Electrics and gas
Is a meter box, together with no key on the day, any evidence on equipment marked unseen, not passed, or only a note of what was visible?
It is a note that the equipment was unseen, not a clearance. A meter box with no key on the day could not be opened, so the survey marked what is inside as not inspected. Unseen is not the same as accepted. The outside of a locked plastic or metal box says nothing about the meter, the tails or the head. The report records the limit. It has not tested electrics and it has not decided the equipment is satisfactory.
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 boxes are locked so the supply equipment is not casual access. Without the key the door stays shut and the inspection stops at the face. No view means no comment on damaged tails, heat marks, or labels inside. It also means no one should write those items up as healthy. The survey's phrase is the careful one: unseen, not passed. A later opening would be a new look, not a correction that pretends the door was open today.
Ask the solicitor to obtain the meter-box key or a supplier appointment so an electrician can see the equipment if you need it seen. That is not this survey revisiting itself in the text. Tell a lender the box was locked, the contents were unseen and nothing was accepted as proved. Do not let a completed sale pack imply the electrics were inspected behind a door that had no key.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the meter box locked because no key was available?
- Are the contents marked unseen rather than accepted?
- Did the visit avoid testing what it could not open?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the locked meter box as unseen, not accepted.
- Ask the solicitor for the key or a way to open it later.
- Do not tell a lender the supply equipment was inspected.
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 smart-meter display in the kitchen mean the box was opened?
No. An in-home display talks to a meter. It does not open a locked box and it is not an inspection of tails or the service head. The survey had no key and marked the equipment unseen, not passed. The display does not undo that limit and does not certificate the electrics.
If the seller promises the key later, was the box accepted today?
No. A promise of a future key does not open the box on the survey day. The equipment stays unseen, not passed. Tell the solicitor the promise is a conveyancing point, not a survey result. An electrician can look when access exists. Today's report cannot be rewritten as if the door had been open.