Subsidence, settlement and heave
What should you ask the seller if crack-monitoring studs are already on the wall?
Ask for the start date, the readings and who fitted them. Studs or discs without a log do not show whether the crack is moving. A surveyor will note that monitoring is there. They cannot invent the history, and a few weeks of new readings before exchange are not a substitute for the missing log.
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?
Monitoring is how an engineer later shows change. In a purchase, the useful object is the record. If a loss adjuster or a previous buyer started it, the seller may have letters. The Association of British Insurers explains what policyholders do when subsidence happens. You are not that policyholder yet. Do not assume their claim file will be yours.
If there is no record, decide with your solicitor whether to investigate now or walk away. Do not “reset” the studs. If there is a record showing no movement for a long period, give it to your surveyor and your proposed insurer and ask what they still need. The survey on its own does not close an insurance question.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Who fitted the studs, and where are the readings?
- Has an insurer or an engineer already reported on this crack?
- Does your recommendation change if the log is missing?
What are the typical next steps?
- Request the papers through your solicitor. Do not rely on a verbal “it hasn’t moved”.
- Do not fill the crack and leave the studs in place as if that were a result.
- Tell any insurer what you were told. Hiding studs is how purchases unravel later.
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
Can you ignore studs if the crack is hairline?
No. Someone thought it was worth measuring. Ask why. The width today is not the history.
Does monitoring delay exchange by months?
Proper monitoring often does. That may not fit your purchase. The alternative is a different investigation or a decision not to proceed, not a pretend result.