Flooding in basement

poppysarah

Did you see the Sarah Beeny nightmare thing where their basement flooded as the sump hole drain was blocked... They got it sorted on the cheap in the end but it's a potential nightmare.

And think of resale issues too.

TheMiner

May help - may not. Personally I'd walk away

This actually happened at a house I was renting once (only found out when I went down to read the meter) - I was actually working for a water company at the time so had the water analysed and they were able to tell me where it came from - turned out to be groundwater - they didn't charge me. I still live in the area and I know the house and business on the same block have been sold since

25rts

Hi

An inch of water in a Victorian cellar isn't necessarily a reason to walk away from a property that you like particularly if it is a typical under the hallway cellar with bare brickwork and the original floor (no previous waterproofing works)

Surely a worst possible scenario of waterproofing cost for negotiation coupled with a balanced view as to the extent of any works required and how best to execute them is the best way to reach an informed decision.

If further investigation is required a list of independent damp surveyors (who have no vested commercial interest in selling you a solution) can be found at http://www.independentdampsurveyors.co.uk/

CloudCuckooLand

To test the vendor's honesty, ask for their insurance details (on the pretext of "seeking continuation of cover for a pre-existing condition") - see what they say...

If they have had previous instances they may be uninsurable for flood risks...