Electrics and gas
The outdoor unit stands close to the boundary with next door. Has the survey applied a permitted-development test?
No permitted-development test was applied. The outdoor unit stands close to the boundary with next door, which is a visual note of position, not a planning judgement. Permitted development is a legal test with its own conditions, and this visit did not measure it or apply it. The survey has not invented a boundary distance or a noise limit. It saw that the unit is near the line. It has not decided the siting is lawful, unlawful or in breach of a condition.
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 outdoor unit near a boundary can raise planning, noise and neighbour questions that are decided from rules and from measurements, not from a glance. The surveyor can say the unit is close. Close is not a compliance result. Papers that might show an application, a condition or a permitted-development opinion were not assessed as a planning file. Approved Document L is energy-performance guidance for building work. This visit does not issue a building-regulations certificate and did not use that guidance as a siting test.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant route in England and Wales toward a heat pump or biomass boiler, not in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The survey does not decide eligibility and quotes no grant figure. Ask the solicitor to check planning papers for the unit. A planning adviser, not this report, applies any permitted-development test. Tell a lender the unit was seen near the boundary and the legal test was not done. Do not add a distance or a noise number the visit never took.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was a permitted-development test applied to the outdoor unit?
- Did the survey measure a boundary distance or a noise level?
- Does closeness to the fence decide whether the siting is lawful?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the position as seen, not as a planning result.
- Ask the solicitor to check the planning papers for the unit.
- Do not invent a distance or a noise figure for the lender.
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
Did this visit meter noise from the outdoor unit?
No. Noise was not measured, and no noise limit was stated or invented. The survey saw the unit near the boundary. A meter reading would be a different instruction. Permitted development was not tested either. Position and noise stay open questions. Do not tell a neighbour or a lender that sound was proved acceptable or excessive.
Does the survey decide grant eligibility because of where the unit stands?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is a grant route in England and Wales toward a heat pump or biomass boiler, not in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The survey does not decide eligibility and quotes no grant figure. Where the unit stands was a visual note. It is not a grant application and not a permitted-development decision.