Damp and moisture meters
No cavity tray was seen over a replacement lintel and the inner reveal is stained after rain. What detail is missing, and what tie failure has it not proved?
The missing detail is a cavity tray over the replacement lintel, and the stain has not proved a wall-tie failure. Rain reaching the cavity above an opening needs a tray to throw it out through the outer leaf. Where no tray was seen, water can cross to the inner reveal and leave a stain after rain. The survey has recorded that absence and the stain. It has not tested the wall ties, and a stained reveal is not evidence that the ties have corroded.
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 cavity tray is a damp-proof element over a lintel, shaped to catch water running down the cavity and direct it outside. A replacement lintel can be put in without that tray being rebuilt, and the opening then lacks the detail the original wall may have had. Staining on the inner reveal after rain fits water arriving at that opening. It does not describe the ties buried in the leaves. Those ties were not exposed and were not tested on this visit.
Ask a builder or a lintel specialist to confirm whether a tray is absent and what detail should be reinstated, as a separate look from this report. Tell the solicitor the finding is a missing tray and a stained reveal, not a diagnosed tie failure. Do not commission a wall-tie survey merely because the reveal is marked, unless someone has a separate reason to suspect the ties. The home survey has not proved that suspicion.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was a cavity tray absent over this replacement lintel, rather than merely hidden?
- Did the inner reveal stain after rain, and where exactly?
- Have you left wall-tie condition untested and unproved?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the note as a missing cavity tray, not as failed wall ties.
- Ask a lintel specialist whether the tray needs to be reinstated.
- Do not instruct a tie survey on the strength of this stain alone.
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
If the outer brick looks even, is the tray present?
Even outer brick does not show a tray in the cavity. The survey did not see one over this replacement lintel. A fair face can hide a missing tray, and the stain on the inner reveal is the clue the water is crossing. The ties remain untested.
Does a dry day cancel the missing tray?
No. A dry day only means rain was not falling during the visit. The tray was still not seen, and the stain was still recorded after earlier rain. Absence of a tray is a detail, not a weather report. The ties were not proved either way.