Subsidence, settlement and heave
A crack stops at the end of a concrete lintel and does not continue into the wall. What foundation movement has that pattern not shown?
It has not shown foundation movement at all. A crack that stops at the end of a concrete lintel, and does not continue into the wall, is a local pattern at the bearing. The survey has recorded where the crack starts and where it stops. It has not shown the ground moving, and it has not measured any foundation. Movement of the foundations would be expected to carry a crack on through the masonry, not to finish neatly at the end of one lintel. This pattern has not shown that. The finding stops with the lintel end.
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 end of a concrete lintel is a hard point in a softer wall. Load, a short bearing, or a little movement of the lintel itself can crack the joint right there and then die out. That is a lintel-end crack. Foundation movement is a claim about the support under the wall, and the usual mark is a crack that keeps going, often stepping through brickwork away from the opening. Because this crack does not continue, the pattern refuses that wider claim.
Ask the surveyor to say plainly that the crack stops at the lintel and was not followed into the rest of the wall. Keep that sentence for the solicitor if an insurer asks about subsidence. Do not let a lender form say the foundations have moved when the report's pattern has not shown it. If the bearing itself looks crushed, ask a builder or an engineer about that end of the lintel, which is a different question from the ground.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the crack stop at the end of the concrete lintel?
- Did it continue into the wall beyond that bearing at all?
- Are you saying this pattern has not shown foundation movement?
What are the typical next steps?
- Describe the crack as stopping at the end of the lintel.
- Do not treat that stop as foundation movement.
- If the bearing is damaged, ask about the lintel end itself.
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 lintel has a rust stain at that end, is the ground moving?
No. A rust stain at the end of a concrete lintel points at the lintel or its steel, not at the foundations. The crack still stops there. The survey has not shown foundation movement from the stain or from the stop.
Could a later crack past the lintel change this reading?
Yes, if a crack really does continue into the wall, the pattern in this note would no longer be the one described. As written, it stops at the lintel, and that is the pattern that has not shown foundation movement.