Subsidence, settlement and heave
Does fresh pointing over a crack prove the movement has stopped?
No. Pointing hides the crack. It does not tell you whether the crack opened again afterwards, and it does not strengthen the foundation. A surveyor who can see new mortar in an old crack should say the history is concealed, not that the wall has been cured.
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?
Fresh mortar, a filled chase, or a patch of render is evidence that someone worked on the wall. It is not monitoring. If the new mortar has itself cracked, that is stronger evidence that movement continued after the repair. If it has not, the surveyor still has only one visit. The ABI describes subsidence by what the ground is doing, not by how tidy the pointing looks.
Ask the seller when the repointing was done and who did it. A date turns one photograph into a rough timeline. Do not rake the mortar out before exchange if you may need an engineer to see the crack as it is. If you need certainty, monitoring takes time you may not have. Say that when you decide whether to proceed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Has the new pointing itself cracked, or is it intact?
- When was it done, if the seller knows?
- What could you not tell because the old crack is hidden?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the seller for the date and any invoice, in writing.
- Do not repoint again before an engineer has seen it, if you are instructing one.
- Treat intact new pointing as unknown history, not as a guarantee.
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 resin repair proof the crack is stable?
No. Resin is a filler. Stability is shown over time, or by finding the cause. The product is not that evidence.
Should you tell the insurer about filled cracks?
When you take out buildings insurance, answer the proposal honestly. The survey is not the proposal form. Ask the insurer what they want declared.