Found water under the house, only got the house keys less than a week ago.

wakhtar

Hi,
I'm new to the website so if I have posted this in the wrong section or someone has posted something similar I apologise in advance.

Just recently purchase a house got the keys on the 8th January, I was speaking to the next door neighbour who warned me there was water under the house as he has found the same problem in his home, he mentioned he notified the previous home owner but he did not do anything about it, so I was curious to find out if this was true.

I took carpet out removed piece of floorboard from the 1st reception room and it was confirmed there is water under the house. Now from what I can see the water was quite low down but there was plenty of it.

My two major concerns are obviously what impact this water has on the house and how to fix it.

Secondly if the previous owner has known about this issue of water under the house from the next door neighbour who confirmed to me he told him and hence why he got the house decorated for a quick sale then am I legally entitled to challenge the sale of the house? Or can I legally ask the previous owner to repair the damage?

Any advice will be welcomed.

Thanks

molerat

What did your survey have to say about the water ........ you did have one didn't you !!

shaun_from_Africa

Most surveys wouldn't have picked up on the water unless it had started to rise up the walls, especially if it was only visible with the floorboards up.

If you can prove that the previous owner was aware of the problem (A sworn statement from your neighbour would certainly help), then you would have a very good chance of winning legal action.

I know that the following link isn't legal advice, but it's very similar to your case.
http://www.proinspect.co.uk/2008/11/new-homes-defects-pvcu-hidden-defects/

If you disclose a defect and the buyer decides to purchase the home anyway, the seller isn’t then responsible for the consequences. A seller who doesn’t disclose known serious defects can be sued by the buyer after the defect is discovered. The seller may then be responsible for the costs of repairs and other damages resulting from the undisclosed defect.

A seller may also be ordered to take the property back if a judge “rescinds” (invalidates) the sale because the seller didn’t disclose defects. You can also be held responsible for the buyer’s claim/court/purchase costs and fees.
If the Courts decide you have been fraudulent, you may also have to pay “punitive damages” that can be very high.

It might be an idea to contact your house insurer as you may well have legal assistance cover.

wakhtar

Survey didnt find anything as this wasnt visible, no markings on the wall for damp either.

I have read the article in the link some quite useful information there, i'll contact my solicitor tomorrow lets see what he says the only issue might be will the neighbour be prepared to make a statement.

I work for a construction firm but I'm no builder or anything like that I work in the IT department, I have asked few of the chaps in the office today and they think it may be a case of Water Table taking into consideration the length of void from the floorboards to the underground or it may be an under ground drainage issue.

I spoke to Severn Trent the water company today and they claimed they wont do anything as the issue is under the house not outside but i said what if it was leak from service pipe coming into the house but they were adamant it wasnt their problem. I may call them back asking them to look into it further. I also contacted the Local council today detailing the issue waiting for feedback from them.

Now chatting to few construcion managers at work they mentioned i may have get a sump installed to release the water back out? is this an expensive job to do or something i could do myself? if its worst then that i may have to look into finding a drainage route for the water out the house into a drainage route is that something the council can help me with?

shaun_from_Africa

Why not see if someone in the firm that you work for could recommend a building surveyor.
I'm sure that they must know of a reputable person who could give you proper advice (hopefully at trade rates).

IMO, simply installing a pump won't achieve much as you need to find where the water is coming from and get the root of the problem sorted out.

Mojisola

We had this problem with our house when we moved in. Make sure it isn't anything to do with a leak but, as next door has the same problem, it's likely to be the height of the water table.

We took up some boards, dug a hole and used a pump to clear the water. The amount used to vary depending on the rainfall. It could be quite dry until we had some heavy rain and then there could be six inches of standing water under the floorboards. The water would eventually drain away but it obviously made the house colder and damper.

We have now solved the problem by having concrete floors put in with a thick layer of insulation. That has made a big difference to the house.

scheming_gypsy

wakhtar wrote: »

I was speaking to the next door neighbour who warned me there was water under the house as he has found the same problem in his home, he mentioned he notified the previous home owner but he did not do anything about it, so I was curious to find out if this was true.

Has your neighbour done anything about his or has he just left it? He might be able to advise on what he did and how much it cost.

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

IMO, simply installing a pump won't achieve much as you need to find where the water is coming from and get the root of the problem sorted out.

but as the OP works in the industry they might be able to get it as a reasonable rate. Although it won't answer all questions; by pumping it out they'll be able to see if it's coming from somewhere or if there's just sitting water.

Yolina

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

simply installing a pump won't achieve much as you need to find where the water is coming from and get the root of the problem sorted out.

Depends, sometimes there's not much you can do other than a pump - my mum had an old house on the side of a mountain in the Alps and every spring when the snow melted and some (normally insignificant) underground stream swelled, we would invariably get water coming in through the floor so my grandfather put in a pump that would start automatically when the level was rising. This served us very well for years though the council did eventually do drainage improvement works in the area when a few more houses were built around there.

shaun_from_Africa

Depends, sometimes there's not much you can do other than a pump

But IMO, the major difference between the problem that the OP has (or might have) and the water in your mums old house is that she was obviously aware of the problem and it sounds like it might have been a fairly common problem caused by snow melting.

The OP on the other hand has just purchased the property and there is what may well be a major and expensive problem with it, something which the previous owner knew about but failed to disclose the information, when it was their legal obligation to do so.

Even if they were to install an automatic pump, this would have to be disclosed to their insurance company as the possibility of water damage would be classed as an extra risk factor, and if in the future they wanted to sell up, the problem could have a big impact on the chances of selling and the price the house sells for.

Yolina

Nope, she wasn't told when she bought it (some 25 years ago so I guess that things are different now in terms of disclosing things) we found out during the first snow melt after we moved in

What I meant really, is that depending on what the cause is, then it may be that a pump is the only suitable option really.

wakhtar

Hi, Thanks for all your response greatly appreciated.
Update from me as follows

Council response is below

'Mr Akhtar,

Thank you for your e mail regarding the above subject.

The issue regarding water under your suspended floor is not uncommon in this and other areas throughout the city.

Some home owners live with the situation, some are not aware of the situation and some householders attempt to rectify the situation.

My advice to you would be to employ a private RICS qualified Building Surveyor and seek advice as to what you could do or not as the case may be.

Unfortunately the City Council does not offer a service to help you regarding this matter.

Regards,

Jim Goddard
Technical Manager
Building and Consultancy Services'

I have a colleague from work coming to inspect the house tomorrow, i will have better idea of how bad the problem and how costly it will be to fix.

Today i spoke to a lawyer friend of mine who said contact the surveyor this should have been picked up by them. At most the surveyor IMO should have done a moisture test to check the walls but i don’t believe he has done this.

The neighbour has put loads of concrete in his reception rooms that’s all I know will chat to him to find out precisely what he did and cost.
I have Legal cover with my home insurance but I’m hesitant in contacting them in case they void my policy with them on the basis I have water under the house or they might not cover me, then I’ll be left with no insurance if something goes wrong when trying to rectify the issue.