Subsidence, settlement and heave
A crack continues through the damp-proof course into the brickwork below. What has that continuity not, by itself, put a date on?
It has not put a date on the crack at all. A crack that continues through the damp-proof course into the brickwork below is continuous across that line. The survey has recorded that the crack does not stop at the damp-proof course. It has not dated the movement, and continuity by itself cannot. An old crack and a new one can both cross a damp-proof course. One visit sees the line. It does not see when the line opened, and it does not see whether it is still opening. The date is what this continuity has not given you.
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 damp-proof course is a layer in the wall, not a clock. When a crack runs through it into the brick below, the fracture is in the masonry on both sides of that layer, so it is not only a plaster blemish above the skirting. That is worth recording, because it stops someone dismissing the crack as decoration. It still says nothing about the year. Filled mortar, weathered edges or sharp edges are clues a surveyor may mention, and even those are not a date.
Ask the surveyor whether anything besides the line, such as fresh grit or old filler, was used to comment on age, and keep that separate from the mere fact that the crack crosses the damp-proof course. Tell the solicitor the inspection has not dated it. An insurer asking when damage started cannot be answered with 'it goes through the damp-proof course'. If age matters, you need records, photographs or monitoring, not a reread of the same continuous crack.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the crack run through the damp-proof course into the brick below?
- Did continuity alone give you any date for the movement?
- What else, if anything, did you use when you talked about age?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record that the crack continues through the damp-proof course.
- Do not treat that continuity as a date.
- Use records or monitoring if someone actually needs the age.
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
If the edges are weathered, has a date been found?
Not a calendar date. Weathered edges can suggest the crack is not brand new, and sharp edges can suggest the opposite, but neither is a year. Continuity through the damp-proof course still has not, by itself, put a date on the crack.
Does the crack below the damp-proof course mean the barrier has failed?
No. A crack crossing that line is a masonry fracture. It is not a test of whether the damp-proof course still stops moisture. The survey recorded continuity, not a damp diagnosis, and it did not date the crack either. The survey stops at the continuous crack and does not add any further conclusion.