Outbuildings and conservatories
What does it mean if the garage was locked and marked not inspected?
It means the surveyor did not see inside. NI is not a condition rating 1 and not a verdict that the roof, the electrics or the slab are sound. Level 1’s scope is a more limited visual inspection than Level 2 or 3, and outbuildings are often where access stops. Ask for the key and a return only if you need that building described.
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?
A locked garage can hide a cracked asbestos-cement roof, a consumer unit, or stored goods the seller did not want moved. The survey should not guess. If you are buying the garage as usable space, “not inspected” is the finding you negotiate around, not a blank to ignore.
A return visit is usually a new instruction, not a free extra. Agree the fee in writing. There is no RICS tariff for a garage revisit. Do not invent one. The Planning Portal question, whether the building needed permission, is still for your solicitor even after someone gets inside.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the garage locked, full, or unsafe to enter?
- Does your fee include a return if the key appears before you report?
- Are you rating the roof from outside only?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the seller for access before exchange if the garage matters.
- Do not treat silence as a pass when you price the plot.
- Keep planning permission as a solicitor’s question, separate from whatever is inside.
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
Does an up-and-over door that opened count as an inspection?
Only if they went in and looked. A door that cycles is not a roof inspection.
Is a carport the same as a garage?
No. An open carport has no inside to lock, but its posts and roof can still be limited by what could be seen safely.