Outbuildings and conservatories
A shed sits on the line of the title plan the agent sketched. Can the survey decide which title it belongs to?
No, the shed on the line of the title plan the agent sketched is not awarded to either title by the survey. A sketched line is not the register, and the inspection does not decide which title the shed belongs to. The surveyor can record the shed, the fence and where the building seemed to sit on the day. HM Land Registry holds the title information. The solicitor compares the official plans with the ground. The home survey does not redraw that line, and it does not choose an owner for the outbuilding.
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?
An agent's sketch is often a marketing plan with a line where someone thought the edge ran. A shed sitting on that line might be wholly inside one title, wholly inside the other, or astride both. Standing in the garden and looking at the timber does not settle it. The survey describes what could be seen and the condition of the shed. It does not turn into a title plan because an outbuilding was mentioned, and it does not pick a winner between two owners.
Ask the solicitor for the official plans of both titles, not the sketch the agent handed over, and for any boundary note already on the file. Say if the dispute is the shed, the fence or a path. Do not tell the neighbour that the survey has decided the shed is yours. It has not. A comment about the shed roof, the door or the felt is a condition sentence. It is a different job from deciding the title.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you record the shed as something you saw, rather than as a title you decided?
- What sat on the sketched line: the shed wall, the fence, or both?
- Have you left the title question with the solicitor rather than answering it?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor to compare the official title plans with the shed.
- Do not treat the agent's sketch as HM Land Registry's plan.
- Keep the shed's condition note separate from the boundary question.
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
If the shed looks clearly inside the garden, is the title decided?
No. A shed that looks inside the garden on the day can still cross a line the agent only sketched. The survey has still not decided which title it belongs to.
Can the surveyor move the sketched line so the shed is included?
No. Altering an agent's sketch does not change the title. The official plans and the solicitor deal with that. The survey does not redraw the line.