The Invisible Mile
Most buyers think that if the toilets flush and the sinks drain, the plumbing is fine. I hear it all the time: “The inspection came back clean.”
What almost no one realizes is that homeownership doesn’t stop at your front door. In Philadelphia, it often extends all the way to the middle of the street—and that’s where some of the most expensive surprises are hiding.
What You Actually Own (Whether You Know It or Not)
In Philadelphia and many other older cities, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral. That’s the pipe that runs from the house, under the sidewalk, and into the city sewer main.
If that pipe collapses or leaks, it’s not the city’s problem. It’s yours.
And that responsibility doesn’t show up in a standard inspection report.
Why Standard Home Inspections Miss This
A general home inspector isn’t a plumber. They don’t run fiber-optic cameras underground. Most inspections only test visible fixtures inside the home.
That means a sewer line can be 90% blocked with tree roots, cracked, or even “bellied” (sagging in the middle) and still drain just fine during a walkthrough. I’ve seen pipes fail days after closing, once normal family use kicks in.
In 2026, sewer scope inspections are becoming a common optional add-on in real estate contracts—especially for homes over 30 years old—but many buyers still skip them to save a few hundred dollars.
The Real Cost Nobody Budgets For
Right now, the average cost to replace a failed sewer lateral in an urban environment like Philly is:
- $3,000–$8,000 for a standard repair
- $10,000–$15,000 if the break is under the street and requires permits, excavation, and restoration
That’s a surprise no one wants to discover after moving in.
Three Red Flags I Always Point Out
You don’t need a camera to spot warning signs. Here are three things I tell buyers and sellers to look for immediately:
The “Sidewalk Sinkhole”
If the concrete near the curb is sinking or cracking, it might not be bad paving. It can be soil washing away from a leaking sewer line underneath.
The “Lush Patch”
If one strip of grass is noticeably greener—or a tree near the line is growing faster than everything else—it may be feeding on a nutrient-rich sewer leak.
Multiple Cleanouts
Seeing two or three sewer cleanout caps usually means the line clogged often enough that someone tried to fix the problem without replacing the pipe.
The 2026 Trenchless Fix (And the Catch)
The good news is that sewer repair doesn’t always mean ripping up the entire street anymore.
Modern methods like Pipe Bursting and CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe) allow contractors to repair or replace lines with minimal digging. They’re cleaner, faster, and often cheaper than traditional excavation.
The catch?
They still require a proper plumbing permit and final inspection through Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) to be legal—and not every property qualifies.
How I Protect Deals From Blowing Up
Whether I’m helping a seller avoid a last-minute deal killer or advising a buyer who doesn’t want a $10,000 surprise, I insist on one thing when the property fits the risk profile:
A sewer scope inspection as part of due diligence.
It’s one of the cheapest ways to eliminate one of the most expensive unknowns in a transaction.
Conclusion: Clean Doesn’t Mean Safe
A “clean” inspection doesn’t mean a clean sewer line. It just means no one looked underground.
In a city like Philadelphia, ignoring what’s between your house and the street is how small problems turn into big bills—usually at the worst possible time.
Buying or selling a home in Philadelphia?
If the house is older and no one has scoped the sewer, you might be sitting on a ticking time bomb.
Reach out to me before the final walkthrough—not after the backup.
