Leasehold
A pram store under the common stair is damp and was only seen from the doorway. What structure above it is unopened?
The structure above the pram store is unopened. The store is damp and was only seen from the doorway, so the soffit of the common stair, the floor over the store and any beam or slab in that zone were not examined from inside the cupboard. The survey did not enter, did not lift finishes, and did not trace whether the damp rises from the floor, tracks from the stair, or comes through the wall. A view from the door records staining and a limit. It has not named the wet construction overhead.
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?
Common stairs in blocks often sit on concrete, timber, or a mix, with a store tucked underneath. Damp in that store can be a leak from the stair, condensation in a cold unheated space, or moisture from the ground. Standing in the doorway cannot separate those paths, because the junction of stair and store stays hidden. The surveyor also could not say how far the staining continues behind stored items or along the soffit. The damp is real as a visual note. Its route is not.
Ask the managing agent, through your solicitor, for access and for any leak history, and treat a later look inside the store as new information. The lease may put the stair and the store with the block rather than with the flat. The survey has not decided that duty and has not opened the structure. Do not tell a lender the stair is sound, or unsound, because a damp store was glanced at from the door.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the stair soffit above the pram store opened or only seen from the door?
- Has the path of the damp been traced, or only the staining noted?
- Is responsibility for the common stair still a lease question?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the structure over the pram store as unopened.
- Ask, through the solicitor, for access and any leak history.
- Do not judge the stair from a doorway glance.
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 doorway damp prove the stair concrete has failed?
No. Damp seen from the door proves staining in view. It does not prove a failed slab, a rotten timber, or a sound stair. The structure above the store was not opened. A later inspection with access would be new work. Until then the survey's limit stands, and the cause stays unallocated.
Can belongings stacked in the store be moved on this visit?
They were not. The store was only seen from the doorway, so stacked belongings, if any, stayed where they were and the surfaces behind them stayed hidden. Moving them would be a different visit with permission from whoever controls the common part. The survey has not described what it could not see.