Age and type of house
A 1960s boot lintel shows a crack at the bearing. Has the survey calculated the load on it?
No. The survey has not calculated the load on the boot lintel. A boot lintel is a concrete lintel with a toe that projects to carry the outer leaf, and a crack at the bearing was recorded where that end sits on the wall. The visit did not measure the loads above, did not design a replacement, and has not decided the crack means the lintel has failed. It has flagged the crack at the bearing. The calculation is still absent.
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?
The bearing is the end of the lintel where the load is delivered into the wall. A crack there can be shrinkage, corrosion of reinforcement, movement of the support, or overload. Those causes are not separated by a photograph of a line in the concrete. Calculating the load would mean assessing what the lintel carries and comparing that with what it can carry. The home survey did not do that arithmetic. A 1960s date names the era. It is not a design check.
Ask the solicitor whether any structural calculation or previous repair for this lintel is in the papers. A structural engineer can assess the crack and the load if you instruct that. The survey does not issue a building-regulations certificate and has not produced the missing calculation. Do not tell a lender the boot lintel was proved adequate, or proved failed, by the crack alone. The finding is the crack at the bearing, plus the absence of a load calculation.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the crack recorded at the bearing of the boot lintel?
- Did the survey stop short of calculating the load?
- Has failure been left undecided?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the crack without claiming a load calculation.
- Ask the solicitor for any existing design or repair note.
- Instruct an engineer if the bearing crack needs a structural assessment.
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 the toe of the boot show the same crack?
Only if it was visible and the report says so. The noted crack is at the bearing. The toe that carries the outer leaf may be a different part of the same lintel, and it was not given its own calculation. Do not copy the bearing crack along the toe unless it was actually seen there. The load on the lintel remains uncalculated.
Can the window above be opened as a test of the lintel?
No. A window that opens tests the sash or the casement, not the load on the boot lintel. The survey did not use the window as a structural test and did not calculate what the wall above is delivering to the bearing. Operation of the frame is a separate note. It does not clear the crack.