Roofs and flat roofs
The eaves have spread on one side and the ceiling on that side is cracked. Why is that pattern not automatically subsidence of the flank wall?
Not eaves that have spread on one side, with ceiling cracks on that side, are automatically subsidence of the flank wall. The pattern is roof spread: the eaves have pushed out where the ceiling on that side has cracked. Subsidence would be downward movement in the ground, which this note has not established. A visual survey can describe the eaves and the cracks. It does not calculate the load path, it does not monitor the wall, and it does not turn a roof pattern into a foundation failure.
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?
Read where the movement is described. Eaves that have kicked out, and a ceiling cracked on the same side, point back to the rafters, the ties and the wall plate on that side. The other flank is not given the same description. A foundation story would need a different pattern, which the report has not claimed. Do not rename the note because movement sounds serious. The side that has spread is the side the sentences actually cover.
If the mechanism must be tested, that is a structural engineer measuring the roof, not a fresh label added to the survey. The visit has not designed a tie, a new collar line or any underpinning, and it should not be asked to choose among them from the pattern alone. Keep the ground under the flank wall out of the quotation until someone competent has separated the roof from the foundations.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you see at the eaves on the spread side, and was the other side different?
- Where do the ceiling cracks sit in relation to that spread?
- Did any sign you would call foundation movement appear, or is that outside this note?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the description as roof spread on one side, not as subsidence of the flank wall.
- Ask a structural engineer if the mechanism itself must be separated in writing.
- Do not commission underpinning on the strength of this eaves pattern alone.
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
Do ceiling cracks beside one eaves prove the flank wall is sinking?
No. Those cracks belong with the spread described on that side. This note does not establish downward movement in the ground under the wall.
Has the survey calculated whether the rafters are still tied?
No. It describes the eaves and the ceiling on one side. Calculating the load path, or designing a tie, was not part of the visit.