RICS Consumer Guide: Subsidence

There could be movement in the ground beneath your home if you find:

• new or expanding cracks in plasterwork

• new or expanding cracks in outside brickwork

• doors or windows sticking for no particular reason

• rippling wallpaper that isn’t caused by damp.

If you spot any of these problems and cannot find a reason for them, get specialist help as soon as possible. If it is subsidence, the sooner it is diagnosed the better.

A chartered surveyor will be able to work out whether there is subsidence and what the likely cause is, and this guide will help you get the right advice.