Cracks, movement and damage in London
Investigation of cracking and movement, monitoring, subsidence and insurance reports, repair design and sign-off.
About these services
Cracks are the most common reason people call a structural engineer, and most turn out to be minor. The work in this group is about telling the difference. It covers movement investigations that find the cause of cracking, crack monitoring programmes that show whether movement is continuing, subsidence reports written for insurers, damage assessments after fire, flood or vehicle impact, and expert witness reports where a structural dispute needs an independent view.
Homeowners worried about new cracks, buyers whose surveyor has flagged movement, and landlords with a tenant's report of a sticking door all start here. Insurers and loss adjusters need reports set out in a way that supports a claim decision. Solicitors and parties to a dispute need an engineer who can explain causes clearly and stand behind the opinion. After a fire or flood, owners need to know quickly what is safe to use.
In London the causes are familiar: clay shrinkage near trees during dry summers, leaking drains softening the ground, failing wall ties in cavity walls, and old alterations that removed support without replacing it. A movement investigation in Enfield or Merton usually combines a visual inspection with the property's history and ground information. Where one visit cannot settle it, monitoring over several months shows whether cracks are seasonal, progressive or historic.
Services in this group
- Structural movement investigation reportGCE-MV-001from £750
- Crack monitoring baseline reportGCE-MV-002from £450
- Interim crack monitoring reportGCE-MV-003from £350
- Final crack monitoring and stability reportGCE-MV-004from £450
- Subsidence report for insurersGCE-IN-010from £550
- Fire, flood or impact damage assessmentGCE-IN-011from £600
- Structural expert witness reportGCE-IN-020from £2,000
Investigation, monitoring or an insurance report?
If you want to know why a building is cracking, start with a structural movement investigation report. It brings together the crack pattern, the building's history and ground information to identify the most likely cause and the right repair. If the cause is clear but you need to know whether movement is ongoing, a monitoring programme begins with a crack monitoring baseline report, followed by interim readings and a final stability report.
If you suspect subsidence and plan to claim on your insurance, a subsidence report for insurers is written in the form a loss adjuster needs. Tell your insurer promptly, as most policies require it. For damage after a fire, flood or vehicle impact, a damage assessment establishes what is safe, what needs propping and what can be repaired. Our guide to whether cracks in your house are serious helps you judge urgency first.
Projects using these services
Frequently asked questions
Which cracks should I worry about?
As a rough guide, hairline cracks in plaster are usually shrinkage or minor movement. Cracks wider than a few millimetres, diagonal cracks running from window and door corners, cracks wider at one end, or cracks that reopen after filling deserve an engineer's look. So do doors and windows that suddenly start sticking. Width alone is not the whole story, as the pattern and whether it is growing matter too.
How long does crack monitoring take?
Long enough to see a pattern, which usually means several readings over a number of months. On London Clay, cracks often open in late summer and close in winter, so a programme that covers both seasons tells you far more than a few weeks of readings. We agree the number and timing of visits at the start, then conclude with a final stability report.
Is subsidence covered by home insurance?
Most buildings policies cover subsidence, heave and landslip, usually with a higher excess than other claims. Insurers normally appoint their own loss adjuster, but an independent engineer's report can help you understand the cause and put your case clearly. Check your policy wording and tell your insurer as soon as you suspect subsidence, because delay can affect the claim.
Can you act as an expert witness in a building dispute?
Yes. We prepare independent structural expert reports for court, arbitration and mediation, covering issues such as defective building work, damage from neighbouring works and disputed causes of movement. The report is written for the tribunal rather than for either party, and sets out the evidence, the analysis and the reasoning behind each opinion.