A virtical crack under the gutter

djdjddjj

Buying a house, but found a virtical crack during the survey, the surveyor hasn't done the report yet, but told me the crack looks worrying.

It looks old and obviously had repaired before. The seller and agent did not mention anything, and the lender has granted the mortgage offer after valuation without raising any concern. But we as the buyer have serious concerns, thinking of pulling off.

Any suggestion from the forum would be great welcome. Thanks a lot.

grumpy_codger

It's not "under" the gutter. It's a crack in the wall in the first place and a crack in the concrete gutter as a result of this.

Indeed, worrying. Most likely a sign/result of subsidence.

djdjddjj

grumpy_codger said:

It's not "under" the gutter. It's a crack in the wall in the first place and a crack in the concrete gutter as a result of this.

Indeed, worrying. Most likely a sign/result of subsidence.

Thank you for your comment. Don't you think there is a possibility that the gutter leaked at first, and the water from the gap damaged the wall, then the brick in the area cracked due to thermal expansion? 

stuart45

How far down does the crack go?

grumpy_codger

djdjddjj said:

grumpy_codger said:

It's not "under" the gutter. It's a crack in the wall in the first place and a crack in the concrete gutter as a result of this.

Indeed, worrying. Most likely a sign/result of subsidence.

Thank you for your comment. Don't you think there is a possibility that the gutter leaked at first, and the water from the gap damaged the wall, then the brick in the area cracked due to thermal expansion? 

No, I don't think that some leak could cause this crack.

djdjddjj

stuart45 said:

How far down does the crack go?

Looks like over 2 meters. 

djdjddjj

stuart45 said:

How far down does the crack go?

The hairline crack ends just above the top of the fence. It is right at the boundary between the 2 semi-detached houses.

HampshireH

Ask the vendor how long it's been there and how quickly it's got worse.

You could also look on Google earth to see if it's obvious on there (depending on what side it is) as this may give an idea of how quickly it's spread 

The photo doesn't show the whole crack - zooming in it extends beyond the bottom of the photo at a slight bootleg and that doesn't look like any repair has been attempted which would suggest ongoing movement

Personally it's a problem if avoid. Makes things much harder - including insurance

Grenage

I'd argue that it's not worth asking the vendor.  Vendors lie; they just want to sell their house.  If you're really into the place, consider a more in-depth survey.

If you're not that into it, why entertain the hassle?

stuart45

A vertical crack that's an even width in that position is often caused by thermal movement.

djdjddjj

The whole crack. Tricky position too, started right on the boundary. Who is responsible to repair. 

Better to walk away.