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 I would consider it essential to get a structural survey carried out when you are looking to buy ANY property. At the same time you should get a full report on the underlying ground conditions (the surveyor will provide this detail).
Chalk, limestone and sand-stone are fine - well-drained and stable. Clay and fen provide unique problems, usually overcome only by having the property built on a 'slab' - literally a concrete raft floating on the underlying ground. Old properties built on fen or clay should be avoided unless 'underpinning' (effectively rebuilding the foundations) has been carried out.
Very hard rocks, like granite, provide very stable footings, but the problem that has recently come to notice is that of radiation. Granite tends to leak radon gas through cracks. This can collect in basements and under hollow floors and inhalation of large quantities over time has been linked with lung cancer.
The problem can be overcome simply by fitting ventilators, but the work MUST be done. Buyers in the west, particularly the southwest, should take note.
Houses with solid walls (ie. just one outer wall of stone rather than a brick and block double wall) need to have a chemical damp-proof course injected into the joints to prevent damp permeating the whole house. This is not cheap but cannot be avoided if not already done. The only exception is older property built on very permeable materials like chalk; however these often don't have foundations either!
Finally, wood rot is the often unseen killer of a house. Forget woodworm or wet rot. Dry rot is usually the real problem and this can't be seen unless you start lifting floorboards or poking around in the roofspace. Once again, older properties are the problem and only a thorough survey will expose any work that needs doing (if the dry rot is extensive then simply don't buy - it's not worth the risk).
You now have legal recourse against owners where problems are not admitted at the time of purchase. however, this really is closing the gate after the horse has bolted and in any case you have to get the money out of the individuals concerned. Remember, you're taking on the biggest debt of your life so a few hundred pounds on a survey now has to be some of the best money you'll ever spend.
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