Subsidence, settlement and heave
The seller says a large tree came out last year and a crack opened afterwards. Can the survey confirm heave from that sentence alone?
No. The survey cannot confirm heave from the seller's sentence alone. Heave, in this storey, would be the ground swelling after a large tree came out, and a crack opening afterwards is the timing the seller describes. The inspection has recorded the crack it could see. It has not tested the soil, monitored levels, identified the stump as the cause, or checked that the crack really post-dates the felling. A sentence is not a heave test. The survey has not confirmed it.
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?
On a shrinkable clay, a tree takes water and the ground can shrink; when the tree is removed the ground can take water back and swell. That mechanism is why the seller's story is worth passing on. It is also why the story is not confirmation. The surveyor did not see the tree, did not see the crack open, and did not sample the ground. Other things open cracks: a lintel, thermal movement, a drain, old distortion that was only noticed after the garden changed.
Pass the seller's words to the solicitor as what the seller said, not as a finding, and ask what evidence there is of the felling and of the crack's timing. Do not tell a lender the survey has confirmed heave. If an insurer or an engineer is to consider heave, they need levels, soil and a proper history, which this inspection did not produce. Keep the crack described as the survey saw it, with the tree story beside it and not inside it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Have you recorded the crack without confirming heave?
- Is the tree's removal only the seller's account?
- What would still be needed before heave could be confirmed?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the crack as seen, and the tree story as the seller's words.
- Do not treat that sentence as confirmed heave.
- Ask the solicitor what evidence dates the felling and the crack.
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 stump is still in the garden, is heave confirmed?
No. A stump shows a tree was there. It does not show the ground swelled, and it does not date the crack. The survey still cannot confirm heave from the seller's sentence, stump or no stump. The report leaves the seller's tree account where it is, without a second finding.
Does a crack far from the stump weaken the storey?
It may, and the survey has not measured that distance into a conclusion. Distance is a question for whoever investigates, if anyone does. It is another reason the sentence alone is not confirmation. No extra conclusion about the seller's tree account should be read into the wording.