Electrics and gas
Does a tidy gas meter box mean the installation was tested?
No. The box is a cupboard. A home survey may note a smell, corrosion or a meter that looks damaged. It does not carry out a tightness test and does not read the meter for billing. HSE says gas work is for Gas Safe registered engineers. Looking at a box is not that work.
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?
Emergency control valves and meter positions matter when they are buried, seized or boxed in behind a new kitchen. The surveyor should say if they could not find the meter. “Not located” is a limitation. It is not proof there is no gas, if a boiler is clearly gas.
If you smell gas, the advice is to leave it to the emergency service, not to the survey appointment. A survey written a week later is not an emergency response. There is no survey fee that includes a tightness test unless you agreed a specialist. No price for that test is stated here.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you find the meter, and could you see the valve?
- Are you reporting a smell or damage, or only that a box exists?
- Is a tightness test inside your fee? It should be stated if it is.
What are the typical next steps?
- If you smell gas, follow the emergency advice, not the booking system for surveys.
- Ask a Gas Safe engineer if you need a test before exchange.
- Do not paint and seal the meter box shut before the solicitor’s completion checks.
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 an electricity meter in the same box a gas finding?
No. Different fuels. The survey should not mix the names.
Does a smart meter mean the pipes are new?
No. A meter head can be changed without replacing the carcassing. The survey cannot see hidden pipes.