Subsidence, settlement and heave
What does a dropping lintel look like in a survey, and what should you not assume?
Look for a crack or a gap over the opening, a window or door that sticks, and brickwork sagging above the head. That pattern is the support over the opening, not the foundations. The survey can see the distortion. It cannot tell you the lintel type if it is hidden in the wall, and it has not designed a replacement.
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?
Openings in older walls are carried on timber, stone, concrete, steel, or a brick arch. Timber can rot, concrete can crack, and an arch can spread. Approved Document A is the building-regulations document for structure when work is done. It is not a grade the surveyor stamps on an old timber lintel. A home survey records the symptoms and the limit.
Replacing a lintel is a builder’s job with temporary support, sometimes notifiable. It is not underpinning. If the report points at one window, ask a builder or an engineer about that opening, not about the whole terrace. There is no RICS tariff for lintels. The price depends on the span, the wall thickness and what is above. Do not borrow a figure from a forum.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which openings show the drop, and is the crack only above the head?
- Could you see the lintel material, or only the distortion?
- Is there movement elsewhere, or is this local to the opening?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not plane a sticking door and ignore the brick above it.
- Photograph the head and the cill. A cill crack can be separate from the lintel.
- If the rating says the support has failed, get a quote that includes propping, not only a new window.
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
Is a concrete boot lintel a defect?
It is a type, common in later houses. The defect is damage or deflection, not the fact it is concrete.
Does a uPVC window replace the lintel?
No. The frame is not the support unless it was designed to be. Ask before you assume the new windows “hold the wall”.