Windows, doors and glazing
Nothing on the visit sampled a letter plate, opened an old knocker or tested a draught the brush has not stopped. What has to stay undecided?
The draught path through the letter plate, the fixing of the old knocker, and how far the brush fails all stay undecided. Nothing sampled the letter plate, opened the knocker, or tested the draught the brush has not stopped. A letter plate is the flap in the door. A knocker is the striker on the face. The brush is the seal that was meant to close the gap. The survey has named them. It has not measured the draught, and it has not decided a new plate is required.
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?
Air can come through a letter-plate flap, around a knocker whose fixings pierce the door, or past a brush that misses its stop. Those are different holes. The visit did not look inside the plate, did not open the knocker, and did not judge the air the brush misses. A brush that has not stopped a draught is a named shortcoming, not a measured gap.
Tell the solicitor the letter plate, the knocker and the brush were not investigated, so the draught stays undescribed in size. A joiner can look at all three if you want the path found, without a price or a product already chosen by the survey. The lender has no draught measurement. Do not replace the door furniture because it was named. The home survey has not said which of the three, if any, is the main path for the air.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the letter plate left unsampled?
- Did you leave the old knocker unopened?
- Was the draught the brush has not stopped left unmeasured?
What are the typical next steps?
- Leave the plate, the knocker and the brush draught undecided.
- Ask a joiner to trace the air path if it must be found.
- Tell the solicitor no draught was measured and nothing was priced.
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 a heavy knocker mean the door leaks around its bolts?
Not shown. An old knocker can be fixed into the face without a through-bolt, or it can pierce the door. The survey did not open it. Weight and age do not map a hole. The draught the brush has not stopped was a separate note, and it was not tested either.
If the brush looks new, has the letter plate been sealed?
No. A new-looking brush is a seal that the report says has not stopped the draught. The letter plate was not sampled, so its flap and liner stay unknown. New bristles do not prove a seal. The visit did not test the air and did not clear the plate.