About this site
Why Havering Subsidence exists and how it works
Read what this site does and how the enquiry process works. When you are ready to find out what a crack or sinking floor means for your home, sending an enquiry costs nothing and takes a minute.
A place to start when something looks wrong
You noticed a crack above a door frame, or a floor that slopes where it used to be level. You do not know if it is serious, and you do not know who to ask. That uncertainty is why this site exists.
Havering Subsidence takes enquiries from people in Havering who have spotted signs of ground movement around their homes. The site gathers the details of what you have seen and passes them on so a specialist firm can look at the problem. It does not carry out building work itself. Separate specialist firms handle surveys, repairs and foundation work across the borough.
The pages here describe the kinds of problems those firms deal with: clay shrinking under footings, tree roots pulling moisture from the soil, old gravel pits settling decades after they were filled, drains leaking water into the ground beneath a slab. Reading through them helps you name what might be happening before anyone visits your home.
How the site covers the borough
Havering sits on varied ground. Rainham rests on river terraces and marsh deposits. Harold Hill and parts of Romford were built over old brickfields and gravel workings. Upminster and Hornchurch have streets of postwar houses with concrete slab floors that behave differently from older brick footings.
Each area page on this site describes the specific ground conditions and the types of housing found there. A crack in a 1930s semi in Gidea Park has a different set of likely causes from a dropping floor in a 1950s terrace in Elm Park. The local pages spell out those differences so you can read about the exact situation your home sits in.
The service pages cover the methods specialist firms use when they find movement. Underpinning digs new concrete below existing footings. Resin injection fills voids in shrinking clay. Screw piling drives steel tubes down to stable ground. Each method suits particular soil types and building ages, and the pages explain which situations call for which approach.
What happens after you send an enquiry
When you fill in the contact form, you describe what you have seen and where your home is. That information goes to a specialist firm operating in Havering. They read the details to decide what kind of survey is needed and whether the problem sounds urgent.
The specialist firm then contacts you directly to arrange a visit. They examine the cracks, check levels, look at nearby trees and drains, and assess the soil. After that inspection they tell you what is causing the movement and what work would fix it, if any work is needed at all.
Havering Subsidence does not charge you for sending an enquiry. The site exists to gather accurate information about your home so the right type of specialist firm receives it. You are never committed to accepting a quote or booking work by filling in the form. You simply get a clear answer about what the damage means.
What happens when you send an enquiry
You write down what you have noticed and where your home is. Everything after that is handled by the specialist firm who reviews the details and arranges a visit.
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Step 1
Your details are received
The information you provide about the cracks, doors sticking or floors sloping goes to a specialist firm working in your part of Havering.
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Step 2
A specialist reviews the problem
They read your description to decide what type of survey is needed and whether the movement sounds like it requires urgent attention.
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Step 3
They contact you to arrange a visit
The specialist firm calls or emails you directly to agree a time to inspect your home and look at the ground conditions outside.
What a specialist checks at your home
A specialist firm follows a fixed sequence when they arrive. They look at the visible damage first, then investigate the ground and services below, because the surface symptoms only make sense once the cause is identified.
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Crack patterns and wall levels
The specialist measures crack widths and checks if walls lean or bulge. This separates minor plaster shrinkage from structural movement caused by foundations dropping.
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Nearby trees and vegetation
Roots from oaks, willows and garden shrubs draw moisture from clay soil. The specialist maps tree positions against the damaged walls to see if roots are the cause.
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Drains and soakaways
Leaking pipes wash fine particles out of the ground beneath footings. A drain survey rules in or out water escape as the reason the soil has softened.
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Soil type and made ground
Trial holes or boreholes reveal whether the house sits on natural clay, river gravel or infilled land. Each material settles differently under load.
If the evidence points in two directions, further monitoring over several months may be needed before a repair method is chosen.
Find out what the movement means
Describe what you have noticed and where your home is. The details go to a specialist firm in Havering who will contact you. Sending an enquiry costs nothing and does not commit you to any work or quote.
- No cost to enquire
- No obligation to proceed
- Local specialists only