Damp and moisture meters
Daylight shows through the top of a meter box where a cavity tray would normally sit. What weather path is that gap, and what tray was not seen?
The gap is a weather path for rain driven into the cavity, and the cavity tray that should turn that water out was not seen. Daylight at the top of the meter box means the outer leaf is open where a tray would normally sit over the opening. Wind-blown rain can enter that slot instead of being caught and drained through a weep. The survey has recorded the light and the missing view of a tray. It has not opened the wall, has not found a tray higher up, and has not decided that the cavity is already wet.
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 meter box punches a hole in the outer leaf. Over that sort of opening a cavity tray is meant to catch water running down the cavity and lead it outside. If daylight shows through the top, there is no visible tray in the place you would expect one, and the cavity beyond is in communication with the weather. The survey looked into the box. It did not cut the wall to chase a tray that might sit out of sight, and it did not hose the elevation.
Tell the solicitor this is an unseen tray, not a proved leak into the rooms. If the inner leaf is stained nearby, keep that stain as a separate note. A bricklayer or a damp specialist can say whether a tray should be inserted and where the weeps would go. Do not ask the survey to invent a tray it did not see, and do not treat an electrician's visit to the meter as an inspection of the cavity.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Where exactly did daylight pass, relative to the head of the meter box?
- Did you see any tray, weep or stop-end, or was the tray simply not visible?
- Is there staining on the inner leaf that you are linking to this gap?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the daylight gap as an open weather path into the cavity.
- Record that a cavity tray was not seen over the meter box.
- Ask a bricklayer or damp specialist whether a tray is missing before you assume a leak indoors.
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 daylight at the meter box mean the cavity insulation is already soaked?
Not on this inspection. Daylight shows an opening where a tray would normally sit. It does not show the state of any insulation further along the cavity. The survey has not opened the wall and has not said the insulation is wet or dry.
Can the meter cupboard door being shut be read as the tray having been checked?
No. A shut door hides the meters. It does not put a cavity tray over the box, and it does not close the gap the survey saw at the top. The tray remains unseen whether or not the cupboard is locked.