Subsidence, settlement and heave
A circular concrete cap in the patio might be a shaft cap. Has the home survey decided what is underneath it?
No. The home survey has not decided what is underneath the circular concrete cap. It might be a shaft cap, and it might be something else, such as a sealing eye or an old feature in the patio. The visit recorded a cap. It did not lift it, excavate beside it or identify a shaft. A GOV.UK mining check and a coal mining report are separate products from this inspection. Neither was carried out by the home survey, and no subsidence claim has been opened.
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 round concrete disc in paving is a shape, not a section through the ground. Mine shafts, wells, cesspool covers and filled holes can all leave a circle. The survey cannot see below the slab and has not been asked to break the patio. What sits under the cap stays unknown until a proper mining search, and if needed a specialist inspection, looks at the record and the ground. This report stops at the visible cap.
Ask the solicitor to order a coal mining report as its own product, separate from the home survey, and to read any GOV.UK mining check beside it rather than instead of it. Do not expect the surveyor to open a coal-mining subsidence claim. If the mining report suggests a shaft, a specialist can advise on the cap. The home survey has not identified the feature and has not priced any work to it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the cap flush with the patio or raised above it?
- Did any plan in the pack mark a shaft in this garden?
- Which mining product should the solicitor order beside this report?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for a coal mining report as a separate product.
- Do not treat the home survey as a mining search or a subsidence claim.
- If a shaft is suggested by that report, take specialist advice on the cap.
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 home survey open a coal-mining subsidence claim?
No. A claim for coal-mining subsidence is not something the surveyor opens by default. The home survey recorded a circular cap and has not decided what is under it. Claims, if any are appropriate, sit outside this inspection. The survey has not contacted a mining authority and has not said the patio has moved because of mining.
Is a GOV.UK mining check the same thing as this home survey?
No. GOV.UK's mining check is a separate product, and a coal mining report is another. The home survey is a visual inspection of the house and the patio cap. It does not replace either mining product and it does not search records the surveyor did not order. Use the solicitor to obtain the mining paper. Keep it beside the survey, not inside it.