Damp and moisture meters

Is damp inside an electricity meter cupboard automatically a failed damp-proof course?

No. Damp in a meter cupboard can be condensation on cold equipment, a leak from a pipe in the same cupboard, or rain at the door. It is not automatically a failed damp-proof course. If the cupboard could not be opened safely, the survey is limited to that fact.

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?

Meter cupboards are often on an outside wall, poorly heated and shut tight. Cold metal sweats, mould grows on the back board, and a meter reading on that board looks dramatic. Sometimes a stopcock or a heating pipe shares the cupboard and weeps. Sometimes the door or the frame lets rain in. None of those is a diagnosis of the damp-proof course, though a cupboard at floor level can also be the place where a real low-level problem shows. The pattern still has to be described, not assumed.

A home survey does not test the electrical installation, and it should not take a cover off live equipment. Level 1 and Level 2 do not remove secured panels or electrical fittings. If the door was locked, the inside is not inspected. Do not ask for a new damp-proof course from a mouldy meter board alone, and do not ask the surveyor to declare the supply safe because the cupboard was dry. Those are different trades. If water is tracking in at the door, the door and the frame are the repair.

What should you ask your surveyor?

Was the cupboard opened, or locked and not inspected?
Is the damp on the cold meter, around a pipe, or at the door?
Does any damp continue along the wall outside the cupboard?

What are the typical next steps?

Do not call a mouldy meter board a failed damp-proof course without a pattern along the wall.
Do not expect the survey to test the electrics because the cupboard was damp.
If the door lets rain in, repair the door. Injection will not seal it.

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

Is a damp gas meter box the same logic?

The moisture logic is the same. The safety question is different and was not tested. Keep the damp comment separate from any gas check.

Can salts in the cupboard be from the masonry?

Yes. Salts still need a source of water. The cupboard alone does not name it.