Subsidence, settlement and heave
A structural engineer is recommended for the crack and no engineer is named. Who has not yet been instructed?
The structural engineer has not yet been instructed. The report recommends one for the crack and names nobody, so the sentence is advice, not an appointment. No engineer has inspected the crack under that advice, and the surveyor has not become that engineer by making the referral. Cause, whether movement is ongoing, and what should be done all stay open. Further investigation is a new instruction. Until someone is appointed and reports, the crack has a recommendation beside it and no engineer's conclusion.
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?
A recommendation describes the limit of a visual inspection. The surveyor can see a crack, record its position and say that structure needs another profession. Naming no firm means no firm was engaged. Diaries, fees and access are still to be arranged, usually by you, with the seller's permission to return. Do not tell a lender the engineer has attended because the paragraph exists. The PDF in your hand is still only the first visit.
Choose an engineer, agree what they are to look at, and send them the survey extract so they know which crack is meant. Ask the solicitor to keep that instruction separate from the purchase papers until the report arrives. If the engineer wants to open finishes or monitor the crack over time, that is their scope, not a rewrite of this survey. Do not diary the original surveyor and call that the engineering, unless they have agreed in writing to a different job.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Has any structural engineer been named or appointed?
- Does the recommendation itself inspect the crack?
- Is further investigation a new instruction rather than a booking?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the engineer as not yet instructed.
- Appoint one if you need the crack investigated.
- Do not tell a lender the engineering report already exists.
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 the surveyor's photographs replace the engineer's visit?
No. The photographs show what the survey could see. They are not an engineer's assessment of cause or of whether the crack is progressive. The recommendation exists because the visual note was not enough. Send the images to the engineer if they help. They do not close the instruction the report has asked for.
What if the seller offers a letter from an engineer they used years ago?
Read it for what it covers and when it was written. An old letter is not an appointment made because of this survey, and it may address a different crack. The engineer recommended now has still not been instructed. Ask the solicitor to hold the old letter. Do not treat it as the report this inspection asked you to obtain.