you need evidence for an insurer, a seller or the water company. And an inflated "specialist" price does not necessarily buy a better camera. What matters is what is delivered, which is why the inclusions list further down is worth reading before you ring anyone.
What changes the price
Length and number of runs
The biggest factor is simply how much pipe there is. A terraced house with one straight run to the sewer is quick. A detached rural property with long runs, multiple gullies and a separate surface water system takes half a day.
Access and condition
Cameras need access points, and pipes need to be clear enough to see. Buried or broken inspection chambers add time, and a fouled drain may need drain jetting before the camera goes in. If a survey has been prompted by a blockage, expect the clearance to be priced alongside the survey.
The depth of reporting
Verbal findings cost less than a full written report with graded defects, stills, footage and a drain plan. For your own peace of mind on a recurring blockage, verbal plus footage may be plenty. For a house purchase or an insurance claim, pay for the full report: it is the document that does the arguing for you.
Distance and timing
Like any site visit, a survey a long way from the depot, or one needed urgently, can carry a premium. Booking a routine daytime slot with a genuinely local firm keeps the price at the friendly end of the range.
What a proper survey should include
Whatever you pay, a professional survey should give you five things. First, recorded footage of each run, not just a live look. Second, a written description of each pipe: material, diameter, direction and condition. Third, every defect identified and located, with its position measured from a fixed access point so a repair team can find it without re-surveying. Fourth, an honest severity assessment, because a hairline crack in an otherwise sound clay pipe is not the same as a displaced joint letting soil in. Fifth, a clear recommendation: no action, a clean, a targeted drain repair, or relining, with the reasoning explained in plain English.
If a firm cannot tell you before booking exactly which of these you will receive, keep dialling. The footage and the measured defect locations are the two that most often get quietly dropped from cheap surveys, and they are precisely the parts you need when someone else has to act on the findings.
When a survey pays for itself
Three situations come up again and again where the survey is the cheapest money spent on the whole problem.
The drain that keeps blocking. If you have paid for drain unblocking twice in a year on the same run, something is wrong inside the pipe: roots, a dropped joint, scale or a belly holding waste. Each repeat clearance treats the symptom. One survey finds the cause, and from there you fix it once.
Buying a house. Standard homebuyer surveys do not look inside the drains, yet a collapsed or root-filled drain can cost thousands to put right, and buried defects are invisible from the surface. A pre-purchase drain survey is a small item in the context of a house purchase, and its findings are negotiating currency. We cover this fully in our guide to drain surveys when buying a house.
Insurance and disputes. When drainage damage becomes an insurance claim, or when you believe a blockage sits in South West Water's pipework rather than yours, recorded footage with measured locations is the evidence that settles it. A verbal opinion carries little weight; a survey report is hard to argue with.
Choosing a survey firm
Ask three questions before you book. What exactly do I get for the price, and is a written report and footage included? Is the price fixed for my property, or an hourly rate? And can the same firm carry out any work the survey finds, so the measured locations flow straight into a repair quote? A local, independent firm scores well on all three: lower overheads than the national franchises, a fixed price agreed up front, and a reputation in the patch that depends on the report being honest. That is how we run our CCTV drain survey service across Plymouth, south east Cornwall and south and west Devon: fixed price confirmed on the phone, footage and findings you can actually use, and no invented defects to sell you work you do not need.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a CCTV drain survey in the UK?
A domestic CCTV drain survey typically costs somewhere between £90 and £350 in the UK, depending on the size of the property, the length and number of drain runs, and how detailed a report you need. A short investigation of a single problem run sits at the lower end; a full pre-purchase survey of every drain with a written report sits at the upper end. Prices vary by firm and area.
What should a CCTV drain survey include?
A proper survey includes camera footage of the drain runs, a written report describing the condition of each pipe and any defects found, the location and depth of problems, and a recommendation for any work needed. For house purchases and insurance claims, ask for the recorded footage and a plan of the drains as part of the deliverable.
How long does a CCTV drain survey take?
Most domestic surveys take one to two hours on site. A single short run can be checked in well under an hour, while a large property with multiple runs, or a system that needs cleaning before the camera can see, takes longer. The written report usually follows within a few days.
Is a CCTV drain survey worth the money?
If a drain keeps blocking, a survey is usually the cheapest thing you can do, because it replaces guesswork with a diagnosis and stops you paying repeatedly for clearances. Before buying a house it can reveal defects that cost thousands to fix, giving you the chance to renegotiate or walk away. For a one-off blockage that clears easily and does not return, you may never need one.
Do drains need to be unblocked before a survey?
The camera needs a reasonably clear pipe to see the walls, so a blocked or heavily fouled drain is normally cleared or jetted first. Many firms offer clearance and survey together, which is often the sensible combination for a recurring problem: clear it, then find out why it happened.
Want to know what is really going on in your drains?
We carry out CCTV drain surveys across Plymouth, south east Cornwall and south and west Devon, with a fixed price agreed before we arrive and a report you can actually use. No guesswork, no invented defects.
Call DCI Drainage on 07418 000 420 Fast, free quotes · Footage and written findings included on full surveys
