Subsidence, settlement and heave
The seller says the crack over the door opens each summer. Does one winter visit confirm that pattern?
No. One winter visit does not confirm that the crack over the door opens each summer. The survey saw the crack as it was on that day. The seller's account of a seasonal pattern is a statement, not a measurement across seasons. A single visit cannot watch the crack open in summer and ease in winter. The report records the crack that was present. It has not adopted the seasonal account as a proved pattern, and it has not monitored movement.
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?
Cracks over doors can be old, seasonal, or a sign of movement. Telling those apart needs more than one observation, or tell-tales read over time, plus a look at the construction. Winter light on a crack shows width that day. It does not show last August. The seller may be right, and the seller may be remembering decoration. The survey does not confirm a pattern it had no chance to see. The mechanism missing here is repeated inspection.
Tell the solicitor what the seller said, and that the survey did not confirm it. If the crack matters to the lender or to you, a structural engineer can advise whether monitoring is worthwhile, and can read the crack in the context of the walls. The survey has not started that monitoring and has not designed a repair. Do not write to the lender that summer opening was witnessed. It was not.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- How was the crack described on the day, rather than in the seller's account?
- Were any tell-tales already fixed over the door?
- What further visits would be needed before a seasonal pattern could be confirmed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Record the seller's summer claim as unconfirmed by this winter visit.
- Ask a structural engineer if the crack needs monitoring.
- Do not tell the lender the seasonal pattern was seen.
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 the crack's presence today prove the foundation has failed?
No. A crack over a door is a break in the finish or the masonry at that point. One winter visit recorded it. It did not expose the foundation and did not prove why the crack exists. Seasonal movement, old settlement and ordinary shrinkage are not separated by a single look. The foundation remains unseen and undecided.
Should the seller's notes of the crack be treated as formal monitoring?
No. Notes or a recollection are not tell-tales read by the survey on a series of dates. The inspection did not check a monitoring record and did not take its own repeated measurements. You can pass the seller's words to the solicitor as what was said. They do not confirm the summer pattern, and they are not the survey's data.