Do you think these cracks look sinister?

[Overtheseas]

In a house I’ve viewed, at the back of some fitted cupboards in the utility room, there are some parallel diagonal cracks in the wall. It’s an old property, needs updating, I’m hoping they’re cosmetic, but with them all going in the same direction I’m a bit worried it might be structural. What do you think?

Oh also, the way the cupboards fit with the wall is a but odd. Several different depths. Maybe this was an old fireplace / chimney at one time.

I think that's pretty common in an old building .It's pretty common in the one I live in and I don't think indicates a major problem .
We're on clay and there is movement as the ground dries out in summer .

Thank you!

I’d get a survey of course if I buy the place. I just don’t want to fork out and go through the hassle if it obviously indicates a problem.

Any other opinions?

Cracks look fairly thin for the most part, think it indicates there's not much to worry about. Is the varying cupboard depth due to uneven walls? We're in a 1930s terrace built on clay so random cracks here and there and much of the house has a slight 'squinty' feel to it but talking to neighbours it seems they are the same.

I don’t think they are an issue (hard to tell on a photo) but they don’t look ‘deep’.

Dad was a structural engineer so we were always looking at cracks in walls and holes in the ground.

They look like historic settlement to me, and it does look as though they have built the cupboards around an old chimney breast. There might be a lovely feature under there somewhere.

The sort of cracks to look out for would be ones in rooms that look relatively recently decorated.

Having said that, it could be worth getting someone to have a good look at that chimney on the roof that leads down onto the chimney breast with the cracks in it. You don't want to find out that the cracks are being caused by movement in the chimney stack.

We’ve just bought a holiday home that’s 1950’s. One of the bedrooms has some cracks and the surveyor said they were fine.
I have similar and my home and that was built 1999.

We have cracks like that and the surveyor said they were nothing to worry about. House is over 300 years old and hasn’t fallen down yet.

Thanks, this is reassuring!

Although, now you mention it @Fernandina there is an old chimney still on that side of the house and from the outside I think it does have a slight lean to it. What are the implications of movement in the chimney stack?

Er... dunno. You'd need professional advice on that one I think.