What can be mistaken for subsidence?

What can be mistaken for subsidence includes many other causes of cracks and building movement that look like subsidence but are not, leading to misdiagnosis and insurance issues. Common things mistaken for subsidence include settlement, which is initial downward movement of new building in first 2 years due to consolidation, causing minor cracks but not ongoing. Thermal expansion and contraction causing cracks in walls due to temperature changes, especially in brick veneer, with hairline cracks that open and close seasonally, not subsidence. Failed lintels causing diagonal cracks above windows, mistaken for subsidence but due to weak lintel. Cavity wall tie failure causing bulging walls. Poor workmanship causing cracks. Tree root damage causing localized cracking but not general subsidence. Heave causing upward movement mistaken for subsidence. Landslip causing sideways movement. Vibration from traffic or construction causing cracks. Leaking gutters causing damp and cracks. For insurance, it is important to distinguish subsidence from settlement and thermal movement, as subsidence often excluded but settlement not covered either, but heave may have different excess. Geotechnical engineer can differentiate by crack pattern, with subsidence cracks wider at top, heave wider at bottom, and by monitoring movement over 12 months with tell-tales. So settlement, thermal movement, lintel failure and heave can be mistaken for subsidence.