Sewer Line Repair

How Sewer Lines Only Helps Realtors and Their Clients

Most of the calls we receive from realtors come after an inspection company has already identified a sewer concern. The inspection report documents that something was found. Our job is to determine what it is, what it will take to fix it, and whether the recommended repair method is the right one for the actual condition. That information is what buyers, sellers, and agents need to move the transaction forward.

Free In-Person Assessment and Second Opinion

We provide free in-person assessments on sewer findings identified in home inspection reports. Our assessment includes a camera scope of the sewer lateral, a review of the inspection findings against what the camera shows, and a plain-language explanation of the actual condition. If you have already received a repair estimate from another company and the number does not make sense, we provide a free second opinion on that estimate as well.

The assessment is completed by sewer specialists, not a home inspector. We perform this type of work every day and can identify whether a finding that reads serious on an inspection report is a routine maintenance item, a spot repair, or a condition that warrants more significant work.

Minimally Invasive Repair Methods Where the Condition Allows

Not every sewer finding requires excavation. Many conditions identified in real estate inspection reports are addressable through sewer line cleaning, trenchless sewer repair (CIPP lining or pipe bursting), or targeted sewer line repair without opening the full sewer route. Minimally invasive repair methods cost less, complete faster, and cause less disruption to the property during a transaction.

We identify the least invasive method that actually addresses the condition. We do not recommend excavation when a liner will work, and we do not recommend a liner when the pipe condition requires something more. The camera footage we show buyers and sellers during the assessment makes the basis for that recommendation clear.

Post-Repair and Post-Cleaning Video for Verification

One of the most practical advantages of working with Sewer Lines Only on a real estate transaction is that our post-repair and post-cleaning camera video eliminates the need for a re-inspection in most cases. After any repair or cleaning we perform, we run the camera through the full lateral and deliver the footage to the buyer, seller, or agent. That video shows the completed work and the current condition of the pipe.

Buyers who were concerned about the sewer finding can see the result directly rather than relying on a second certified inspection. Sellers who completed a repair before listing have documented evidence to include in the disclosure package. The video serves the same verification purpose as a re-inspection at a fraction of the time and cost.

Transferable 5-Year Warranty on All Repairs

Every sewer line repair and replacement completed by Sewer Lines Only carries a 5-year transferable warranty. The warranty transfers with the property to the new owner at closing. For a buyer who had concerns about the sewer condition, a completed repair backed by a transferable warranty resolves the objection more completely than a seller credit that leaves the work undone.

The transferable warranty can be included in the disclosure package and closing documents. It provides the new owner with a clear point of contact and coverage period if any issue arises with the repaired section after the sale closes.

Payment at Closing

For real estate transactions, Sewer Lines Only allows payment at closing rather than at the time of service. This is a meaningful differentiator in transactions where the repair is part of a buyer credit or seller concession negotiation.

A seller who agrees to complete a sewer repair before closing does not need to fund it out of pocket before the sale proceeds. A buyer who negotiates a seller credit to cover a repair can have the work completed immediately and settle the cost through closing. This flexibility removes one of the most common friction points in real estate sewer transactions and allows work to proceed on the transaction timeline rather than a separate payment timeline.

What Common Sewer Inspection Findings Actually Mean

Home inspection reports describe what was observed. They do not always explain what the finding means for the cost or complexity of the repair. This table covers the most common sewer findings on Denver and Aurora properties and what they typically mean for the transaction.

What the Report Notes What It Typically Means Common Resolution
Root intrusion at joints Roots have entered through a joint gap. Very common in Denver’s older neighborhoods. Severity ranges from minor to structurally significant. Sewer line cleaning clears most root intrusions. Structural joint damage requires spot repair or lining.
Offset joint Joint has shifted out of alignment from soil movement. Common in Denver’s clay soil. Minor offsets may not affect flow; significant offsets restrict or block the line. Minor offsets can be lined. Significant offsets require physical spot repair at the joint.
Pipe sag or belly Section of pipe has lost its downward slope. Waste pools at the low point and causes recurring backups. Cannot be corrected by cleaning or lining. Excavation to re-establish grade and replace the affected section. Our assessment confirms the length and depth involved.
Crack or fracture Single localized cracks are often spot-repairable or lineable. Widespread cracking across the pipe indicates end-of-life material. Spot repair or CIPP point lining for isolated cracks. Full replacement when cracks are distributed across the run.
Orangeburg or deteriorated clay tile These materials are at or past end of service life. They may not have failed yet but the timeline for failure is not predictable. Buyers should budget for replacement. Full sewer line replacement. Trenchless pipe bursting is often viable depending on pipe condition and site access.
Grease or debris buildup Accumulation restricting flow. Does not indicate structural failure. Very common on older properties that have not had the line serviced. Sewer line cleaning or hydro jetting. Often the lowest-cost resolution of any sewer finding.
Clean line, no findings No issues found. The camera footage and report document the current condition of the pipe for the buyer’s file. No repair needed. Documentation useful for closing file and future disclosure.

Working Within Colorado Real Estate Transaction Timelines

Colorado real estate contracts use Inspection Objection Deadlines rather than traditional inspection periods. The window between inspection and objection deadline is often short. Our process is structured to work inside that window.

Assessment and Written Options Before the Objection Deadline

We schedule free in-person assessments quickly after a referral from a realtor or buyer’s agent. The assessment produces a written repair proposal with pricing that the parties can use in their objection and resolution negotiation before the deadline. Getting a real number into the negotiation before the deadline closes is what converts a sewer concern from a deal risk into a resolvable item.

Repair Completion Before or After Closing

When a repair is agreed to as a seller obligation or buyer credit, we schedule the work around the closing timeline. Repairs that can be completed before closing are documented with post-repair camera footage that goes to both parties. Repairs that will be completed after closing are authorized and scheduled before closing, with the payment deferred to closing proceeds.

Post-Repair Video Reduces Re-Inspection Requirements

Many buyers who negotiate a sewer repair as a condition of closing want confirmation that the work was done and the problem is resolved. Our post-repair camera video, delivered after every repair or cleaning, provides that confirmation without requiring a second certified inspection appointment. Realtors who have used this process once understand its value in keeping a transaction moving after a sewer finding.

What Denver and Aurora Properties Commonly Have in the Ground

Understanding the pipe conditions common to different parts of the Denver metro helps realtors set accurate expectations with clients on older properties before an inspection report arrives.

Pre-1970 Properties

Homes built before 1970 in Denver frequently have clay tile or Orangeburg sewer laterals. Orangeburg pipe was manufactured from compressed tar paper and is now 50 to 80 years old across Denver’s older neighborhoods. It deforms and collapses on a timeline that matches current building ages in the Denver market. Clay tile holds up better but develops joint failures and root intrusion as the joints age. Pre-1970 homes in Wash Park, Berkeley, Park Hill, Congress Park, Whittier, Hilltop, and Curtis Park frequently show camera findings tied to pipe age.

Aurora Properties From the 1970s and 1980s

Aurora’s older residential stock, built largely in the 1970s and 1980s, uses cast iron and early ABS pipe that is now 40 to 50 years old. Cast iron in Aurora’s soil conditions develops internal corrosion and joint failure at that age. Findings on these properties tend to track the building age closely.

Denver’s Tree Canopy and Root Intrusion

Denver’s mature urban forestry has produced significant cottonwood, silver maple, and elm tree canopy across older neighborhoods. These root systems reach clay tile and cast iron sewer lateral joints and grow in through the joint gap. Root intrusion is one of the most common findings on inspection reports for older Denver properties in tree-canopied neighborhoods. Most root intrusion findings are resolvable through cleaning or lining without excavation.

Why Realtors Refer Clients to Sewer Lines Only

  • Free in-person assessment and second opinion. We assess inspection findings at no charge. If you have an existing repair estimate that does not look right, we provide a free second opinion on it.
  • Minimally invasive repair methods. We identify the least invasive method that actually addresses the condition. Cleaning, CIPP lining, spot repair, and trenchless pipe bursting are all available before excavation is considered.
  • Post-repair and post-cleaning video for verification. Every repair and cleaning produces camera footage of the completed work. Buyers receive visual confirmation that the condition has been resolved without scheduling a second inspection.
  • Payment at closing available. For real estate transactions, we allow payment at closing rather than requiring payment at time of service. Work can proceed on the transaction timeline regardless of when funds are available.
  • 5-year transferable warranty on all repairs. Every sewer repair and replacement we complete carries a 5-year transferable warranty that follows the property to the new owner.
  • Fast turnaround on assessments and written proposals. We understand the timeline pressure of inspection objection deadlines. We schedule assessments quickly and deliver written proposals with pricing that can be used in the negotiation before the deadline.
  • Over 900 5-star Google reviews from homeowners, buyers, sellers, HOA boards, and property managers across the Denver area.

Frequently Asked Questions

We perform camera assessments of sewer laterals as part of our repair evaluation process, but we are a sewer repair and replacement company, not a certified home inspection company. If a transaction requires a certified sewer scope from a licensed inspector, that should come from a home inspection company. Our role is to assess what a prior inspection found, determine what the actual condition requires, and provide written repair options with pricing. Most realtors contact us after an inspection company has already identified a concern.

We schedule in-person assessments as quickly as possible after a referral. Contact us at 303-562-9800 and let us know the objection deadline. We will schedule around the transaction timeline and deliver a written repair proposal with pricing that can be used in the negotiation.

Not necessarily. Repairs can be completed before closing with post-repair video provided to both parties, or they can be authorized and scheduled before closing with payment deferred to closing proceeds. We work with realtors and transaction coordinators to structure the timing around what the parties have agreed to.

For real estate transactions, Sewer Lines Only allows the cost of completed repair work to be paid from closing proceeds rather than requiring payment at the time of service. This is structured through the closing documents. Contact us when the transaction is under contract to discuss how to set this up for a specific transaction.

In most cases, yes. Our post-repair camera footage shows the completed work and the current condition of the pipe throughout the full lateral. Buyers who want confirmation that the repair was done and the condition is resolved can review this footage rather than scheduling a second certified inspection. Realtors and buyers agents can share the footage with their clients directly.

Root intrusion in structurally sound pipe, grease and debris buildup, isolated cracks suitable for CIPP point lining, and minor joint gaps can often be resolved without excavation. Pipe bellies, fully collapsed sections, and severe joint offsets typically require physical access to the pipe. Our assessment determines which category a specific finding falls into and presents the appropriate repair option.

The warranty covers all sewer line repairs and replacements completed by Sewer Lines Only and transfers to the new property owner at closing. The transfer requires no action by the seller. The warranty follows the property. The new owner has the same coverage period and the same point of contact for any warranty claim that arises after closing.

Discuss a Current Transaction or Schedule an Assessment

Sewer Lines Only provides free in-person assessments of sewer inspection findings, written repair proposals with pricing, post-repair video verification, and payment at closing for real estate transactions across Denver and Aurora.

Call 303-562-9800 to schedule an assessment or discuss a current transaction. Free second opinions on existing repair estimates are available on request.

Use the contact form on this page for written inquiries. We respond to all real estate transaction requests promptly.

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