Pre-Purchase Plumbing Inspection: know what the pipes are hiding before you sign

A building and pest report tells you about the roof, the frame and the termites. It does not put a camera down the sewer, and the sewer is where the expensive surprises live in a house built before about 1980 in Liverpool, Fairfield, Cabramatta or Mount Pritchard: earthenware pipes with roots in every joint, a granny flat tied in badly, a line that has sagged and holds water. Paul inspects the plumbing the way he would if he were buying the place himself, and writes it up in plain English with the footage attached.

What a building report misses

Building inspectors look at what they can see. They do not camera the drains, test the water pressure, date the hot water system or check what the water pipes are made of, and the contract usually says so. Those four things are where the money is: a collapsed sewer, a galvanised water service, a tank on its last winter and a gas installation that was never certified. A plumbing inspection fills that gap for a small fraction of what any one of them costs to fix.

What we inspect

The sewer line on camera from the inspection opening to the boundary, with the footage recorded and any fault located and marked with its depth. The stormwater line and pits, and where the downpipes actually go. The hot water system: age from the compliance plate, condition, valves, tempering valve, and how many years it has left. Water pressure at the meter and the taps, and what the pipes are made of (galvanised, copper, PEX). Flexi hoses under every sink and vanity and behind the toilets. The gas installation and whether it has been certified. The overflow relief gully. Toilets, taps and visible leaks. On a house with a granny flat, how the second dwelling is connected.

The report

Written the same day, in plain English, with photos and a link to the camera footage. Three lists: fix now, budget for in the next few years, and fine. Where something needs fixing, an indication of what it involves, so you can negotiate the price or walk away with the facts. Paul will talk it through with you or your conveyancer on the phone.

When to book it

During the cooling-off period, before an auction, or before you make an unconditional offer. Access is arranged through the selling agent the same way as a building inspection, and most houses take one to two hours. Paul will tell you on the phone whether the house's age and area make the inspection worth doing, and sometimes the answer is that it is not.

Older homes: Liverpool, Fairfield, Cabramatta and Mount Pritchard

Fibro and brick houses from the 1950s to 70s on earthenware sewers, often with galvanised water pipes and a hot water system in the laundry. Roots in the sewer, a line that holds water, a second kitchen or granny flat tied in without a proper junction, and low pressure from rusted steel pipe are the common findings, and all of them are negotiable if you know before exchange.

New builds and the Macarthur estates

Oran Park, Gregory Hills, Leppington and Edmondson Park are young, and the problems are different: stormwater laid without fall, PVC joints never glued, building rubbish left in the sewer, downpipes that discharge into the garden, and a continuous flow unit sized for a smaller house. These are cheaper to fix while the builder is still answering the phone, and the inspection report is what makes them answer it.

What it costs

The inspection is a fixed price for a standard house, quoted when you ring, and paid on the day; the report and footage are yours. If you go on to buy and want anything fixed, there is no call-out fee on the repairs and the inspection has already found the fault, so the quote is for the fix and nothing else. See also our guide to pre-purchase plumbing inspections.

What customers say about Paul

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Pre-Purchase Plumbing Inspection: questions we get asked

Page updated 19 October 2026.

Where we do this work

Across Austral, Liverpool, Fairfield and the Macarthur region, see all service areas, Liverpool, Fairfield, Cabramatta, Mount Pritchard, Casula, Campbelltown, Camden, Oran Park. Camera inspections on their own: CCTV drain inspection and CCTV drain inspection Liverpool.