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Foundation crack and settlement inspection
An inspection form for cracks and signs of settlement at an existing building, on a phone or tablet. Record the building, the foundation and soil if known, when the cracks appeared and any earlier repairs. Walk round one elevation at a time and log each crack with its orientation, width, length, tapering, displacement and photos, then the drainage and trees near the building with measured distances, and each room inside with floor level readings. The inspector records their own view and recommendations. For repeat readings at the same points, use the crack monitoring record. For a new foundation before the pour, use the foundation inspection checklist.
For building surveyors, home inspectors, structural engineers and foundation repair contractors looking at an existing building, and for owners who want cracks recorded properly before they call one.
Written in UK English with notes on the law of England (and Wales where it applies). The crack, level and tree records work anywhere; in the US, check with your local building department before foundation repair work.
- External walk-round by elevation: each crack's orientation, width, length, tapering, displacement and photos, with GPS
- Signs of movement: sticking doors and windows, floor level readings worked out in mm per metre, gaps at skirtings, bays and chimneys
- Drainage and trees near the building, with measured distances and whether a tree is protected
- The inspector's own view, recommendations, priority, actions and sign-off
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What does a foundation crack inspection record?
It is useful when each crack can be found again and compared later. Give every crack a reference marked on site, measure the widest point with a gauge, note which way it tapers and whether one side has moved, photograph it with the gauge in view, and record the drains and trees nearby with measured distances. Keep the facts separate from your own view.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 27 October 2026 against BRE, Assessing cracks in houses (BRE Digest 251), GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas, Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211, trees in conservation areas and Building Regulations 2010, regulation 3, meaning of building work.
How to inspect foundation cracks and settlement
Record what you can see and measure first, and keep your own view separate from the facts.
Record the building and its history
Enter the property type, age, wall construction and the foundation type and soil if known, with how you know. Ask when the cracks were first noticed, whether they are getting worse and what has been repaired before.
Walk round each elevation
Add each elevation as a space. Mark each crack with a reference, record its orientation, the widest width with a gauge, the length, tapering and any displacement, and photograph it with a gauge or rule in view.
Check drainage and trees
Note gullies, downpipes and leaks near the cracks. Measure the distance from each tree or large shrub to the nearest wall and record whose it is and whether it is protected.
Go room by room inside
Log internal cracks, sticking doors and windows, and take a level reading where a floor is out of level. The form works out the slope in mm per metre.
Give your view and recommendations
Write your own view in your own words, choose the recommendations, such as monitoring, an engineer or a drain survey, set the priority and the actions, and sign.
What makes a foundation crack inspection useful
Each crack: orientation, widest width, tapering and displacement
1930s semi on clay, mature street oak 9.5 m from the front bay. C1: stepped crack above the bay, 4 mm at the top, 1.1 m long, wider at the top, no displacement, old repointing reopened. Front room door catching; floor falls 14 mm over 3.2 m towards the bay. Tell-tale fitted; monthly readings, a drain survey and advice on the oak recommended.
Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.
A common recording mistake
Writing "structural crack" or "settlement" as a finding with no measurements, or measuring a crack once without marking the point, so nobody can tell later whether it has moved.
What happens next
Fit a tell-tale or reference marks on the main cracks and take repeat readings at the same points on the crack monitoring record, then pass the record to an engineer if the cracks keep opening.
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Every question in the foundation crack inspection template
A foundation crack and settlement inspection for an existing building: building details, foundation and soil if known, crack history and previous repairs, an external walk-round by elevation with each crack measured and photographed, signs of movement, drainage and trees near the building with distances, an internal inspection by room with floor level readings, the inspector's own view, recommendations, actions and sign-off. 7 sections and 127 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Owner or client: the project's customer
Inspection details
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Owner or clientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Location (GPS)Short answer
- Inspection date*Date
- Inspected by*Short answer
- Inspector role or qualificationShort answer
For example chartered building surveyor, structural engineer, home inspector.
- Where is the building?*Choose one
Sets which notes you see.
- England
- Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- United States
- Other country
- Reason for the inspection*Choose one
- Owner concerned about cracks
- Pre-purchase or sale
- Insurance claim
- Before repair or underpinning
- After repair
- Neighbouring building work
- Other
- Areas not inspected and whyShort answer
For example loft not entered, rear garden locked.
- Weather on siteAnswer
- CheckThis form records what was seen and measured at an existing building: cracks, signs of movement, drainage and trees nearby, and the inspector's own view in their own words. It does not decide whether a crack is structural, what caused it or what repair is needed. Where damage looks significant, ask a structural engineer or other building professional.
- CheckIn the United States, foundation repair and underpinning are usually controlled by the local building department and may need a permit and an engineer's design. Check with your local building department before repair work starts.Shown when “Where is the building?” is “United States”
Building and history
- Property type*Choose one
- Detached house
- Semi-detached house
- Terraced house
- Bungalow
- Flat or maisonette
- Commercial building
- Other
- Approximate age or build dateShort answer
For example 1930s, 1995.
- Storeys above groundNumber
- Wall constructionChoose one
- Solid brick
- Cavity masonry
- Timber frame
- Concrete block
- Stone
- Other
- Foundation type, if known*Choose one
- Strip footings
- Trench fill
- Raft
- Piled
- Slab-on-grade
- Crawl space or pier and beam
- Basement
- Not known
- How the foundation type is knownShort answer
For example trial pit, original drawings, building control records.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Ground or soil type, if knownChoose one
- Clay
- Sand or gravel
- Chalk
- Rock
- Made ground or fill
- Peat
- Not known
- How the soil type is knownShort answer
For example geological map, site investigation, trial pit.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Extensions and alterationsNotes
For example rear extension added 2004, bay window rebuilt, chimney breast removed.
- When the cracks were first noticedDate
- Has the owner seen them get worse?Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Not known
- Months since first noticed (approx.)Worked out by the formShown when “When the cracks were first noticed” is answered and “Inspection date” is answered
- What the owner reportsNotes
Seasonal opening and closing, when doors started sticking, anything that changed.
- Events reported or seen (not a diagnosis)Tick all that apply
- Long dry summer
- Very wet period or flooding
- Leaking drain or water pipe
- Building work nearby
- Tree or large shrub removed
- Tree or hedge planted or grown
- Extension built
- None known
- Previous repairs to cracks or foundations?Yes or No
- What was done, when and by whomNotes
For example cracks filled 2019, partial underpinning to the bay 2008.
Shown when “Previous repairs to cracks or foundations?” is Yes - Insurance claim made or open?Yes or No
- Claim referenceShort answerShown when “Insurance claim made or open?” is Yes
- Have the cracks been monitored before?Yes or No
- GuidanceBring the earlier readings. Repeat readings at the same marked points go on the crack monitoring record, so the change over time can be seen.Shown when “Have the cracks been monitored before?” is Yes
- Earlier reports, drawings or monitoring recordsPhotos
External walk-round by elevation
- GuidanceWalk round the building one elevation at a time. Record each crack with a reference marked on site, its orientation, width and length, and a photo with a gauge or rule in view.
- ElevationsRepeat for each elevation. Each one asks:
- Elevation*Short answer
For example front (north-east), left flank, rear.
- Wall finishChoose one
- Facing brick
- Render
- Pebbledash
- Stone
- Cladding
- Other
- Cracks on this elevationRepeat for each crack. Each one asks:
- Crack reference*Short answer
As marked on site, for example C1.
- Where on this elevation*Short answer
For example above the bay window, left corner.
- Position (GPS), optionalShort answer
- Orientation*Choose one
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Stepped (through the mortar joints)
- Diagonal
- Runs throughChoose one
- Mortar joints only
- Bricks, blocks or stone
- Render or plaster only
- Not clear
- Widest width (mm)*Number
Measure at the widest point. A photo measure is an estimate.
- How the width was measured*Choose one
- Crack width gauge
- Ruler or tape
- Feeler gauges
- Measure from photo (estimate)
- Other
- Length (m)Number
- TaperingChoose one
- Wider at the top
- Wider at the bottom
- Even width
- Not clear
- Displacement across the crackChoose one
- None seen
- One side stands proud or has dropped
- Not clear
- Displacement (mm)NumberShown when “Displacement across the crack” is “One side stands proud or has dropped”
- AppearanceChoose one
- Clean, fresh edges
- Dirty, old or painted over
- Previously filled and reopened
- Not clear
- Same crack seen inside?Yes or No
- BRE Digest 251 category, if the inspector assessed itChoose one
Only if you have assessed it against BRE Digest 251 itself. The form does not assign a category.
- Category 0
- Category 1
- Category 2
- Category 3
- Category 4
- Category 5
- Not assessed
- Monitor or reference marks fitted?Yes or No
- Monitor ID and first readingShort answerShown when “Monitor or reference marks fitted?” is Yes
- Photos (gauge or rule in view)Photos
- Cracks on this elevationWorked out by the form
- Widest crack here (mm)Worked out by the form
- e_cat3Worked out by the form
- Other signs of movement on this elevationTick all that apply
- Wall bulging or leaning
- Gaps around window or door frames
- Lintel or arch cracked or dropped
- Bay window moving away from the main wall
- Extension pulling away from the house
- Chimney leaning or cracked
- Gap between paving and the wall
- Render cracked or hollow
- None seen
- Detail of the signs seenNotesShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Elevation photosPhotos
- Walk Cam: external walk-roundWalk Cam video with voice-to-text
Optional. Film a guided walk-round on the SiteSurvey app.
- GuidanceCrack categories. UK surveyors often use the damage categories in BRE Digest 251, Assessment of damage in low-rise buildings. BRE says there are six categories, linking the width and number of cracks to the type of repair. In general categories 0, 1 and 2 are aesthetic, 3 and 4 affect serviceability (weather-tightness and the operation of doors and windows) and 5 affects stability. BRE stresses this is a simplification: whether cracks are getting wider over time can change the category, the Digest should be consulted, and a building professional where damage is significant.
Drainage and trees near the building
- Drainage near the cracksTick all that apply
- Gully or downpipe close to a crack
- Gully blocked or overflowing
- Water pooling against the wall
- Ground slopes towards the building
- Inspection chamber cracked or displaced
- Signs of a leaking pipe
- Nothing seen
- Drainage detailNotes
Where, and how close to which crack.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Has a CCTV drain survey been done?Choose one
- Yes
- No
- Not known
- Drain survey date and resultShort answerShown when “Has a CCTV drain survey been done?” is “Yes”
- Drainage photosPhotos
- Trees, large shrubs or hedges near the building?*Yes or No
- Trees and shrubsRepeat for each tree. Each one asks:Shown when “Trees, large shrubs or hedges near the building?” is Yes
- Tree or shrub*Short answer
Species if known, for example oak, willow, leylandii hedge.
- Approximate height (m)Number
- Distance from the nearest wall (m)*Number
Measured from the stem to the nearest wall of the building.
- How measuredChoose one
- Tape
- Laser measure
- Measure from photo (estimate)
- Paced (estimate)
- Nearest elevation or crackShort answer
For example front, near crack C1.
- Whose treeChoose one
- On this property
- Neighbour
- Street tree
- Not known
- ProtectionChoose one
- Tree Preservation Order
- In a conservation area
- Not protected
- Not known
- Position (GPS)Short answer
- Photos of the tree and the buildingPhotos
- Trees and shrubs recordedWorked out by the formShown when “Trees, large shrubs or hedges near the building?” is Yes
- Nearest to the building (m)Worked out by the formShown when “Trees, large shrubs or hedges near the building?” is Yes
- trees_protectedWorked out by the form
- Trees removed in the pastNotes
What, where and roughly when, if known.
- GuidanceProtected trees (England). A Tree Preservation Order prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage or wilful destruction of a tree without the local planning authority's written consent, and in the Secretary of State's view cutting roots needs consent too. Trees in a conservation area that have no Order need a section 211 notice to the authority 6 weeks before the work, unless an exception applies. If you apply to work on a protected tree because of subsidence damage, the application must show the tree is a material cause and that other factors have been ruled out as far as possible (GOV.UK planning practice guidance on Tree Preservation Orders).Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckTrees may be protected locally. Check with the local planning authority or council before any work to a tree.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
Internal inspection by room
- RoomsRepeat for each room. Each one asks:
- Room*Short answer
For example front bedroom, kitchen.
- Floor levelShort answer
For example ground, first.
- Cracks in this roomRepeat for each crack. Each one asks:
- Crack reference*Short answer
- Where*Choose one
- Wall
- Ceiling
- Wall and ceiling junction
- Floor
- Around a door or window opening
- OrientationChoose one
- Vertical
- Horizontal
- Diagonal
- Along a joint or junction
- Widest width (mm)*Number
- Length (m)Number
- TaperingChoose one
- Wider at the top
- Wider at the bottom
- Even width
- Not clear
- Photos (gauge or rule in view)Photos
- Cracks in this roomWorked out by the form
- r_maxWorked out by the form
- Doors sticking or binding?Yes or No
- Windows sticking or binding?Yes or No
- Floor feels or looks out of level?Yes or No
- Level reading: distance (m)Number
The length over which the drop was measured, for example along a 2 m straight edge, or across the room with a laser.
Shown when “Floor feels or looks out of level?” is Yes - Level reading: drop over that distance (mm)NumberShown when “Floor feels or looks out of level?” is Yes
- Floor slope (mm per m)Worked out by the formShown when “Floor feels or looks out of level?” is Yes and “Level reading: distance (m)” is answered and “Level reading: drop over that distance (mm)” is answered
- Falls towardsShort answer
For example towards the bay.
Shown when “Floor feels or looks out of level?” is Yes - Gap under or behind the skirting (mm)Number
Leave blank if there is none.
- Other signs in this roomNotes
For example sloping door heads, tiles cracked, cornice parting from the wall.
- Room photosPhotos
- Internal cracks recordedWorked out by the form
- Widest internal crack (mm)Worked out by the form
- Rooms with doors or windows stickingWorked out by the form
- Rooms with an out-of-level floorWorked out by the form
Inspector's view and recommendations
- External cracks recordedWorked out by the form
- Widest external crack (mm)Worked out by the form
- All cracks recordedWorked out by the form
- Cracks the inspector put in category 3, 4 or 5Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Inspector's view*Notes
Your own professional view, in your own words: the pattern, likely significance and what is not yet known. The form does not make this judgement.
- Inspector's view on movementChoose one
- Likely to be ongoing
- Likely to be historic
- Cannot tell without monitoring
- Recommendations*Tick all that apply
- Monitor the cracks over time
- Refer to a structural engineer
- CCTV drain survey
- Arboricultural advice on nearby trees
- Soil investigation (trial pit or borehole)
- Tell the buildings insurer
- Repair the cracks (filling, repointing or stitching)
- Foundation repair or underpinning (engineer to design)
- No further action
- rec_countWorked out by the form
- GuidanceUse the crack monitoring record for repeat readings at the same marked points, so the change in width over time can be compared with this first visit.Shown when “Recommendations” includes “Monitor the cracks over time”
- GuidanceEngland and Wales. Work involving the underpinning of a building is building work under the Building Regulations 2010 (regulation 3), so the building regulations apply to it.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Priority*Choose one
- Urgent: act now
- Soon: within a month
- Routine: within 3 months
- None
- Suggested monitoring periodShort answer
Your recommendation, for example monthly readings for 12 months.
Shown when “Recommendations” includes “Monitor the cracks over time”
Result, actions and sign-off
- Recommendations to act onWorked out by the form
- ResultWorked out by the form
- ActionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:
- Action*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- Within a month
- Within 3 months
- Routine
- Who will do it*Short answer
- Due byDate
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Done, checked
- Photo when donePhotosShown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
- Actions still openWorked out by the form
- Decision*Choose one
- No further action needed
- Monitor and re-inspect
- Get specialist advice before any repair
- Next check or re-inspection dateDate
- Summary for the clientNotes
- Inspector nameShort answer
- Inspector signature*Signature
- Owner or client nameShort answer
- Owner or client signatureSignature
See it filled in
A completed foundation crack inspection report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Foundation crack inspection FAQs
Does the form say whether a crack is structural?
No. It records what was seen and measured, and the inspector's own view in their own words. Whether a crack matters, what caused it and what repair is needed are judgements for a qualified person. BRE's guidance on assessing cracks in houses says a building professional should be consulted where damage is significant.
What are the BRE crack categories?
UK surveyors often use the damage categories in BRE Digest 251, Assessment of damage in low-rise buildings. BRE says the Digest has six categories linking the width and number of cracks to the type of repair: in general categories 0 to 2 are aesthetic, 3 and 4 affect serviceability such as weather-tightness and doors and windows, and 5 affects stability. BRE stresses this is a simplification and that cracks getting wider over time can change the category. The form lets an inspector who has assessed a crack against the Digest record its category; it does not assign one.
How do I measure the cracks?
Use a crack width gauge or a rule at the widest point, and record the length and which way the crack tapers. You can also measure from a photo in SiteSurvey, which gives an estimate, and the form records which method you used. Mark each crack with a reference on site so later readings are taken at the same point on the crack monitoring record.
What if a tree near the house is protected?
In England, a Tree Preservation Order prohibits cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage or wilful destruction of a tree without the council's written consent, and the government's view is that cutting roots needs consent too. Trees in a conservation area without an Order need 6 weeks' notice to the council before work. If you apply to work on a protected tree because of subsidence, the application must show the tree is a material cause and other factors have been ruled out as far as possible.
Sources: GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas and Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 211, trees in conservation areas.
Does underpinning need building regulations approval?
In England and Wales, work involving the underpinning of a building is building work under regulation 3 of the Building Regulations 2010, so the building regulations apply to it. The form records a recommendation for foundation repair or underpinning to an engineer's design, and shows this note when you choose it. In the US, check with your local building department.
Source: Building Regulations 2010, regulation 3, meaning of building work.
Can I use it for a slab-on-grade or pier and beam house?
Yes. The foundation type list includes strip footings, trench fill, raft, piled, slab-on-grade, crawl space or pier and beam, and basement, and the crack, level and tree records are the same for any of them. Widths are in millimetres and distances in metres.
Related
Related templates
Templates that go with the foundation crack inspection form
A crack monitoring record for walls: each crack with its location, pattern, width at a marked point against the last reading, how it was measured, photos with a scale, BRE Digest 251 category if assessed, and next steps.
A pre-pour foundation inspection: set-out, excavation safety and bearing ground, then each footing measured against its design with reinforcement, cover, formwork and penetrations checked and photographed, with US (IRC and OSHA) and UK (CDM and building control) notes, actions and sign-off.
Condition survey of a building: limits of inspection, element by element record, services and risks, further investigations.
A drainage installation record linking drawings, pipe and chamber observations, levels, concealed-work evidence, approved test references and defects.
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