A sewer scope that finds a repair-grade defect changes a purchase, and how the buyer handles the next ten days decides whether it becomes a fair adjustment or a lost deal. The finding has to become a number, the number has to be supported, and the remedy has to be one that actually protects the buyer after closing. This guide covers each step.
Quick answer: get the full video and report, have a contractor who does not sell to the seller quote the repair from the footage, decide whether you want the seller to repair before closing with verification footage or to give a credit so you control the work, and put the chosen remedy in a written addendum with the footage attached. Prefer a credit for anything large. Walk away if the repair cost plus the unknowns exceeds what the deal can carry.
Separate maintenance from repair
Light roots at one joint, some scale and a slow drain are maintenance: a cleaning and a note for next year. Offsets, breaks, bellies, heavy roots, channeled cast iron and deforming Orangeburg are repairs. Only the second group is a negotiation. Interpreting the footage and the common findings help with the sorting.
Get a number with evidence
Send the footage to one or two contractors who were not involved in the inspection and ask for a quote for the repair the footage supports, with the method and the footage range. A quote from the inspector’s own company is a starting point, not evidence. Getting quotes from one video covers the mechanics and spot repair vs replacement the choice the quote has to make.
Consider a second scope
For a large number, a second inspection by a different company costs a few hundred dollars and either confirms the finding or shows it was overstated. Sellers take a confirmed finding seriously; a single inspector’s opinion is easier to dispute.
Repair by seller or credit
A seller repair before closing seems cleanest but gives the seller the choice of contractor and method and every incentive to choose the cheapest. If you accept it, require the method and the contractor in the addendum, a permit where one is needed, a transferable warranty, and after footage with the counter visible before closing. A credit or price reduction gives you the money and the control, and for anything beyond a small spot repair it is usually the better remedy. See repair warranties and verification.
Price the unknowns
If the camera could not pass the defect, the pipe beyond it is unknown and the quote only covers what was seen. Price that risk into the credit or require the seller to clear the line and re-scope before you commit. A quote for a 20 ft liner can become a full replacement when the rest of the pipe is finally seen.
Lender and insurance
Some lenders will not close with a known sewer defect unrepaired; some insurers exclude sewer backup. Find out before choosing the remedy, because a lender’s requirement may force a seller repair where you would have preferred a credit.
The addendum
Whatever is agreed goes in writing: the finding by distance, the footage attached or referenced, the remedy, the amount, the deadline, the verification. A verbal promise to fix the sewer is worth nothing after closing. See inspection contingencies.
When to walk
When the repair cost plus the unknowns plus the disruption exceeds what the price can absorb, or when the seller refuses any remedy for a documented structural defect. A buyer who walks over a confirmed collapsed lateral has made a sound decision, and the next buyer’s inspector will find the same thing.
The seller’s side
A seller faced with a sewer finding should get their own footage and quote before responding. Inspectors differ, repairs differ in cost by method, and a credit negotiated from a realistic quote is cheaper than a lost sale. Disclosure obligations apply to whatever is learned.
After closing
If the seller repaired, keep the after footage, the permit and the warranty. If you took a credit, get the repair done and scoped, and keep that. Either way, the footage from the purchase is the baseline for the life of the house. See verifying a known repair.
Timing inside the contingency
The whole sequence, scope, second opinion, quote, request, seller response, has to fit inside the inspection period, and a seller is under no obligation to extend it. Book the scope the day the contract is signed, have the contractor lined up to quote from footage within a day or two, and submit the repair request with the footage, the report and the quote attached a few days before the deadline. If the seller needs time to get their own quote, ask for a written extension of the contingency rather than relying on goodwill; a contingency that expires while the seller is thinking is a contingency lost.
What not to accept
A verbal promise. A repair by the seller’s brother-in-law with no permit. A credit so small it assumes the cheapest method without footage supporting it. A liner over a collapsed section. A lining or repair completed without after footage. Each of these is a problem the buyer inherits at closing.
Common questions
Should I ask the seller to fix the sewer or give a credit?
For anything beyond a small spot repair, a credit. You choose the contractor, the method and the verification.
How much credit should I ask for?
The quoted repair cost from an independent contractor, plus an allowance for any section the camera could not see.
Can a seller refuse to negotiate a sewer finding?
Yes, and the buyer can then walk under the inspection contingency. A documented finding usually brings a seller to the table.
Related guides
See the complete sewer scope guide, what drives repair costs, and what happens after a finding.