Across Kent
Subsidence areas covered across Kent
Pick your town to read what typically causes cracks there. If you see movement in your home, send a short description of the damage so a specialist firm can advise you on what happens next, at no cost.
Medway towns and north-west Kent
Homes along the Thames estuary and through the Medway towns sit on a mix of old chalk workings, river terraces and filled ground. In Dartford and Gravesend, dropped floors often trace back to shallow pits dug for cement works decades ago. Chatham and Gillingham have long streets of older terraced housing where clay shrinkage and leaking drains both cause movement.
Rochester sits partly on the floodplain and partly on higher ground, so two houses on the same road can behave differently. Sittingbourne has its own history of brick-making excavations beneath modern estates. Sheerness was built largely on marshy ground that continues to settle slowly under the weight of buildings.
If your home is in any of these towns, find out what the local ground conditions mean for the specific cracks you are seeing. The pages for each area describe the typical problems a structural survey would look for, from old quarry shafts to failing Victorian drainage.
Maidstone, Ashford and central Kent
Maidstone is built across ragstone ridges and clay valleys. Houses on the slopes frequently show diagonal cracking where the ground moves unevenly with the seasons. Ashford has expanded rapidly over former farmland, and newer estates sometimes sit on ground that was once orchards or hop gardens, where old tree roots left voids in the subsoil.
Tonbridge lies close to the Medway floodplain. Homes here can experience seasonal movement as the water table rises and falls, widening existing cracks each summer. Sevenoaks sits on greensand ridges capped with clay, a combination that makes foundations shift when large trees draw moisture from the soil during dry months.
Tunbridge Wells has steep plots where houses step down hillsides. Movement in one part of the structure does not always affect the rest equally, so a crack near the top floor might have a different cause than one near the ground. Read the page for your town to understand what a specialist surveyor would check first.
Canterbury and the east Kent coast
Canterbury contains some of the oldest domestic buildings in the county. Timber frames, tile-hung walls and shallow footings all respond to ground movement differently than modern brickwork. Cracks in these structures need assessment by someone who understands historic construction methods rather than standard repair techniques.
Along the coast, Herne Bay and Margate have rows of Victorian terraces exposed to salt air and wind-driven rain. Ramsgate and Dover sit on clifftops and valley sides where slope instability adds another layer of risk beyond ordinary clay shrinkage. Folkestone has areas of known landslip where the ground has moved gradually for generations.
Deal is built on low-lying sand and shingle, which behaves differently again when drains leak or water tables change. Each coastal town has its own page describing what typically goes wrong with foundations there and what kind of repair a specialist contractor might recommend after inspecting the damage.
What happens after you read your area
Knowing the ground beneath your home helps you describe the problem accurately when you ask for advice. A crack above a window in Tunbridge Wells might point to tree root desiccation, while the same crack in Sheerness could indicate general settlement on soft marsh deposits. That distinction matters because it determines whether a specialist recommends monitoring, drain testing or immediate stabilisation work.
Every area page links to the relevant ground condition guides, such as Weald clay behaviour, dene holes in chalk, or reclaimed marshland settling. Reading those alongside your town page gives you enough detail to recognise what a structural survey will involve.
Once you know roughly what is happening, you can send a brief description of the damage. A specialist firm can then tell you whether the situation needs urgent attention or simply a period of measurement before any repair decisions are made.
Tell us where the cracks are
Send a few lines about your home and the damage you have noticed. A specialist firm reads your description and advises you on the right next step, without any obligation to proceed further.
- No fee to enquire
- Advice based on location
- No commitment required
Kent
- Maidstone
Subsidence in Maidstone shows up as stepped cracks, doors that stick and floors that slope. Find out what a specialist checks on clay and ragstone homes.
- Gillingham
Cracks, sticking doors and sloping floors in Gillingham homes can point to subsidence. See what a specialist looks at in Victorian and interwar terraces.
- Chatham
Subsidence in Chatham can show as stepped cracks, gaps around frames or bulging walls. Find out how cracking is assessed and when a specialist is needed.
- Rochester
Cracks, sticking doors and sloping floors in Rochester homes can point to subsidence. Find out what riverside and hillside ground does to old footings.
- Ashford
Subsidence in Ashford, Kent affects older centre streets and newer estates alike. Learn which cracks matter, likely causes and how enquiries are handled.
- Gravesend
Cracking walls, dropped thresholds or gaps at skirtings in Gravesend can point to subsidence. Find what to look for and what usually happens next.
- Dartford
Subsidence in Dartford homes is often linked to chalk ground, drains or nearby trees. Find out what causes cracking and what an assessment looks at.
- Tunbridge Wells
Subsidence in Tunbridge Wells often involves mature trees, clay soil and sloping gardens. Learn how cracking is assessed and which checks come first.
- Tonbridge
Subsidence in Tonbridge can affect homes on soft ground near the Medway floodplain. See how cracking is investigated and what evidence helps a claim.
- Sevenoaks
Cracking in a Sevenoaks home can follow greensand slopes, clay plots or nearby trees. See what to check and how subsidence enquiries are passed on.
- Canterbury
Subsidence in Canterbury worries owners of old city-centre buildings and newer homes alike. Learn which cracks matter and what a specialist looks for.
- Herne Bay
Cracking, bulging render or doors that catch can point to subsidence in Herne Bay. See what to look for and how enquiries reach specialist firms.
- Margate
Subsidence in Margate affects seafront flats and Victorian terraces as well as newer homes. Read what causes movement and what an assessment involves.
- Ramsgate
Subsidence in Ramsgate shows up as cracks in clifftop, harbourside and terraced homes. Learn what causes the movement and which checks come first.
- Folkestone
Subsidence in Folkestone often shows as cracks in houses on the clay slopes and above the undercliff. See what to look for and how a survey is arranged.
- Dover
Subsidence in Dover can crack valley-side and harbour-area homes. Find out what the cracks suggest, what a specialist checks and who to ask about repairs.
- Deal
Subsidence in Deal, Kent can leave cracks and uneven floors on low-lying sand and shingle ground. See which signs matter and what a survey involves.
- Sittingbourne
Cracking in a Sittingbourne home can come from shrinkable ground or a leaking drain. See what points to subsidence in Sittingbourne and what to check next.
- Sheerness
Homes on reclaimed, low-lying Sheppey ground can crack or settle. Find out what subsidence in Sheerness looks like and which signs need a closer look.