Damage to the surface can be delayed. Subsidence of underground works or settlement of surface mined areas might not occur or be detected until decades after mining is completed. The owner of a fee simple estate should consider these facts before entering into a mineral rights sale or lease agreement. The consequences of mineral extraction will be passed on to heirs and all subsequent owners of the property. It is not uncommon for undermined properties to show no signs of subsidence for decades after mining is completed. Then, cracks and settlement begin to appear. In this situation the mining company may be long defunct and its owners long dead. There is no one to hold responsible – even if repair of any damage was written into the lease or sales agreement.