Selling Property with Foundation Problems: A Complete Guide for UK Homeowners

Big cracks wider than your little finger appearing in walls often mean your foundation is moving.

Doors and windows that suddenly won’t open or close properly mean foundations are shifting. Floors that lean to one side or feel bumpy point to foundation problems below. Gaps appearing where walls meet ceilings or floors show serious movement. If you’re selling a house with cracked walls, the foundations might be causing it.

Walls that bend outward or bulge are really worrying signs.

Subsidence means your foundations are sinking down into the ground.

This happens when the soil shrinks or gets washed away underneath. Cracks get bigger over time as your house drops lower. Heave is the opposite – soil swells up and pushes foundations upward. This often happens after cutting down big trees. Settlement is normal in new buildings as they settle into the ground. If you’re selling a house with subsidence, you’ll need expert reports.

Subsidence and heave need expensive fixes, whilst settlement usually doesn’t matter.

Clay soil gets smaller when it dries out and bigger when it gets wet.

This makes foundations move up and down. Tree roots suck water from the soil, making it shrink around your foundations. Leaking drains wash soil away from under your home. Old mining tunnels can cause ground collapse years later. The British Geological Survey has information about the ground in your area.

Bad drainage around your property lets water slowly damage foundations.

Old homes have shallow foundations that only go down half a metre or one metre.

These don’t reach the solid ground below, so they move more easily. Deep foundations go much deeper and reach firm soil that doesn’t move. Wide raft foundations spread out across a big area and handle problem soil better. Victorian and Edwardian homes often have shallow brick foundations that crack easily.

Modern homes have deeper, stronger foundations that don’t move as much.

Lots of big cracks appearing in different walls mean big foundation problems.

Cracks that keep getting wider over months mean your foundation is still moving. Diagonal cracks that go up like stairs through brickwork are really worrying. If your neighbours have had foundation problems, check your house carefully. New cracks after hot, dry summers or wet winters often happen because the soil is moving.

Get an engineer to look at your house if you see several warning signs.

Underpinning means making your foundations deeper and stronger by adding concrete below.

Traditional mass concrete underpinning costs £10,000 to £30,000 for most homes. Mini-piled underpinning for serious problems costs £20,000 to £50,000 or more. Beam and base underpinning falls between £15,000 and £40,000. The price depends on how much of your foundation needs work and how deep they need to go.

Small sections of one wall cost less, whilst underpinning whole sides costs much more.

Engineers need to investigate before any repairs start.

Basic structural surveys cost £400 to £800 for most homes. Detailed investigations with crack monitoring over 6 to 12 months cost £1,500 to £3,000. Engineers check your foundations, measure cracks, and test soil samples. Their reports explain what’s wrong and recommend the best repairs. If you’re selling a house with structural issues, you’ll need these reports.

Banks and buyers won’t go ahead without proper engineer reports.

Some home insurance policies cover subsidence repairs if you make a claim.

Your insurance might pay for investigations, monitoring, and repairs. But you’ll pay an excess of £1,000 to £5,000 first. Insurance companies take control of repairs and choose contractors. Self-funded repairs let you choose contractors and work faster. But you pay everything yourself, which can reach £50,000 or more.

Making insurance claims affects future premiums and makes selling harder later.

Resin injection pumps special foam under foundations to fill gaps and stabilise soil.

This costs £5,000 to £15,000 and takes just a few days to complete. It’s much faster and cheaper than traditional underpinning. But it only works for certain types of foundation problems. Traditional underpinning with concrete takes weeks but fixes more serious issues. Engineers will tell you which method suits your problem.

Some buyers and lenders prefer traditional underpinning over resin injection.

Foundation repairs take time from investigation to completion.

Crack monitoring alone needs 6 to 12 months to track movement. Traditional underpinning work takes 4 to 12 weeks once it starts. Resin injection is much faster at just 3 to 7 days. After repairs finish, you need a building control sign-off, which takes 2 to 4 weeks. Learn what not to fix when selling to save time and money.

The total timeline from start to being ready to sell is typically 9 to 18 months.

Most house sales take months, but we can buy your property in as little as 7 days.

This quick process is perfect if you need to move soon or want to avoid being stuck in a long chain of buyers and sellers. We have the cash on hand so don’t need to wait for mortgages or a chain to collapse. 

Did you know 1 in 3 sales fall through on the open market?

We know how frustrating it is to get 6 months into a process and have a buyer pull out.

When we give you the final price for your house, that’s the amount you’ll get. Guaranteed!

You won’t face any costs with us.

We handle all the expenses involved in buying your property, including legal fees and surveys. You get cash in your bank when the sale is complete, and there are no surprise estate agent commissions to worry about.

Our team supports you through the whole selling process.

We keep you updated about what’s happening and answer any questions quickly. You’ll always understand what’s going on with your sale and what happens next.

Our property experts will value your house at no cost to you.

They look carefully at your property and check local market prices to give you an accurate figure. This professional service comes with no obligations.

Forget about cleaning and tidying for viewings.

We don’t need multiple visits or open houses to make our offer. This means no strangers walking through your home, and no disruption to your daily life.

Whether your house needs work or is in perfect condition, we’ll buy it.

We have experience with all types of properties and conditions. This means you can sell your house to us no matter what state it’s in.

Our expert team manages all the legal requirements for you.

We work with experienced property lawyers who make sure everything runs smoothly, and put your property at the top of their list. This gives you peace of mind that your sale is being handled properly from start to finish.