How a Home Buyers Drain Survey could save you £1,000s

In 1971, Fred Smith founded FedEx with $95 million in the bank.

Three years later, the cash was almost gone. It was the height of the oil crisis and FedEx was losing a million dollars a month. No-one would lend them any more.

When a final appeal for funds was turned away, FedEx looked dead on the ground. The company had just $5,000 left – not enough to refuel their planes for the following week.

So, in desperation, Smith withdrew the lot and headed for the Las Vegas blackjack tables.

Two days later he came away with $27,000. Enough to keep his planes in the air for a few more days.

Thankfully, most of us never need to take that kind of gamble.

The biggest financial risk the average person takes is getting a mortgage for a new home. When you're investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a property, it makes sense to find out as much about it as possible, before you exchange contracts.

Many people take the sensible option of obtaining a building surveyor’s Homebuyer Report. You might think the report would cover the drains, but building surveyors don’t carry the equipment for in-depth drainage surveys. They might lift a manhole cover and peer inside, but that's about as good as it gets.

It’s a shocking fact that many people buy a home with no idea what’s going on beneath it.

Hidden drainage problems can be expensive to fix.

Old drains are prone to corrosion, root intrusion and going out of shape to the point of collapse. Sometimes we find drains have been laid directly beneath the house – terrible for you if there’s a blockage. Other drains we see made from pitch fibre, a material used in the 1940-70s which only has a 40-year lifespan. We sometimes find illegal connections or vermin infestations. The kind of things you really ought to know about if you’re going to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in a property.

How do you find out what lies beneath?

You need a Home Buyers Drain Survey from County Drains. It will flag up issues like these, and more, and could potentially save you thousands of pounds in future repair bills.

A Home Buyers Drain Survey makes a tremendous negotiating tool.

If we do find problems, you can use our report to make sure the seller either repairs the drains or gives you a reduction in the sale price. Sometimes the seller finds the problems is covered by their buildings insurance.

If the seller is not prepared to carry out repairs or reduce the price, you can pull out knowing you're not inheriting a hefty repair bill in a few years’ time.

A Home Buyers Drain Survey is not just about finding problems.

Most homeowners have no idea where their drains go. The law regarding drain ownership changed in 2011, so our survey will tell you which drains are yours and which belong to the water authority.  

If you find a problem and the drain is the water authority's responsibility, they will fix it, free of charge.

We don't just survey underground.

We look at all aspects of the property's drainage. Our state-of-the-art CCTV cameras will provide you with a condition report of all underground drains. But we also report on the state of all manholes, lids, gullies, downpipes and overflow pipes above-ground.

One of the most common problems we find is damage to gullies like kitchen drains. Instead of going into the sewer, water seeps into the ground which can cause subsidence. This is something a standard Homebuyer Report wouldn't normally spot.

What do you get when you buy a Home Buyers Drain Survey?

You receive a report covering all drainage above and below ground; a plan showing all drains on the property, together with ownership information; and then any recommendations or findings. You also get a DVD or a digital copy of the CCTV footage from the survey so you can see for yourself.

Also, if we find visibility is too poor for our camera, we'll jet-wash the drains first, free of charge.

The Home Buyer Drain Survey satisfies all parties, including solicitors, for water searches (CON29DWs). And if you were to buy the property, then sell again within five years, your Homebuyer Drain Survey can be included as part of your seller’s pack, which means it retains its value.

But I don’t have time to be dealing with another surveyor.

That’s fine – you don't even need to be there. We're able to carry out most of our surveys without needing to get in the house. But if we do, we can liaise with the estate agent to meet them on site, or arrange to pick up the keys from them.

A Home Buyers Drain Survey is all about peace of mind.

The good news is that 80% of the Home Buyers Drain Surveys we carry out find no problems at all. Meaning you can make an offer with confidence.

When we do see issues, they range from the simple replacement of a manhole cover, costing maybe £100, through to full removal of roots and relining the drains. One survey we did in 2017 discovered £3,500 worth of work needed doing. Another required repairs costing £8,000. In that instance, the homebuyer pulled out of the sale.

Forewarned is definitely forearmed.

Buying a house is costly. Isn't this just another expense?

A Homebuyer Drain Survey starts at £165+VAT. That's probably less than the cost of the wallpaper you might buy for one of the bedrooms. For that price, a Home Buyers Drain Survey could save you thousands.

So why risk it?

To find out more, call County Drains today on 01530 510571.

We carry out Home Buyers Drain Surveys in Leicester, Coalville, Hinckley, Loughborough, Ashby de la Zouch and towns and villages within a 20 mile radius of Coalville, Leicestershire. 

29 Mar 2018

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