Non-standard construction
The skirting in a park home is soft. Why does that note leave the pitch agreement untouched?
Soft skirting is a condition note on the unit, and it leaves the pitch agreement untouched. The survey recorded decay, or at least softness, in that timber inside the park home. The survey of the unit does not set the pitch fee and does not replace the written agreement. A soft board does not rewrite site rules, assignment, or what the site owner may charge. The report has described a skirting. It has not decided the pitch.
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?
Skirting sits at the edge of the floor inside the home. Softness there can mean damp timber, a failed finish, or decay that needs a closer look in the unit itself. None of that amends the contract under which the home occupies the pitch. The written agreement, not the survey, sets the terms between resident and site owner. Mixing a joinery defect into that contract would pretend the inspection rewrote a document it never opened as a lawyer.
Ask the solicitor to read the written agreement, any assignment conditions and the pitch terms as legal papers. Point them at the soft skirting only as a condition item on the unit. Do not ask the survey to say what the pitch fee should be, or to confirm that the agreement allows a repair. A specialist can look at the timber if you need the decay followed up. The pitch paperwork stays outside the survey.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is the soft skirting recorded only as a defect in the unit?
- Does the report leave the written pitch agreement unread as a contract?
- Has anyone kept the pitch fee outside the survey findings?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the soft skirting as a unit defect, not a pitch term.
- Ask the solicitor to review the written agreement separately.
- Do not treat the survey as a reset of the pitch fee.
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
Could soft skirting still matter to the home's condition?
Yes. Soft timber at the skirting is a condition point inside the unit, and it may need drying out or repair. That follow-up is about the home, not about the pitch contract. The survey noted the softness. It did not open up the floor beyond the skirting, and it did not set any term of the written agreement.
Does the survey say who must pay for skirting repairs?
No. The survey records the soft skirting. It does not allocate cost between resident and site owner, and it does not set the pitch fee. Who pays is a question for the written agreement and for your solicitor. Do not read a condition note as an invoice or as a decision on the pitch.