Damp and moisture meters
A cupboard on an outside wall has mould on the back and the door was closed during the visit. What air change in that cupboard was not measured?
The air change inside that cupboard was not measured at all. Mould is on the back, which is an outside wall, and the door was closed during the visit. A closed cupboard on a cold wall is a small unventilated box. The survey can record the mould and the shut door. It did not measure how much air changes in there, did not test a vent, and did not run any instrument on the air. No rate has been written down because none was taken. The missing figure is the air change the visit never measured.
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?
Cupboards against outside walls often have no route for air once the door is shut. The back stays cold, moisture can linger, and mould marks the lining. That pattern is about still air and a cold back, not about a measured rate. A closed door also means the surveyor did not watch the cupboard in use. The inspection stopped at mould, a cold position and a door that was shut.
Ask, if you want a number, for a separate check that actually measures moisture and ventilation in the cupboard. This survey has not produced one. In the meantime the practical point for the solicitor is limited: mould on the back of a closed cupboard on an outside wall, air change not measured. Airing the cupboard and keeping stored goods off the cold back are management, not a certificate. Do not read the note as a pass or a fail of the house ventilation. Nothing was measured to support either claim.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the cupboard door closed, and was mould on the outside-wall back?
- Did you measure air change in that cupboard, or leave it unmeasured?
- Was any vent in the cupboard seen to be open and working?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record mould and a closed door, not a measured air change.
- Do not treat the note as a ventilation certificate.
- If a rate is needed, ask for a separate measurement.
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 you open the door now, has the air change been measured?
No. Opening the door after the visit is not a measurement the survey took. On the day the door was closed and no air change was measured. The mould on the back remains the observation. A later open door does not write a rate into the report.
Does mould in one cupboard condemn the fans in the rest of the house?
No. The note is this cupboard: outside wall, mould on the back, door closed, air change not measured. Other fans were not the subject of that sentence. The survey has not tested the ventilation of the house from one closed cupboard.