Sample Leak Report: What You Get in Writing

Illustrative sample — not based on a real customer or property.Every reading, figure and detail below was made up to show what a report contains.

What our written leak diagnosis looks like

Before you book anyone, you should know what you get in writing. This is a sample of the report that follows a visit: what was measured, where, what it means and how sure we are — and what could not be settled from the surface.

Diagnostic report — sample

Illustration

Illustrative sample — not based on a real customer or property.

Prepared for: [homeowner’s name]
Property: Two-story house (illustrative)
Area examined: Hallway ceiling on the ground floor, below the upstairs bathroom; the bathroom floor and the wall behind the tub
Visit: [date and time of the visit] · indoors 70 °F · outdoors 48 °F · dry for the previous two days
Instruments: Thermal camera; pinless moisture meter (relative scale 0–100). No material was opened.

1. What you reported

A yellowish stain, about 12 inches across, on the hallway ceiling. It appeared a few weeks ago and looks darker after someone showers upstairs.

2. What the eye sees, and what the camera sees

Figure 1 — The ceiling as the eye sees it: one faint stain near the wall under the bathroom. Schematic illustration, not a photograph.

Figure 2 — The same area in the thermal camera: a cool, fan-shaped pattern that starts at the stain and widens toward the bathroom wall, about three times the size of the visible stain. The camera shows surface temperature; this pattern was then checked with the meter (Table 1). The ceiling light reads warm because it is on — not because of water.

3. Moisture readings

Reading rule: the baseline is a dry area of the same material, measured on the same visit. A point counts as wet when it reads 3 or more above its baseline. The same rule is used on every return visit, so readings can be compared.

Table 1 — Moisture readings (relative scale)
Point	Where	Reading	Dry baseline	Difference	Result
Hallway ceiling (drywall) — baseline 14: dry ceiling in the same hallway, about 10 ft away
P1	Center of the stain	31	14	+17	Wet
P2	12 in from the stain, toward the bathroom wall	27	14	+13	Wet
P3	2 ft toward the bathroom wall, at the ceiling edge	22	14	+8	Wet
P4	12 in from the stain, away from the wall	16	14	+2	Dry
P5	Around the ceiling light, about 4 ft away	14	14	0	Dry
Upstairs bathroom — wall behind the tub (tile over backer) — baseline 12: same wall, by the door
P6	Bottom of the wall, at the drain end of the tub	25	12	+13	Wet
P7	Bottom of the wall, at the faucet end of the tub	15	12	+3	Wet
P8	Bathroom floor, by the door	13	12	+1	Dry

Figure 3 — Moisture map of the hallway ceiling: the measured points, red = wet (3 or more above baseline), green = dry. The dashed line is the outline of the thermal pattern. Schematic illustration.

4. Conclusion: the most likely source

Most likely source: the upstairs bathroom, at the drain end of the tub — most likely the drain connection or the seal around it.

How sure we are

HighThat the water comes from the bathroom above — not from the roof or from a pipe in the ceiling.
Three independent signs point the same way: the thermal pattern widens toward the bathroom wall, the readings rise in that direction, and the wettest point upstairs sits directly above the end of the pattern.
ModerateThat the exact point is the drain connection, rather than the overflow or a supply line.
The wettest upstairs reading is at the drain end, but the three sit within a few inches of each other and cannot be told apart from the surface.
HighThat the leak is active.
The stain darkens after showers (your observation), and the readings are well above baseline although the tub was not used for a day.

High = several independent measurements agree · Moderate = the measurements point one way, but another explanation is still possible · Low = one sign only

5. What could not be determined

Which fitting is leaking — the drain connection, the overflow gasket or a supply line. They sit within a few inches of each other behind the tile; the meter reads about ¾ in deep and cannot separate them. This is settled only when the area is opened — by whoever you choose to open it.
How long the area has been wet, and whether the framing above the ceiling is affected. A single visit shows the state of the surface on that day.
Whether a second, smaller source exists. A cold draft from the wall cavity could hide a smaller cool pattern. P4 and P5 read dry, which makes a second source unlikely — not impossible.
Anything inside the wall or the ceiling. The readings are from the surface; no material was opened.

6. The next step

The report is yours. Hand it to any licensed contractor you choose: the measured points are marked, so an opening can be made once, in the right place. When the area has dried, a repeat visit measures the same points against the same baseline — and the record shows the wet area shrinking.

Diagnostic service only: not a pre-purchase home inspection — in New York, that is done by a licensed home inspector — and not a mold assessment. The report describes the most likely source of the water, not the condition of the home’s systems. No material was opened. The report records measurements and our reading of them; it is not a guarantee of the outcome.

What this means for you

We'll get back to you as soon as possible. Send a photo and a few details — your request is recorded and we reply after reviewing the findings.