How much does subsidence repair cost in the UK?
Subsidence repair costs £7,000 on average in the UK. Most jobs fall between £2,000 and £50,000 depending on severity. Scope of work: Monitoring and crack repair £2,000 to £5,000; Partial underpinning or one wall £5,000 to £15,000; Full underpinning £15,000 to £50,000. Prices reviewed July 2026.
Subsidence repair usually costs between £2,000 and £50,000 in the UK, with most homeowners paying around £7,000. The price depends mainly on the cause of the movement and whether underpinning is needed.
Subsidence repair cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your subsidence repair in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Subsidence repair cost breakdown
Typical subsidence repair costs, by option:
| Scope of work | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Monitoring and crack repair | £2,000 to £5,000 |
| Partial underpinning or one wall | £5,000 to £15,000 |
| Full underpinning | £15,000 to £50,000 |
Underpinning is by far the largest part of the bill, and the RICS consumer guide puts it at fewer than 5 per cent of affected properties. Shown in section, with the footings below ground. Guide prices, not quotes.
What's included in the price?
Typical subsidence repair prices include:
- A site investigation to find the cause, including soil and drainage checks
- Crack monitoring over several months to confirm the movement
- Managing the cause, such as pruning or removing trees or fixing drains
- Repairing cracks and making good internal and external finishes
- Underpinning the affected foundations where movement is serious
- A structural engineer's report and sign-off
What changes the price?
The things that move subsidence repair prices most:
The cause of the movement, such as clay shrinkage, trees or leaking drains
Whether underpinning is needed and how much of the house it covers
The type of soil and the depth of the existing foundations
Access to the affected walls and how deep the works have to go
Your region and local ground conditions
Whether the work goes through your buildings insurance
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms.
How the price is built up
The bill builds up from the investigation and monitoring to find the cause, then the work to stop it such as tree or drain repairs, then repairing the cracks and finishes. Underpinning, where it is needed, is by far the largest part and is often priced per metre of wall. Most of the cost is specialist labour and engineering, not materials. Investigation, monitoring and a structural engineer's time make up the early spend, while underpinning adds heavy labour, concrete and site works.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Claim through your buildings insurance, as subsidence is usually covered beyond the excess
- Deal with the cause early, since tree or drain fixes are far cheaper than underpinning later
- Get a structural engineer's opinion before agreeing to any underpinning, which is not always needed
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, subsidence repair typically costs around £8,400 depending on severity, about 20% above the UK average of £7,000. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £6,800.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £2,000 | £7,000 | £50,000 |
| London | £2,400 | £8,400 | £60,000 |
| South East / South West | £2,100 | £7,400 | £52,500 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
Guide prices depending on severity, scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Subsidence repair cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £1,900 | £6,700 | £47,500 |
| Birmingham | £2,000 | £7,000 | £50,000 |
| Bristol | £2,100 | £7,400 | £52,500 |
| Cardiff | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Edinburgh | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Glasgow | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Leeds | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Liverpool | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| London | £2,400 | £8,400 | £60,000 |
| Manchester | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Newcastle | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
| Sheffield | £1,900 | £6,800 | £48,500 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for subsidence repair, not quotes.
Ground conditions matter more than location, but London and the South East see the most clay-shrinkage subsidence and the highest costs. Underpinning contractors there charge more than those in the North, Wales and Scotland.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes for your subsidence repair tell you what it costs where you live.
Common questions
How much does subsidence repair cost in 2026?
Subsidence repair typically costs between £2,000 and £50,000 in the UK, with most homeowners paying around £7,000. Minor cases that only need monitoring and crack repair sit at the low end, while full underpinning pushes costs into the tens of thousands.
What makes subsidence repair so expensive?
Underpinning is the main reason. Investigation, monitoring and minor crack repair are relatively cheap, but underpinning means excavating below the foundations and filling with concrete, often priced at £1,000 to £2,000 per metre of wall.
Does buildings insurance cover subsidence?
Yes, in most cases. Subsidence has been a standard part of UK buildings insurance for decades, so covered repairs usually cost you only the subsidence excess, which the Association of British Insurers says is around £1,000 on most policies. Check your policy before starting any work.
Can I fix subsidence myself?
No. Subsidence needs a structural engineer to diagnose the cause and specialist contractors to fix it. DIY crack filling hides the problem without stopping the movement and can make an insurance claim harder later.
How long does subsidence repair take?
Cracks are usually monitored for 6 to 12 months first to confirm the cause. The repair itself takes a few days for crack and finish work, or several weeks where underpinning is needed.
Is underpinning always needed for subsidence?
No. Underpinning is only needed in serious cases, and the RICS consumer guide to subsidence puts it at fewer than 5 per cent of affected properties. Often the cheaper fix is dealing with the cause, such as removing a nearby tree or repairing a leaking drain, then repairing the cracks once the movement has stopped.
Do I need permission to remove a tree that is causing subsidence?
Yes, if the tree is protected, so check with the council before anything is cut. In England, a tree under a Tree Preservation Order needs the council's written consent to fell, lop or uproot, and in the Secretary of State's view cutting its roots needs consent too. A subsidence application must show the tree is a material cause of the damage, usually with a structural engineer's or surveyor's report, level or crack monitoring, a trial hole, soil and root analysis and an arboriculturist's report. Unprotected trees in a conservation area need six weeks' notice under section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, unless an exception applies.
Who pays if old coal mining caused the subsidence?
Normally the Mining Remediation Authority, not you. Damage from past coal mining has its own statutory route under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991: you claim from the Authority, and an engineer inspects the damage. An accepted claim is either repaired or paid as compensation, reasonable costs such as a surveyor's fees are reimbursed, and if the home becomes unsafe to live in, alternative accommodation is provided or paid for. Claims must be made within six years of the damage becoming apparent, so claim as soon as you suspect mining is the cause.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas GOV.UK · The government's guidance on protected trees, including applications to fell or prune one that is said to be causing subsidence, and notice for trees in a conservation area.
- Application for tree works: guidance notes Planning Portal · The evidence a subsidence-related tree application needs, from a structural report and monitoring to soil, root and arboricultural reports.
- Coal mining subsidence damage: a guide to your rights GOV.UK · Your rights under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991: repair or compensation, reasonable costs, alternative accommodation, and the six-year time limit.
- Claim for subsidence damage caused by coal mining GOV.UK · How to make a claim to the Mining Remediation Authority, formerly the Coal Authority.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): Subsidence repair typically costs £7,000 in the UK, ranging from £2,000 to £50,000 depending on severity. Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). Subsidence repair cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-12. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/subsidence-repair-cost/2026-10-12 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.