Those cracks in your walls are growing.
Buyers will see them straight away.
Wall cracks can be harmless or seriously bad. I’ve bought hundreds of homes with cracks – and buyers react very differently depending on what caused them.
Some cracks don’t matter.
Others mean big problems that stop sales dead.
After buying problem properties for years, I know which cracks are fine and which ones scare lenders. This makes a huge difference to how fast you’ll sell.
This guide shows how different cracks affect your sale.
You’ll learn when surveys kill deals versus when they just lower prices. I’ll explain which buyers aren’t bothered by cracked walls – and your quickest path to selling.
Most importantly, you’ll discover if fixing cracks first actually makes you more money.
Real advice from actual sales I’ve completed across the UK.
- Types of Wall Cracks and What They Mean
- Ways to Sell a House with Cracked Walls
- How Wall Cracks Impact Your Sale Price
- What You're Legally Required to Reveal
- Getting Professional Assessments and Repair Quotes
- Challenges You'll Face Selling Through Traditional Routes
- Why Property Buyers Today Is the Answer for Cracked Wall Properties
Types of Wall Cracks and What They Mean
Wall cracks worry buyers more than almost any other property problem.
Understanding different crack types helps you know what you’re dealing with and whether you need to worry.
Hairline Cracks vs Structural Cracks
Hairline cracks are thinner than 1mm and are usually just cosmetic.
They appear in plaster and render due to normal building movement. These tiny cracks don’t threaten your home’s structure. Structural cracks are wider than 5mm and keep getting bigger over time. They indicate serious problems with foundations or walls.
Buyers worry about any cracks, but structural ones stop sales dead.
Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal Cracks
Vertical cracks usually form where different building materials meet.
They’re often the least worrying type and might just need filling. Horizontal cracks running along walls can indicate serious structural stress. Diagonal or stepped cracks following brick patterns suggest foundation movement. If you’re selling a house with structural issues, crack patterns matter hugely.
Direction helps experts work out what’s causing the problem.
Settlement Cracks vs Subsidence
Settlement cracks happen in new buildings as they adjust to the ground.
These cracks appear in the first few years and then stop growing. They’re normal and don’t indicate ongoing problems. Subsidence cracks keep growing as foundations sink into unstable ground. They widen over months and years and need expensive repairs.
Buyers and lenders treat subsidence extremely seriously.
BRE Crack Classification System
The Building Research Establishment uses categories 0 to 5 to rate crack severity.
Category 0 means hairline cracks less than 0.1mm that need no repair. Category 1 is fine cracks up to 1mm easily filled. Category 2 cracks reach 5mm and might need some repair. Categories 3 to 5 indicate serious structural damage needing major work.
Surveyors use this system to describe cracks in their reports.
When Cracks Mean Foundation Problems
Wide cracks appearing suddenly suggest foundation movement.
Cracks wider than 15mm almost always indicate serious foundation issues. Multiple cracks appearing at the same time across different walls signal widespread problems. If you’re selling a property with foundation problems, expert assessment is essential.
Foundation repairs typically cost £5,000 to £50,000, depending on severity.
Ways to Sell a House with Cracked Walls
Here are the 3 primary methods to sell your property when wall cracks exist…
Estate Agents
The traditional approach creates challenges for houses with cracked walls:
- Average sale duration: 6-12 months (extended timeframe – buyers worry about underlying structural issues)
- Many sales fall through when surveyors flag wall cracks as potential concerns
- You need agents willing to market cracked wall properties and address buyer questions
- You’ll encounter these costs:
- Agent commissions (up to 3%)
- Solicitor fees (up to £4,000)
- Structural surveys and crack monitoring (£400-£1,000)
- Crack repairs and cosmetic work (£500-£5,000)
- Underpinning for serious structural cracks (£5,000-£50,000+)
- Limited buyers interested in properties with visible wall cracks
Property Buyers Today
When cracked walls make your property difficult to market:
- We can complete within just 7 days
- No financing complications or repair requirements needed
- What you receive:
- No agent fees
- We handle legal costs
- No property viewings – we buy cracked wall houses as they stand
- No repair expenses – we manage wall repairs ourselves
- We understand wall cracks and structural causes
- Completion date you can trust
- Consideration: Receive up to 85% of property value (often better after repair costs and prolonged delays)
Professional cash house buyers like Property Buyers Today understand cracked wall complications and handle all procedures.
Property Auction
Auctioning attracts purchasers who deal with cracked wall properties:
- Duration: 3-4 months
- Sale finalises instantly when the gavel drops
- Key factors:
- Property sold as-is – bidders can inspect wall cracks
- Attracts renovators and property developers
- Suitable for repair projects – draws appropriate buyers
- Wall cracks visible during the auction viewing days
- Wait 4-8 weeks until auction date
- Wait 28 days to finalise the transaction
- Registration fees (up to £1,000)
- Auction house charges (up to 6%)
- Bidders evaluate crack severity during property viewings
Review our guide on selling a house at auction to understand how this process works for properties with cracked walls.
How Wall Cracks Impact Your Sale Price
Wall cracks hurt your house value badly.
Small hairline cracks drop value by 3-5%. Large structural cracks reduce value by 15-30%. Repair costs range from £500 for minor cracks to £30,000+ for serious structural work. Buyers subtract repair costs from their offers.
Banks fail mortgage surveys when they spot serious cracks. Surveyors flag anything over 5mm wide as a structural concern. This forces you into cash-buyer-only sales.
Fear drives buyer decisions with cracks. People imagine walls collapsing on their families. I’ve watched buyers refuse houses after seeing one large crack.
You lose all negotiation power.
Major impacts:
- Buyers offer 20% less
- 8-12 months unsold
- Multiple viewings cancelled
- Desperate price drops
Buyers know you’re stuck. Few people want cracked walls, so they offer tiny amounts.
Cash buyers only markets cut available buyers by 90%. You accept whatever low offer comes.
Insurance becomes impossible for buyers. Companies refuse cover on badly cracked properties. No insurance means no mortgage means lower value.
Crack-free properties sell within weeks at full asking price. Cracked walls mean months of worry and huge losses.
Regional differences exist. London clay soil causes more cracks. Buyers there expect some cracking but still pay less.
Fix cracks before selling or accept massive value losses.
What You’re Legally Required to Reveal
You must tell buyers about wall cracks.
The TA6 form asks about structural damage and cracks directly. Consumer Protection laws say hiding material information is illegal. Wall cracks count as material.
Tell buyers about previous repairs, even if done years ago. Monitoring history showing crack movement can’t be hidden either.
You need to share the structural engineer reports you’ve got with buyers. Insurance claims for crack damage must be disclosed, too.
Hiding or downplaying cracks causes huge legal trouble.
You must reveal:
- All visible cracks
- Previous repair work
- Engineer reports
- Insurance claims
- Monitoring records
Consequences get serious fast. Buyers can sue after completion. I’ve seen sellers pay £35,000 for hiding structural cracks.
Estate agents must tell buyers what you disclose. They face legal action, too, for concealing crack problems.
Surveyors will find cracks during inspections. They discover what you tried hiding. This destroys trust and kills sales instantly.
Get all documentation ready early. Engineer reports, repair invoices, monitoring photos, and insurance letters. Give everything to your solicitor.
Misrepresentation claims after completion cost enormous money. Courts always side with buyers who were lied to about structural issues.
Honesty protects you legally. Tell the truth from day one about cracks.
Getting Professional Assessments and Repair Quotes
Getting expert opinions on cracks helps you understand what needs fixing before you sell.
Professional assessments give you accurate information about costs and how serious the problems are.
Structural Engineer Surveys and Costs
Structural engineers inspect your property and write detailed reports about cracks.
Basic surveys cost £400 to £800 for most homes. More detailed investigations with monitoring cost £1,000 to £2,000. Engineers measure cracks, check foundations, and explain what’s causing the problems. Their reports tell you whether cracks are serious or just cosmetic.
Buyers and mortgage lenders trust engineer reports more than anything else.
Subsidence Investigation Requirements
Subsidence investigations check if your foundations are sinking into the ground.
Engineers install crack monitors that track movement over 6 to 12 months. They check soil samples and drainage around your home. These investigations cost £1,500 to £3,000. If you’re selling a house with subsidence, proper investigation is essential.
Banks won’t lend without proof that subsidence has stopped.
Underpinning Costs and Timelines
Underpinning strengthens foundations by digging deeper and adding concrete.
Costs range from £10,000 to £50,000, depending on how much foundation needs work. Small sections cost less whilst whole walls cost more. Work typically takes 4 to 12 weeks to complete. You’ll need building control approval and engineer supervision.
Underpinning guarantees usually last 10 to 25 years.
Cosmetic Repair vs Structural Repair
Cosmetic repairs just fill and paint over cracks without fixing the cause.
These repairs cost £200 to £1,000 and make walls look better temporarily. Structural repairs fix the actual problem causing cracks. They cost much more but properly solve the issue. Buyers and surveyors can tell the difference.
Only do cosmetic repairs if cracks aren’t structural problems.
When to Repair Before Selling vs Selling As-Is
Fixing structural problems before selling usually gets you more money overall.
Spending £5,000 on repairs might add £15,000 to £20,000 to your sale price. But a major underpinning costing £30,000 might only add £25,000 to the value. Learn what not to fix when selling to avoid wasting money. Sometimes, selling as-is to a cash buyer makes more sense.
Calculate costs carefully before deciding what to fix.
Challenges You’ll Face Selling Through Traditional Routes
Selling properties with structural problems gets really hard.
Banks reject buyer mortgage applications straight away. Once surveyors find structural defects, banks say no. Most buyers leave and never come back.
Sales fail over and over after survey reports. Engineers find serious problems that scare buyers badly. I’ve watched eight sales collapse on one house.
Your house stays empty for 12-18 months minimum. You drop prices every few weeks just to get any interest.
Viewer feedback turns really negative fast.
Common challenges:
- Agents refuse your listing
- Multiple surveys needed
- Huge price drops demanded
- Chains falling apart
Estate agents won’t market structurally damaged homes. The risk and hassle aren’t worth their commission.
Buyers want multiple specialist surveys before buying. Each survey costs money and adds weeks of delays.
Structural reports make buyers slash offers. They cut £20,000-£50,000 off after reading the engineer reports.
Chains collapse when other sellers find out about your structural issues. Everyone pulls out fearing problems.
Legal stuff gets complicated. Solicitors need extra insurance and special paperwork. Learn why properties don’t sell to better understand.
Bills keep coming during long selling periods. Mortgage, utilities, and maintenance continue for years sometimes.
Traditional selling rarely works with serious structural defects.
Why Property Buyers Today Is the Answer for Cracked Wall Properties
Let me be upfront with you…
Selling a property with cracked walls can be incredibly difficult. If you’d rather not face the expense of structural surveys, costly underpinning work, and nervous buyers who walk away the moment they spot the damage, I totally get that.
That’s where we can help.
Now, I should be honest—we won’t offer you the full market price because we have our own costs and we aim to sell the property on as quickly as possible. But here are the reasons so many people still choose to sell their house fast with us…
Speed
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.
Guaranteed Sale
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!
No Costs
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.
No Stress Or Hassle
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.
Free Property Valuation
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.
No Viewings Required
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.
All Properties Welcome
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.
Professional Legal Service
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.
