An observationA described or measured occurrence, with relevant conditions.
Example: Cold sensation near a window at 8 p.m. is an observation. reports what was noticed or measured under stated conditions. An explanation proposes why it happened.
Keep these in separate columns mentally, even if you write them as sentences. "Cold near the window" is a reported sensation; "the wall has no insulation" is an unverified explanation.
Several explanations can fit the same observation. Your task is not to collect a long list of guesses but to choose a next observation or question that could distinguish them.
Recording uncertainty makes a note more useful to a landlord or assessor because it avoids directing attention too narrowly. You can be precise about a symptom without being certain about its cause.
Try the supplied case
Hypothetical note: “At 8 p.m. I felt cold while seated beside the window. The room thermometer read 20°C. Therefore the window must be leaking air.” No airflow measurement was made.
Rewrite this note as an observation and an unconfirmed explanation in the goal section.
Compare your response
Observation: at 8 p.m., seated beside the window, I felt cold while the room thermometer read 20°C. Unconfirmed explanation: air may be entering near the window; no airflow measurement supports that yet.
The temperature and sensation can coexist. They do not prove leakage. Check that the original facts remain intact and that the proposed cause is explicitly uncertain.