Age and type of house
A porch has been built against the park home and it sits on the pitch, not on the chassis. What does the home survey of the porch not decide about site permission?
The home survey of the porch does not decide whether the site has permitted that addition. The porch sits on the pitch, not on the chassis, so it occupies the site as well as meeting the home. The survey can describe the porch it could see: the junction, the roof and how it meets the wall. It has not read the site licence, the park rules or any consent to build on the pitch. GOV.UK treats park homes as a special case when buying. This inspection does not replace the written agreement.
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 porch founded on the pitch is not just another panel of the unit. Its posts, slab or dwarf wall take space the park controls, and the operator often decides what may be built there. Standing inside, the surveyor can note a poor flashing, a roof throwing water at the home, or damp at the junction. Those are condition sentences. They do not decide that the porch was allowed, and they do not decide that it must be taken down.
Put the permission question to the solicitor with the written agreement and the site rules. GOV.UK treats the purchase as a special case, and the survey of the unit does not set the pitch fee or stand in for that agreement. Ask, through the solicitor, what the site has allowed for structures on the pitch. Keep the porch condition note separate from that permission.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you describe the porch condition without deciding site permission?
- What of the porch sits on the pitch rather than on the chassis?
- Which junction details did you actually see, and which were covered?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the porch condition separate from site permission.
- Ask the solicitor to check the written agreement and the site rules.
- Do not treat the survey as a licence for the porch.
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 porch roof looks new, has the site agreed to it?
Not on the strength of a new roof. Fresh coverings show recent work, not a permission. The survey has not read the site rules and has not decided that the porch may stay on the pitch. A tidy porch can still be an addition the park has never agreed. Condition and permission stay separate questions.
Does the survey set a pitch fee because the porch uses the pitch?
No. GOV.UK treats buying a park home as a special case. The survey of the unit does not set the pitch fee and does not replace the written agreement, even where a porch stands on the pitch rather than the chassis.