What's going with this wall?

[Sparkymoo]

Just seen a house and there were big cracks down the wall by bay window. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Looks like movement on the bay. The side walls look like a wood panel/sheet and it’s cracked where it meets the plastering in the bay.
Is that a solid wall house?

Think so - it's an older 1930s house.

It's a potential rental, hopefully just for six months until we buy, but don't want to move into somewhere with a big problem.

Just checked, it's a 1950s house

In older houses, plaster edges can be different. Instead of having a metal bead which is used to shape the edge of the plaster (and normally fixed when the plasterboard goes on) in older houses, the outside corner on plaster can be made by using a strip of wooden bead (about 1cm wide) which was nailed on and then plastered up to. When we redecorate rooms in our house, we tend to find that the edge of the plaster has chipped away from the wooden beading and we have to fill the edge to create a smooth edge. Because the plaster is very thin it can chip easily, especially as outside corners can get knocked. Looks like they've just not filled it to me and without any other signs I wouldn't think that there was movement to worry about.

Is that a bubble under the window?

@mousehouse123 thank you, that's a very knowledgeable answer!

It's a period feature not a crack. External corners were finished with a wooden dowel and aome shadow reveals.
It should look a bit more like this:

@3rdCoffeeThisMorning yes it is a bubble. I touched the wall and it didn't feel wet or cold, so I thought it was just badly done papering. Do you think it might be something worse?

If it doesn't feel wet and cold than yes, probably a bed wallpapering job

Do you even need to worry if you are going to rent it? There is no mould and I'm assuming no air whistling through.

Mostly this kind of thing is hidden by curtains.

@Mosaic123 I'm having a really over anxious reaction to having to move for some reason and getting really worried about picking somewhere with problems as we are having to move due to landlord selling up so thought better to check. I'm not normally such a stress head.

Annoyingly they've just got blinds - would much prefer curtains.

But you are right, no mould, no wind whistling, windows seem decent, walking distance to school.

If you have a decent landlord the greatest plus about renting is you absolutely don't have to worry about cracks and other structural things.

It's the landlord's responsibility to fix such things.

I am a landlord (ducking here).

@Mosaic123 I have had great landlords but currently don't have a great one - house looks good but is bodge jobs and pushes back on repairs. Probably making me nervous about the move. Hopefully our last rented move though.

There isn't a crack! I can see the bubble but that's just the corner that you see as a crack.