Party walls and boundaries
The map line and the garden wall do not coincide on the plan the agent supplied. Has the survey decided who owns the strip between them?
No. The survey has not decided who owns the strip between the map line and the garden wall. The agent's plan is a drawing, not a ruling on title. Walls often fail to sit on the line a plan suggests. The mismatch may be a thick printed line, a later wall, or a real difference on the ground. The surveyor can record that they do not coincide. Measuring a gap does not award the land. Ownership is for the solicitor, using the title plan, not a conclusion of this inspection.
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 garden wall is physical. Title is legal. The wall may stand on one plot, astride a boundary, or off the line a sales plan seems to show. Agent's plans are often approximate and are not always the filed plan. The survey did not lay a measured drawing over the title and did not read the deeds. A strip between a printed line and a wall is a discrepancy to pass on. It is not an ownership decision, and the report has not given that strip to either side.
Give the solicitor the agent's plan and the survey note together, and ask for a comparison with the title plan. Do not tell a neighbour the strip is yours because a wall sits to one side of a marketing drawing. The survey has not valued the land and has not served any notice. If the difference affects access or a building, the solicitor leads. A lender should hear that a possible discrepancy was noted, not that the survey awarded the strip.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the agent's plan marked as approximate, or is it presented as the title plan?
- Does the report describe the wall itself, or only the mismatch with the drawing?
- Is the strip garden, a path, or the footing of the wall?
What are the typical next steps?
- Pass the agent's plan and the survey note to your solicitor together.
- Do not agree who owns the strip from the sales drawing.
- Ask the solicitor to check the title plan before anyone treats the wall as the boundary.
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
Can the surveyor move the title line so it matches the garden wall?
No. The surveyor records the grounds. Changing a title line is a legal step, not a sentence in a home survey. This inspection has not redrawn the plan and has not decided the wall is the boundary. If the line is wrong, that is for the solicitor and the registry, using the proper plan.
Does a wall inside the drawn line mean you must maintain it?
Not automatically. Who repairs a wall follows the title, any covenant and sometimes a long-standing arrangement. The survey has not read those duties and has not given the strip to either owner. A wall the surveyor could see is not a repair obligation the report can assign. Ask the solicitor.