Subsidence, settlement and heave
A crack sits at the end of a lintel installed last year. Why might that be settlement of new work rather than foundation movement of the whole house?
The crack at the end of the lintel installed last year may be settlement of that new work, rather than foundation movement of the whole house. A new lintel changes the bearing at its ends, and a crack there can be local to the opening. The survey can record the crack and its position. It has not shown that the foundations under the whole building are moving, and a local crack is not a label for every wall.
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?
New masonry, new bearings and the first season of a rebuilt opening can leave a crack that stays at the lintel. That is a different account from subsidence, which is read across the building, the ground and a pattern of movement. One crack at a new end-bearing fits the local explanation the question allows. It does not prove that explanation, and it does not prove the other one.
Ask whether the crack stops at the lintel, whether the opening is distorted, and whether the rest of the wall is even. Do not pass a neighbour's underpinning letter across to this crack. A tell-tale that is already broken would not give you a rate. Keep the comment on this opening until a wider pattern is actually described.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Does the crack stop at the end of the new lintel?
- Is the rest of that wall free of a matching pattern of movement?
- Are you leaving open a local cause in the new work, rather than house-wide foundations?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the crack with the lintel installed last year until a wider pattern is shown.
- Do not label the whole house with foundation movement from this crack alone.
- Photograph the crack at the bearing before any repointing hides it.
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
If the lintel is new, can the crack be ignored?
No. Local settlement of new work is still a crack to watch. It is not a reason to call it nothing, and it is not the whole house.
Does a crack at a lintel always mean the foundations have failed?
No. At a lintel installed last year it may be settlement of that new work. The rest of the house has not been condemned by it.