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CCTV Drain Surveys for Homes and Small Sites in Hertfordshire
What a CCTV Drain Survey Actually Is
A CCTV drain survey is a camera inspection of the drain. We put a high-resolution camera through the run and record the condition of the pipe: cracks, displaced joints, root ingress, scale, fat and collapses, and exactly where they sit. That is the job people mean when they search for a drain survey, a drain camera inspection or a home CCTV drain survey.
It is not a scaled drainage plan. If your architect needs invert levels, connections and a drawing for planning, that is drain mapping — a different deliverable, on a different page. This page is for the condition of the pipe, for a house, a small business or a small development that needs to know whether the drains are fit to keep.
You get the footage, stills and a written report in plain English. Mortgage lenders, solicitors and insurers can file it. If a repair is needed we can often quote and carry it out on the same visit rather than booking you in twice.
Why Homes and Small Sites Book Drain 247
You Keep the Footage
Not a verbal “looks fine”. You get the file, the stills and a written note of every defect.
Fixed Price Before We Start
Domestic surveys from £150. The figure we quote on the phone is the figure on the invoice.
Survey and Repair Together
If lining, a patch or jetting will do, we can often complete it before we leave.
Built for Houses and Small Sites
Homeowners, buyers, small businesses and small developments — not a highway survey dressed up as a domestic job.
A Report They Can File
Written in plain English, with stills and a location for each defect. Lenders, solicitors and insurers can use it.
Often the Same Day
Most domestic CCTV surveys in Hertfordshire can be booked the same day. A real person answers the phone.
Book a CCTV Drain Survey Today
Domestic, homebuyer, small-business and small-site inspections — booked now, so you know what is in the pipe before anyone digs or you exchange.
We survey from a manhole, gully or WC. You watch the screen with the engineer, then take away the file, the stills and a written note of every defect. A typical house around Watford is from £150. Pre-purchase surveys for solicitors and lenders are from £180. Small businesses and small developments are quoted from what we can see on site.
Call with the address and whether it is a house, a shop or a few plots. We quote a fixed price before we start. There is no call-out fee.
Who a CCTV Drain Survey Is For
The camera job is the same. The reason you book it is not. We write the report for the person who has to act on it.
Domestic and Home Surveys
A house, bungalow or flat with its own drains. Repeated blockages, smells, slow emptying, or you simply want to know the condition before it fails. Domestic CCTV surveys from £150.
Homebuyers and Pre-Purchase
A survey before you exchange, or because a solicitor or lender has asked for one. You get a report they can file, not a verbal look down a manhole. Pre-purchase from £180.
Small Businesses
A shop, café, office, workshop or small commercial unit. Fat, scale and a drain that keeps blocking the trade. We inspect the runs you actually use and quote a repair if the camera shows one.
Small Developments
A conversion, a couple of plots, or a small site where the existing drains have to be kept or connected to. We inspect condition so you know whether the pipes are fit to stay. A site-wide drainage plan is drain mapping, not this survey.
When You Need a Camera Down the Drain
A CCTV inspection settles the argument before anyone starts digging — or paying the wrong person.
Buying or Selling a Home
Lenders and solicitors increasingly ask for a drainage report. A pre-purchase CCTV survey is the file they can attach to the pack.
Repeated Blockages
If the same drain keeps blocking, the camera finds the defect the rods keep missing — a displaced joint, a belly, or a collapse.
Before a Repair
We will not line or excavate a pipe we have not seen. The footage is the specification for the repair.
Small Site, Existing Drains
A small development or conversion that has to use the drains already in the ground. Condition first. The drawing, if you need one, is mapping.
Insurance Claims
Insurers ask for evidence of the cause. Footage and a written inspection report is that evidence.
Bad Smells or Slow Drains
A look with the camera is usually enough to tell you whether it is a blockage, fat, or a broken pipe.
What You Receive
The point of a CCTV drain inspection is a pack you can act on — not a van ticket and a shrug.
The Footage
The recording of the run, so you can see what we saw rather than taking our word for it.
Stills of Each Defect
A still at every crack, root, collapse or displaced joint, not a single snapshot of a clean section.
Where It Sits
A location along the run for each defect, so a repair crew is not guessing which joint to line.
A Written Report
Plain English, with severity. What a solicitor, lender, insurer or owner can actually file.
A Repair Quote If Needed
If lining, a patch or jetting will do, we quote it on the visit. You decide. Nothing is done without that figure.
Usually One Visit
Most houses in Hertfordshire are done in a single attendance. Small businesses and small sites are quoted for the runs we need to cover.
How a CCTV Inspection Visit Works
Most domestic surveys in Hertfordshire are done in a single visit, from the van to the report.
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Access the Run
We lift a manhole, gully or WC and put the camera in from there. A push-rod camera for most houses; a robotic crawler where the diameter needs it. No excavation for a standard survey.
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Inspect and Record
The footage is stored, defects are marked with a location, and we talk you through what we are seeing on screen. You are not left waiting for a letter.
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You Get the Report
Stills, a written summary and a recommendation — repair, lining, jetting, or nothing to do. If you want the repair, we can often stay and do it.
CCTV Drain Survey or Drain Mapping?
People search both, and a lot of firms treat them as the same job. They are not. Mixing them up is how you pay for a camera look when you needed a drawing, or a plan when you needed to know whether the pipe was cracked.
A CCTV drain survey is an inspection of condition. That is this page. People also type “CCTV drain mapping” when they mean that inspection — a camera through the pipe, footage, a report. We will do that job. We will not sell it as a scaled plan.
Drain mapping is the drawing: where the pipes go, how deep they are, what size they are and what they connect to. Architects, build-over applications and site layouts need that. If you only need to know whether the drain is cracked, stay here. If you need invert levels and a plan, go to mapping. Most small developments need the inspection first; the drawing only if they are actually building.
CCTV Inspection for Small Developments
A small development is not a housing estate. It is a conversion, a couple of plots, a small courtyard scheme, or a site that has to use the drains already in the ground. The question is whether those pipes are structurally sound enough to keep, to connect into, or to build near — not where every run sits on a CAD drawing.
We inspect with the kit the diameter needs: a push-rod camera on domestic laterals, a robotic crawler on larger runs. You get the footage and a condition report. If a run is cracked or collapsed we quote the repair rather than leaving you to find out after the slab is down.
If your architect has asked for invert levels, existing and proposed drainage drawings, or a build-over pack, that is drain mapping. Say so when you call and we will quote the right visit, not this one dressed up as a plan.
Transparent CCTV Survey Prices
The price is agreed before we start. There is no call-out fee.
| Service | Best For | Typical Cost | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic CCTV Survey | A typical house or bungalow | £150 from | Book Now |
| Pre-Purchase / Homebuyer | Solicitors, lenders and buyers | £180 from | Book Now |
| Small Business / Small Site | Shops, units and small developments | Quoted on the visit | Book Now |
Small businesses, small developments and multi-run sites are quoted on the visit. If we stay to repair what the camera found, that work is priced separately and agreed first.
If the Camera Has Already Told You Enough
Call and we will talk through the footage, the likely repair and a fixed price — without booking a second visit first.
What Our Customers Say
Brilliant service, they helped unblock my drain really quickly. Would definitely recommend!
An absolute pleasure to deal with. George arrived at my house quickly to take care of a blockage in my drain. He cleared it in less than an hour and was very knowledgeable.
Great service and a great team of engineers. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone. Work carried out to a high standard and the call-out was within the required time.
Related Drainage Services
Drain Repair
Patch lining, full relining and excavation repairs for cracked, collapsed or deteriorated pipework.
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Drain Mapping
Drain mapping for architects, builders and homeowners — scaled plans, invert levels and connections before you apply.
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Drain Jetting
High-pressure water jetting that scours fat, silt and scale from the pipe wall.
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Tanker Services
Vacuum tanker deployment for emptying, interceptors, and jobs too large for a van-mounted unit.
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Culvert Cleaning
Culvert cleaning, CCTV inspection and structural repair for farms, estates, councils and commercial sites.
Find out moreCCTV Drain Surveys Across Hertfordshire
Based in Watford. CCTV drain surveys and inspections for homes, small businesses and small developments across Hertfordshire and north west London.
- Watford
- St Albans
- Hemel Hempstead
- Rickmansworth
- Bushey
- Croxley Green
- Abbots Langley
- Kings Langley
- Chorleywood
- Berkhamsted
- Bricket Wood
- Cassiobury
- Moor Park
- Borehamwood
- Elstree
- Radlett
- Harpenden
- Potters Bar
- Hatfield
- Welwyn Garden City
- Harrow
- Pinner
- Northwood
- Ruislip
- Harefield
- Stanmore
- Edgware
- Hendon
- Barnet
- Brent Cross
- Wembley
- Enfield
- Aylesbury
- Milton Keynes
Common Questions About CCTV Drain Surveys
What Is a CCTV Drain Survey?
A camera inspection of the drain. We record the inside of the pipe so you can see cracks, roots, fat, displaced joints and collapses, and where they sit. You get the footage, stills and a written report. It is the condition of the pipe, not a scaled plan of where it goes.
Is a CCTV Drain Survey the Same as Drain Mapping?
No. A CCTV survey shows the condition of the pipe. Drain mapping is a scaled drawing of the route, invert levels, sizes and connections. People search “CCTV drain mapping” when they mean this inspection. If you need a plan for an architect or a build-over, that is drain mapping. If you need to know whether the pipe is cracked, this is the page.
Do You Do Domestic and Home CCTV Drain Surveys?
Yes. Most of our survey work is houses, bungalows and flats. A typical domestic CCTV survey in Hertfordshire is from £150, agreed before we start, with no call-out fee. Someone needs to give us access to a manhole, gully or WC.
Do You Survey Small Businesses?
Yes. Shops, cafés, offices, workshops and small commercial units. Fat, scale and a drain that keeps interrupting the trade are the usual reasons. We quote from the number of runs and how easy they are to access, rather than stretching a domestic price across a yard of chambers.
Can You Inspect Drains on a Small Development?
Yes. A conversion, a couple of plots, or a small site that has to keep or connect into existing drains. We inspect condition so you know whether the pipes are fit to stay. If your architect has asked for invert levels and a site drainage plan, that is mapping, and we will quote that visit instead.
Do I Need a CCTV Survey Before Buying a House?
If the surveyor has flagged drainage, the drains smell, or the property is older Hertfordshire stock with clay or pitch fibre, yes. A pre-purchase CCTV survey is from £180 and produces a report a solicitor or lender can file. Finding a collapse after exchange is more expensive than the survey.
How Long Does a CCTV Drain Survey Take?
A typical domestic survey is an hour to an hour and a half on site, depending on how many runs we need to cover and how easy the chambers are to access. Small businesses and small sites take longer and we tell you the likely window when we quote.
Will I Get a Written Report?
Yes. You receive footage, still images and a written summary of every defect, its location and its severity. That is what lenders, insurers and solicitors usually ask for. We do not leave you with a verbal “looks fine”.
Can You Repair What You Find on the Same Day?
Often, yes. Patch lining and many jetting jobs can follow the inspection immediately. Larger excavations are quoted and booked separately so you are never surprised by the cost. See drain repair if you already know it is a cracked pipe.
How Much Does a CCTV Drain Survey Cost?
Domestic surveys are from £150. Pre-purchase surveys for buyers, solicitors and lenders are from £180. Small businesses and small developments are quoted on the visit. The price is agreed before we start and there is no call-out fee. A repair, if you want one, is priced separately.
Need a Drain Survey This Week?
Most CCTV surveys for homes and small sites in Hertfordshire can be booked the same day. You get footage, stills and a written report.