Drain Survey Report Form Template

What is the drain survey report form template?

After a CCTV drain survey, the client wants to know three things: what condition the drains are in, where the problems are, and what needs doing. A drain survey report form captures those in a consistent structure, so every report your team produces reads the same way and the client gets a PDF they can act on — or pass to a buyer, insurer or contractor.

This template records the property and "Reason for survey" — a recurring blockage, smells, a pre-purchase check, subsidence, rats, planned building work or an insurance claim. It then describes the system: foul, surface or combined, the access points used, pipe materials and diameters, and whether any runs weren't fully surveyed. Findings include an overall condition, a checklist of defects from root ingress to displaced joints, and a "Defect log" with run, distance, clock position and severity for each one.

It runs on FileIt's Forms app. Stills and exported PDF reports from your survey software can be uploaded alongside the form, and each report is filed as a PDF in your vault.

Who uses a drain survey report form?

• Pre-purchase drain surveys for home buyers
• Investigating recurring blockages or smells
• Surveys supporting an insurance claim
• Checking drains before an extension or building work
• Re-surveys after relining or repair to confirm the result
• Commercial site drainage condition checks

Questions on this drain survey report form

26 questions over 4 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.

The drain survey report form, page by page

1 Job details

Surveyor and survey date, the client's name and email, whether they're the owner, buyer, tenant, agent or insurer, the property address and type, and the reason for the survey.

2 The system

"What was surveyed?" covers foul, surface, combined and shared laterals. The surveyor lists the access points used, ticks the pipe materials found — clay, PVC, pitch fibre, concrete, cast iron — and records diameters and total length surveyed. Two yes/no questions ask whether the drains were jetted first and whether any runs weren't fully surveyed; the second asks which runs and why.

3 Findings

An overall condition from good to serious, then "Defects found": root ingress, cracks, displaced joints, collapse, scale or fat, dips holding water, infiltration and defective connections. The "Defect log" records each defect by run, distance from the start, clock position and severity. Up to ten stills or PDF exports and a link to the video footage can be added.

4 Recommendations

A checklist of recommended work — jetting, root cutting, descaling, patch liners, relining, excavation or a re-survey — with details, an urgency rating, a view on who's likely responsible for the defective section, and the surveyor's comments.

Make the template yours

• Add your own defect coding system to the defect log help text
• Add a currency question for an estimate of the recommended work
• Set the confirmation message to explain when the client will receive a quote
• File reports into a vault folder per client or per property
• Notify the office on every submission so quotes can be prepared
• Change the property types to match the work you do

Tips for a better drain survey report form

• Record distances from a named access point so defects can be found again
• Note runs you couldn't complete — a gap in the survey matters to the client
• Upload stills of every significant defect
• Be clear that responsibility for a pipe section is your view, not a ruling
• Recommend a re-survey after repairs where it adds value
• Write comments in plain language for buyers who aren't trade

Drain survey report form: frequently asked questions

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Templates are a starting point. Check that the questions and any wording about consent, privacy or terms suit your situation and the rules where you are. Page last reviewed 2026-10-01.