How subsidence repair works in Greater London
Each step of a subsidence repair job in Greater London is set out here, so you know what to expect before anyone visits the property.
Cracks appearing above door frames, floors that no longer sit level, or doors that have started to stick in their frames can all be early signs of ground movement. The steps below take you from describing what you have spotted at your London property right through to the finished repair and all the paperwork handed over.
Whether the job is crack monitoring, underpinning or resin injection, a specialist in Greater London follows the same stages on every subsidence repair.
Enter your details in the form
Tell us the property address and what you have seen: where the cracks are, which way they run, roughly how wide, and when you first spotted them. If a wall is bowing, a floor has dipped at one corner, or a door frame has separated from the surrounding brickwork, mention that too. A photograph taken next to a pen or coin helps the specialist read the scale before they call. Your quote is free.
A specialist calls you
A subsidence specialist will phone you to go through what you have described and ask further questions. The specialist will want to know how old the property is, what soil sits beneath it if you know, whether large trees are growing close by, and whether a drain or gutter near the affected area has been leaking. Let the specialist know at this stage if an insurer has already opened a claim.
Assessing whether a site visit is required
Using the details you have provided, the specialist decides whether a visit to the property would give them information they cannot get any other way. If movement appears to be ongoing, monitors can be fitted to the cracks and left to log readings over several weeks. Those readings reveal whether the ground is continuing to move, whether clay shrinking in dry conditions is the cause, or whether the structure has settled into a stable state. That evidence determines which repair method fits.
Written quote at no charge
When the specialist has gathered enough detail, they put the likely cause in writing and quote for the repair work required to fix it. In Greater London that repair could involve underpinning to reach a load-bearing stratum, resin injection to firm up loose ground under the foundation, crack stitching, a drainage survey, or felling a nearby tree whose roots are pulling moisture from shrinkable clay. There is no charge for the quote.
The repair work
The specialist firm agrees access arrangements with you, confirms which parts of the building and surrounding ground will be disturbed, and sets a programme before any work begins. The scope stays tied to what the site evidence shows. A property that has stopped moving does not receive intervention beyond what the findings justify.
Crack monitoring during active movement
If crack monitors are installed, the specialist records readings at set intervals throughout the investigation period. The resulting log captures the speed and direction of any movement and is included in the paperwork given to you, your insurer, or a solicitor acting for a future buyer.
Paperwork provided on completion
After the repair is finished, the specialist produces a written record covering what was discovered, the method of treatment used, and the structural condition at the point of sign-off. Any certificate the specialist produces should be kept alongside your title deeds. Insurers, mortgage lenders and solicitors acting for purchasers routinely request evidence of past ground movement in Greater London, especially in postcodes where shrinkable clay is present.
What you get
A written quote at no charge setting out what is likely causing the movement and which repair method the specialist recommends
A record of crack monitor readings gathered throughout the investigation period, covering each position where a monitor was fitted
Once work is finished, the specialist produces a full report documenting everything that was done on site
Any certificate the specialist issues on finishing the repair, for use with insurers, lenders or solicitors
Before the visit
Photos of affected walls inside and outside
Policy paperwork for your buildings insurance
Any earlier structural or engineering reports
How long the damage has been visible
Where large trees sit in relation to the building
Get a written quote today
Send the property address, a note on what you have spotted and which service fits. A specialist will come back with a written quote before any repair work is agreed.
- Free quote on every enquiry
- No obligation to proceed
- Covering all of Greater London