What is this? Pics attached

[Teisen1990]

Morning all,

I'm hoping to utilise the wisdom of those on this board far more knowledgeable than myself. I bought my first house a year ago and without a landlord or knowledgeable family to ask I'm not sure about a few things.
The house is about 130 years old for context and generally in good repair. In 2 of the upstairs rooms there are cracks that look like they are in the paint. They seem to have got abit worse in the past year but not dramatically. Most are on a wall which has outside on the other side but some also go along a wall which has my neighbours house on it. I had the gutters cleared a month ago in case that made a difference and the man who did it said they were overflowing with leaves so not much good but I'm not sure if that would have caused this given its also on this internal only wall too.

Does anyone know what has caused it and what I do about it? Do I just paint over it or does it need something like replastering?

Really sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm completely new to home ownership and still figuring it out!🙈

Can you post some photos from further back so we can get an idea of scale?

It looks wet - is it wet? If it is I'd assume that's a leak coming all the way through from the outside wall so you'll want it plastered plus the outside repointed where the leak is.

Morning, thank you for replying- I'll try, the site kept saying the photos were too large 🙈

I understand it does look wet, I thought so too but it doesn't feel wet to me only cold

I agree it looks wer. Is the roof leaking?

Maybe have a chat with your neighbour?

See if anyone you know has a damp meter? We have one so it's not unusual.

The gutter might be blocked?

You could measure the crack at a certain point, with a pencil, half a dozen measurements down the same crack. Then check again after a month.

If you are really worried, have the plaster knocked off to check for cracking in the brickwork (instead of measuring).

What is above it? Bathroom?

All of these walls are internal, nothing facing outside at all.
Still working on the other imagine being too large..

Not from what I could see in the attic but there are only boards over half so I haven't been able to get too close yet

Has it been caulked? So it looks a bit shiny and wet but it is not?

Above is the attic, below is the kitchen. The bathroom is the other side of the house

That definitely looks wet. Leak in roof or from a pipe somewhere. Could also be a central heating leak, have you been losing boiler pressure?

Oh sorry from your OP I thought these were outside walls. Are the walls adjoining?

We do have abit of an issue with condensation. I had dehumidifiers in each room over the winter which collected alot of water. Including this room.

Would the water in the air be causing this? If so why has it not in the other rooms? (Not saying you're wrong- I genuinely don't know)

Did you have a survey when you bought that might give a clue?

Could it be a leak from pipework, or cold water tank in the loft?

If the room is unheated, could it be condensation, as that settles on the coldest surface, which is usually glass in windows. Try keeping a window open to see if it disappears. In fact keep the whole house ventilated by opening windows and internal doors to allow a flow of air.

Are there cracks in brickwork on the outside that may be allowing rainwater through?

A 130 year old house will have cracks. Those pics don't show anything concerning for me and a bit of polyfilla, sandpaper and paint won't deal with.

'That a bit of' not 'and a bit of'

Similar to what @bookish83 said.

Has it always been like that?

Looks a bit like a crack in the plaster that someone has sanded (removing the original paint around it), attempted to filler and then badly painted over, without a mist coat, hence the crackling of the paint.

Sorry- I'm not being clear.
The wall on the right here with the curtain rail faces outside. The one on the left has my neighbours back bedroom on the other side.

The cracks alone would be fine for such an old house but it looks like each crack is also wet (it will just feel cold rather than actually wet). I'd get into the attic and see what pipes are up there or look for signs of a leak in the roof when it is raining.

Yes, I was wondering if some kind of filler might have been put in to fill (and/or hide??) larger cracks, that is showing up through the paint. It may ne none of the houses have deep foundations and they all naturally 'creep' a bit depending on the season, wet/dry soil etc. Such small cracks by themselves wouldn't necessarily be cause for concern if they don't get bigger and are genuinely dry. Id be inclined to watch and wait! though with a new house its always worth getting to know all its nooks and crannies so you can spot and understand any future changes quickly.

None of these walls have outside on the other side.

Thank you all for your help- I never imagined you would all be so speedy on a Sunday morning!

I would say they are settlement cracks and the v hot dry summer which will have dried up the earth below house caused them to show up now.
The stripes either side look like a bit of polyfilla-ing that has been done in the past to fill them and show up through the paint as it is a different substance to the plaster on the rest of the wall. It can be quite difficult to disguise polyfilla - I would try filling the crack and then sanding it smooth several times then painting it.

I'm no expert btw. The other option is to ask a painter or someone knowledgeable.

I lived in an area where the soil was london clay - everyone had cracks. I lived away from the property and the glib estate agent said yes, no probs he'd get the property on the market for me. Left cracks showing and the buyer insisted I got an expensive engineer's report and decorator to deal with them when I should have just filled them and painted over grrrrrr. (englineers' report assured buyer there was no issue)