Outbuildings and conservatories

Will a home survey say whether a shed met the Planning Portal’s permitted-development rules?

No. The Planning Portal publishes the England householder guidance for outbuildings, including exceptions a short summary always misses. This page will not repeat a height or a distance as if it decided your shed. The surveyor may say a building looks recent. Lawfulness is for the paperwork and your solicitor.

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?

Condition and permission diverge. A rotting shed can be lawful. A smart office on the boundary can be unauthorised. The survey records the roof, the damp and whether they could get in. It does not measure the site to the Portal’s tests, and it does not issue a certificate of lawfulness.

If the seller relies on permitted development, the solicitor asks for the evidence. A certificate of lawfulness is a planning document, not a condition rating. There is no fee for that certificate stated here. Do not deduct a guessed planning cost from the price because the surveyor said “large shed”.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Are you commenting on condition, or guessing at permission?
Did you measure anything, or only see the building?
Was the outbuilding even entered?

What are the typical next steps?

Ask the solicitor what evidence of permission exists.
Use the Planning Portal yourself rather than a sentence in the survey.
Price repairs only for defects the survey actually describes.

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 the Portal apply in Scotland?

The Planning Portal pages used here are England householder guidance. Scotland has its own planning system. Ask a Scottish solicitor.

Is a greenhouse an outbuilding for this purpose?

Read the Portal’s own definitions. The survey will not classify it for you.