Electrics and gas
What can the survey say about an outdoor LPG cylinder cage, from what it could see?
It can describe the cage: where it stands, whether it is damaged, rusted, blocked in, or hard against the house. It cannot say the installation is safe, and it has not tested the cylinders or the pipe into the building. Location and condition of the cage are visual notes. They are not a Gas Safe record.
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?
The useful observations are the ones a person can make without moving cylinders: a cage under a window, a cage used as a bin store, a broken lock, heavy corrosion, or a pipe that disappears into the wall with no obvious protection. The survey does not measure clearances and should not invent a figure. HSE expects gas work, including LPG work that an engineer is competent to do, to be carried out by someone on the Gas Safe Register. “Gas Safe” on a van is not proof of every class of work. Ask for LPG competence if you instruct an inspection.
This is not a lesson in how LPG differs from mains gas as a fuel. It is about the cage that was there on the day. A tidy cage is not a test. An empty cage is not proof the house has been disconnected. The surveyor may not have seen the changeover valves or the internal appliances. Do not turn valves. A landlord gas record, if the property was rented, is not a guarantee to a buyer, and an owner-occupied sale may have no gas paperwork at all. Get a written inspection if you need to rely on the cylinders before exchange.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where is the cage relative to doors, windows and the path, in words rather than a measured clearance?
- What condition was the cage in, and could you see the cylinders?
- Did you test anything, or only look?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not move cylinders or open valves.
- If you need a safety view, book a Gas Safe engineer who is competent for LPG.
- Describe the cage you saw. Do not add a distance the survey did not measure.
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 rust on the cage mean the gas is leaking?
No. Rust is a visual defect of the cage. A leak is a test nobody did on the survey.
Is an empty cage a decommissioning certificate?
No. It means no cylinder was seen. Ask the seller what still supplies the hob or the fire.