Outbuildings and conservatories
What should you ask if a detached garage has an inspection pit?
Ask whether it was seen, and what was in it. A pit is a hole in the garage floor: if it was open, the survey can describe the edges, any water and whether it looked safe to approach, but it is not a vehicle-lift certificate or a drain test. If a cover was not lifted, the pit was not inspected.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Old private garages sometimes have a brick-lined pit for working under a car. The risks the survey can talk about are the ones it could see: a crumbling edge, standing water, a missing cover, or fumes it did not investigate. A home survey does not climb into the pit as a stunt, and it does not pressure-test whatever pipe seems to leave it. The Level 1 scope does not include lifting covers as a general habit.
Keep the pit on the garage, not on the house foundations. Seeing brick underground in the garage does not show you the footings of the dwelling. If you need the cover lifted, agree it with the seller when it can be done safely. Do not fall in it on a second viewing to improve the report. Oil staining is a condition note, not an environmental search.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the pit open, covered, or only partly seen?
- Was there water in the pit, and did you stay out of it?
- Are you keeping this finding on the garage?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not use the pit as a view of the house foundations.
- Ask for the cover to be lifted only if it can be done safely before you rely on it.
- Do not treat oil and a hole as a drain survey.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Is a pit a cellar of the house?
No. It is a hole in the garage floor. The house basement, if there is one, is a different space.
Does a cover that looks shut mean the pit is sound?
No. Shut means not seen, unless the report says the cover was lifted.