Subsidence, settlement and heave
If plaster has come away and the bricks behind the crack still line up, what has the survey not proved?
It has not proved that the wall has moved as a whole, and it has not proved that the wall never moved. Lined-up bricks behind a plaster crack mean the coat has split where the masonry courses still meet. That is a description of one patch. The survey does not test the soil, and one visit does not say whether some other part of the wall is moving.
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?
Plaster cracks because it shrinks, because it was applied too thick, or because the background moved. When a patch has fallen off and the brick joints are still tight and in bond, the split the buyer is looking at is in the finish at that spot. That is useful. It stops you treating one plaster line as a fractured wall. It does not inspect the rest of the elevation, the lintels, or the footing. The Association of British Insurers describes subsidence as downward movement of the ground. An intact brick joint in one hole is not a test of that ground.
Ask the surveyor how large the patch was and whether other cracks, outside, stepped through brick rather than plaster. If the report only had the plaster crack, do not upgrade it and do not delete every other comment because of one sound patch. Filling the hole before exchange hides the only evidence. A plasterer can repair a finish crack after you know the masonry behind this one was in line. They cannot certify the house. Concealed structure elsewhere remains unseen.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How much brick did you see, and were the courses actually in line?
- Are there cracks elsewhere that go through the brick, not only the plaster?
- Is this sentence limited to the patch, or are you clearing the whole wall?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not point or skim over the patch until you have read the rest of the crack comments.
- Do not tell the seller the house has subsided because the plaster split.
- Do not tell yourself the footing is sound because one patch of brick lined up.
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
Does in-line brickwork mean the crack is only decoration?
At that patch, the masonry had not separated. Decoration elsewhere is a different sentence. Ask which cracks were only in paint.
Should you hack off more plaster to see?
Not before you own the house, and not as a hobby. If the surveyor needs a larger opening, that is a separate instruction the seller would have to allow.