How a subsidence repair job works
Each stage of a subsidence job in Australia, from the first message through to a written quote and repair plan.
Ground movement can show up as diagonal cracks above windows, doors that stick in their frames, or floors that no longer sit level. Those signs do not always mean subsidence, and subsidence does not always mean major work. The steps below cover what happens from the moment you describe the problem through to the repair being finished and the paperwork in your hands.
From the first site visit through to completion, every subsidence job in Australia follows the same sequence of stages.
Tell us what you have spotted
Use the enquiry form to put down the address and a short account of what caught your attention: diagonal cracking above a window frame, a gap opening between the cornice and wall, a floor that tips toward one corner, or a door binding in a spot it never used to. Say roughly when you first saw it and whether it looks the same now or has grown. A photo held next to a coin or ruler gives useful scale.
A specialist gets back to you
A local subsidence specialist will call to go over your account and ask follow-up questions about the property: its age, the soil type if you know it, any large trees nearby, and whether a stormwater pipe or downpipe has been leaking at the base. Mention at this point if an insurer has already opened a claim.
Working out the cause
The specialist decides whether attending in person adds something meaningful. For active or recent movement, crack monitoring may be set up to record readings over several weeks, showing whether the shift is seasonal, tied to clay shrinkage, or continuing steadily downward. Mine subsidence, poor compaction and eroded fill each leave different signatures and are assessed accordingly.
Quote at no charge
Once there is enough information, the specialist sets out the probable cause in writing and prices the repair that matches it. That might cover removing a tree whose roots are drawing moisture from clay, resin injection to consolidate loose ground, crack stitching, or underpinning where the footing needs to bear onto a stable layer. The quote is free.
The repair
The specialist firm arranges access, confirms which parts of the site will be affected and gives timings. Work is limited to what the evidence supports: a property that has reached equilibrium does not receive intervention beyond what the findings show is needed.
Paperwork at the end
After the work is finished, the specialist prepares a written report stating what was identified, what treatment was carried out, and the state of the property at that time. Where a certificate is issued, keep it alongside your title documents. Insurers, mortgage providers and solicitors representing purchasers regularly request documentation of previous ground movement in Australia, especially in regions with a history of mining or expansive clay soils.
What you get
A written quote stating the most likely cause and the repair recommended to address it
A log of all crack monitoring readings gathered during the investigation period
A final report from the specialist setting out the full scope of work completed
Any completion certificate that the specialist issues once the repair is finished
Before the visit
Photos of any cracks inside and outside
Date you first noticed the damage
Your buildings insurance schedule
Any earlier structural or engineer reports
Positions of large trees near the building