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What to do if…
you notice soil washing away near a foundation or retaining wall and it seems to be accelerating

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy USA guide

Short answer

Treat it as a possible collapse or undermining risk: keep people away, stop obvious water feeding the washout if you can do that safely, and arrange urgent help from a licensed professional engineer with structural or geotechnical experience.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t step near the edge of a new void, soft spot, or sinkhole-like depression.
  • Don’t dig to check how deep it goes.
  • Don’t remove more soil from near the foundation, slab, slope, or retaining wall.
  • Don’t backfill against the foundation or wall with soil, gravel, or concrete as a DIY quick fix.
  • Don’t run hoses, pressure-wash, drain pools, or add water to the area.
  • Don’t park vehicles or store heavy items near the undermined area or behind the retaining wall.
  • Don’t let anyone enter a trench, hole, or undercut area.
  • Don’t start excavation or repair work until utilities have been located and the site has been assessed.

What to do now

  1. Move everyone back from the area. Keep people, pets, and vehicles away from the washout, the wall, the slope above it, and the area below it. Block a driveway or walkway if it is close to the problem.

  2. Check for immediate danger from a safe distance. Look for a leaning or bulging retaining wall, fresh widening cracks, sudden settlement, a hollow-sounding slab, active water carrying soil, or a void opening under concrete. If collapse could happen soon or someone could be hurt, call 911.

  3. Stop obvious water feeding the erosion, only if it is safe.

    • Move a downspout extension so water discharges away from the foundation, wall, slope, and neighboring property where possible.
    • Turn off nearby sprinklers or irrigation zones.
    • Stop using an outdoor hose or drain line that is discharging near the washout.
    • If a plumbing leak is possible, reduce water use in that area and call a plumber urgently.

  4. Make a quick record without getting close. Take photos and video from safe angles. Include a size reference if you can do that without stepping near the edge. Write down when you first noticed it, recent rain or irrigation, and whether it is changing by the hour or day.

  5. Call for urgent professional assessment. Contact a licensed professional engineer with structural or geotechnical experience. Say: “Accelerating erosion may be undermining a foundation or retaining wall.” Tell them what is above and below the wall, whether a driveway or structure is nearby, and whether water is still flowing.

  6. Contact your homeowners insurance company or agent promptly. Report possible foundation, structural, or retaining wall damage. Ask what photos, videos, engineer reports, contractor estimates, or temporary safety steps they want. Coverage depends on your policy and the cause, so do not assume the answer before asking.

  7. Use 811 before any digging. Before you, a contractor, or anyone else digs or excavates, contact 811 so underground utilities can be located and marked.

  8. Report public or shared risk. If the washout affects a public sidewalk, street, drainage channel, utility area, shared driveway, or boundary retaining wall, contact your local building department, code enforcement office, or public works department to report a potentially unsafe condition.

What can wait

  • Choosing the permanent repair, such as wall rebuilding, drainage work, anchors, underpinning, or slab repair.
  • Deciding who is at fault or who should pay.
  • Cosmetic crack patching, paver leveling, landscaping, or reseeding.
  • Detailed measurements close to the void or wall.
  • Hiring a repair contractor before the safety and engineering issue is understood.

Important reassurance

You do not need to diagnose the cause yourself. The useful first steps are simple: keep people away, reduce obvious water if safe, document what is happening, and get the right professional involved.

Scope note

These are first steps only. Later decisions may need help from a licensed engineer, qualified contractor, plumber, insurance professional, or local building official, depending on what is causing the soil loss.

Important note

This is general information, not engineering, legal, insurance, financial, medical, therapeutic, or other professional advice. For immediate danger, call emergency services and keep people well away from the area.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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