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Commercial CCTV Drain Surveys in Dorchester

Condition reports for compliance, lease negotiations and due diligence.

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What is a commercial CCTV drain survey?

A commercial CCTV drain survey sends a waterproof camera through a site's drains to record their condition, so decisions about repairs, leases or purchases rest on what is actually in the ground.

The camera travels from one access point to the next and records the pipe wall, joints and connections as it goes, with the distance along the run shown on screen. That footage, with a written report of what was found, becomes a lasting record of the drainage at that date.

On commercial sites the drainage is often larger, longer and more complicated than on a house, with separate foul and surface water systems, kitchen runs, washroom stacks and sometimes interceptors or pumps. Whether the site is a single shop unit in Dorchester town centre or a larger industrial unit, a survey sets out how all of that is performing.

When does a business need a drain survey?

A business needs a drain survey when it is about to take on, hand back or build on a site, or when its drains keep failing and nobody can say why.

The common triggers:

  • Buying or leasing a commercial property
  • The end of a lease, where dilapidations are being assessed
  • Repeat blockages, smells or flooding in the same place
  • Planned building work near or over existing drains
  • A change of use, such as an office becoming a restaurant, which changes what the drains will carry
  • An insurance claim, where the cause of damage needs showing
  • Handover of new drainage on a development
  • Signs of rats, subsidence or damp near a run

If none of these apply and the drains are working, a survey is usually not needed yet.

Should you survey the drains before buying or leasing commercial premises?

Yes, if the drains will become your responsibility: a building survey does not look inside the pipes, and drainage is one of the few parts of a building nobody can inspect by eye.

On an older or heavily used site, the drains may have been patched, extended or altered several times. A survey before you sign tells you their condition while you can still negotiate, ask the seller or landlord to repair, or adjust the price or rent.

It also shows you what you are taking on under the lease. If the repairing terms put the drains on you, a schedule of condition backed by footage at the start of the lease can limit what you are asked to put right when you leave. Arrange it early enough that the report is back before exchange or completion.

How a survey helps with dilapidations and lease disputes

A survey turns an argument about drain condition into a documented position, because footage of a defect, with its location and severity, is much harder to dispute than an opinion.

At the end of a lease, a landlord may claim the drains were damaged during the term. If a survey was done at the start, comparing the two shows whether the condition actually changed. Without one, a tenant may struggle to show that a defect was already there when they moved in.

The same applies during a lease renewal or rent review, or in a dispute between neighbouring occupiers about a shared run. Each party can see the same footage, and the discussion moves to what should be done and who pays.

Do new builds and developments need drain surveys?

New drainage is worth surveying before handover, because faults from construction, such as debris, displaced joints or damaged pipes, are far easier to have put right while the contractor is still on site.

New runs can be damaged by plant crossing them, by backfill or by later trades, and the damage is invisible from the surface. A survey of the completed system shows whether it was left clean and intact.

Where drains are to be adopted by the water company, or a building control officer or client needs evidence of condition, a survey is often part of the sign-off. If you need the survey in a particular format for that purpose, tell us when you book so we can confirm before the work is arranged.

How a commercial CCTV survey works, step by step

We agree the scope and access, prepare the drains, run the camera through each section and then write up the findings with the footage.

  • We agree which systems are included, foul, surface water or both, and get any site plans you have
  • We plan timing around trading hours and any permits or inductions the site requires
  • Every chamber is opened, inspected and recorded
  • Runs that are fouled or blocked are cleaned first, so the camera can actually see the pipe wall
  • The camera is passed through each section, recording defects with their distance from the access point
  • Where needed, the route and depth of a run are traced from the surface
  • Covers are replaced, the area is left clean and the report is prepared

Can you survey drains at occupied commercial premises?

Yes. Most commercial surveys take place at premises that are open, and the work is organised so that areas are only out of use for short periods.

External chambers can usually be surveyed while you trade. Internal access points in kitchens, washrooms or shop floors are best done before opening, after closing or in a quiet period, which our 24/7 working allows.

While a section is being surveyed, the fittings that drain into it should not be used, otherwise the camera is filmed through running water. We tell you which areas are affected and for how long before we start, so staff and customers can be directed elsewhere.

How long does a commercial CCTV drain survey take?

A small unit with a few short runs can often be surveyed in a morning; a large site with several systems, many chambers or heavy fouling may take a full day or more on site.

The length and number of runs, the number of access points, how much cleaning is needed first and whether route tracing is included all affect the time. Restricted access, such as chambers under stock or inside secure areas, adds to it.

The written report follows the site visit. If you are working to a deadline such as an exchange date or a lease completion, tell us when you book so the timing of both the survey and the report can be planned around it.

What do you get after the survey?

You get the footage and a written report that states what was found, where, how serious it is and what the options are, set out so someone without drainage training can act on it.

The report covers:

  • A sketch or plan of the runs surveyed and their access points
  • Each defect found, with its location along the run
  • How serious each defect is and whether it needs action now or monitoring
  • Pipe materials and sizes where they can be identified
  • Sections that could not be surveyed, and why
  • Recommendations, such as cleaning, repair, relining or no action

The footage and report are yours. You can share them with a landlord, buyer, insurer, surveyor or another contractor for a second opinion.

What a CCTV drain survey can and can't tell you

A survey shows the inside condition of the pipes it can reach: cracks, fractures, displaced joints, root entry, deformation, build-up and poor connections. It cannot see sections the camera cannot get into.

A run that is collapsed, fully blocked or has no access point may stop the camera short. Where that happens, the report says so and explains what would be needed to complete it.

A survey also does not show the ground outside the pipe, so it cannot confirm whether there is a void or a leak into the soil, although defects that commonly cause them can be seen. It records condition on the day, not a forecast of how long a pipe will last.

How much does a commercial CCTV drain survey cost?

The cost depends on the length and number of runs, how many access points there are, whether the drains need cleaning first and whether route tracing is included.

As a guide, commercial CCTV surveys start from around £150 for a standard system. Larger sites, and sites with several runs or a complicated layout, cost more.

The survey is priced and agreed with you before we start. If, once the camera is in, a run turns out to need more cleaning than expected or there is an extra system nobody knew about, we stop, show you why, and agree the change before carrying on. Any repair the survey identifies is quoted separately, so the survey is never tied to taking further work from us.

Who is responsible for defects a survey finds?

Defects in private drains within a site are usually the owner's or the tenant's to fix, depending on the lease; defects in shared drains or public sewers are generally the water company's.

Since 1 October 2011, sewers and lateral drains serving more than one property, and lateral drains beyond a property's boundary, have generally been the responsibility of the water company. In Dorchester that is Wessex Water. A survey often shows exactly where your private drain ends and a shared or public section begins.

For a defect within the site, the repairing covenants in the lease decide whether landlord or tenant pays. The report gives both sides the same evidence to work from.

Covering Dorchester & the local area

We provide commercial surveys throughout Charminster, Martinstown, Crossways, Puddletown, Broadmayne, Poundbury and the surrounding area. Call 0330 133 1625 for a free, no-obligation quote.

How it works

Simple, transparent process

  1. 1

    Tell us what’s happening

    Call and describe what you’re seeing — a slow sink, a gurgle, a smell or standing water. It usually tells us a lot before we arrive.

  2. 2

    We find the cause

    We clear enough to get flow back, then work out why it blocked — because a drain that blocks twice has a reason.

  3. 3

    A price before the work

    If it needs more than a clear — a repair, a lining, a survey — you get the price and the reason before we start it.

  4. 4

    You see the evidence

    Where we survey, you get the footage. Where we repair, you see the before and after.

Don't let it get worse

Get expert help right now

Tell us what the drain is doing and we will explain what is likely causing it and what the work involves.

Call 24/70330 133 1625

Other services

Emergency Unblocking

A drain that has stopped completely, water backing up or sewage escaping — the jobs that cannot wait until Monday.

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Blocked Sinks

Kitchen sinks, basins, baths and showers draining slowly or not at all.

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Drain Cleaning

Clearing build-up before it becomes a blockage — for properties that keep having the same problem.

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Commercial Surveys: common questions

Do I need to prepare anything before a commercial drain survey?
Share any drainage plans, previous survey reports or records of blockages you have. Make sure chamber covers are accessible and not under stock, vehicles or skips, and let us know about any site inductions, permits or security arrangements. Tell staff which fittings should not be used while the survey is running. If keys are needed for plant rooms or yards, have someone available to open them.
How quickly can a commercial drain survey be booked?
Call us and we will give you a date based on the size of the site and when it can be accessed. If there is a deadline, such as an exchange of contracts, a lease completion or a dilapidations meeting, tell us at the start so the survey and report can be scheduled to meet it. Surveys during closed hours can be arranged where daytime access is difficult.
What happens if the survey finds a problem?
We record it with its location and severity and explain what it means in the report, along with the realistic options: cleaning, patch repair, relining or excavation. If a problem is serious enough to need prompt attention, we tell you on the day rather than leaving it for the report. Any repair is priced separately and only goes ahead if you choose to proceed.
Can you survey a drain that is blocked?
Not properly while it is blocked, because the camera cannot pass the obstruction or see through standing water. The blockage needs clearing first, which also usually shows what caused it. Once the drain is flowing, the camera can follow the run and record the pipe condition. We agree the extra cost of clearing with you before doing it.
Can a survey check drains under a building or concrete slab?
Yes, provided there is an access point upstream or downstream of the section. The camera travels inside the pipe, so it does not matter what sits on top: a floor slab, a car park or an extension. If there is no access at either end, an access point may need to be created, which is discussed and priced with you first.
Can the survey also map where the drains run?
Yes. Route and depth can be traced from the surface while the camera is in the pipe, and added to the plan in the report. That is useful before building work, when sorting out which drains serve which unit, or where existing site plans do not match what is on the ground. Mention it when you book, because it adds time on site.
Who should commission a drain survey on a lease?
Whoever wants the evidence, which is usually the party taking on the risk. An incoming tenant often commissions one to record condition at the start; a landlord may commission one before a dilapidations claim or before reletting. Both can rely on the same footage, and some parties agree to share the cost so there is one survey both accept.
Can a drain survey show how rats are getting into commercial premises?
It can often find the route. Rats move through broken pipes, open joints, disused connections and missing interceptor stoppers, and the camera records those defects with their location. For a food business, sealing the entry point matters as much as pest control treatment, because otherwise rats return the same way. Your pest control contractor can then work from the findings.
Is a drain survey useful for an insurance claim?
It can be. Insurers usually want evidence of what failed and why before accepting a claim for subsidence, flooding or damage from a drain. A survey shows the defect, its location and its likely cause on camera. Whether the claim succeeds depends on your policy, but the footage gives the insurer and their loss adjuster facts rather than descriptions.
Can our own contractors use the survey footage?
Yes. The footage and report are given to you, so you can pass them to a facilities manager, building surveyor, architect or another drainage contractor for a second opinion or a competing quote. Being able to check a recommendation independently is part of the point of having it recorded, rather than relying on a verbal description from one firm.