Age and type of house
The site papers talk about a pitch agreement. Why can an ordinary house-survey PDF not tell you whether you may sell the home on that pitch?
Because an ordinary house-survey PDF inspects a building. It does not read a pitch agreement, so it cannot tell you whether you may sell the home on that pitch. Site papers are for a solicitor or the site operator to explain. The survey, if one was agreed, is about condition: the body, the openings, and anything under the skirt only if the skirt was opened. Do not invent a right to sell from condition ratings. This report is not the 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 pitch agreement is a document about the plot the home stands on. Selling, moving and what happens when you leave are written there, if they are written anywhere. A surveyor walking the rooms does not interpret that contract and was not instructed to. The consumer survey describes condition within a visual limit. It does not read the pitch agreement. If the skirt stayed on, the chassis may be unseen as well, which is a condition limit and still not a reading of the paperwork.
Take the site papers to your solicitor and ask the plain question: can this home be sold on this pitch, and on what terms? Do not ask the survey firm to add a paragraph that answers it. They should not. You can still use the report for rotten windows, a soft floor or a roof leak on the unit itself. Those findings do not unlock a sale. Keep the two packs separate so a lender or a relative is not told that a rating 1 on the kitchen means the agreement lets you sell.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did your instruction include reading site papers, or only looking at the home?
- If you saw the pitch agreement, did you rely on it or leave it unread on purpose?
- Which condition limits, such as a skirt left on, still apply even though the agreement is a legal question?
What are the typical next steps?
- Give the pitch agreement to your solicitor.
- Do not ask the survey to say whether you may sell on the pitch.
- Use the report only for the condition of the parts that were seen.
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 a thorough survey replace the pitch agreement?
No. More rooms inspected still do not read the agreement. The right to sell is not a condition rating.
If the chassis was unseen, does that change the agreement?
No. An unseen chassis is a survey limit. The agreement is unread either way. Deal with each in its own lane.