2nd Viewing tomorrow on basement Victorian flat - What should we look out for?

PoisonIvy

Hello,

My partner and I are FTB. We had an offer accepted on a flat we fell in love with, but are pulling out of the sale (mortgage valuation came in low, structural problems due to a bodge-job roof terrace).

Having already lost several hundred pounds on surveyors' and solicitors' fees, we want to be extra vigilant this time around. We saw a flat last week that we liked the look of, but it was towards the end of the day, and therefore too dark to investigate the outside of the building. We're going back tomorrow earlier in the afternoon to look at it in daylight. Would some experienced housebuyers be willing to look over my list of points and tell me whether my concerns are valid please?

The property is a leasehold basement flat, with direct access to shared garden. It had been a rental property (no tenants now), and it appears to have been recently redecorated to a cheap n' cheerful standard, just a bit of paint and some wallpaper, maybe a new laminate floor.

Some causes for concern -

1. One sale has already fallen through. It went under offer late October, back on the market in Jan with a reduced price - £185k reduced to £170k, and the description changed to remove "sole use of garden". (Thanks PropertyBee!) EA told me that previous buyers pulled out when a property they previously liked went back on the market. EA said they hadn't got round to a valuation or survey. Odd, considering that it would have been under offer for eight weeks (not including Christmas holiday). No survey in all that time?
2. Next door flat is in very poor condition. Door ajar, bedsheets covering the window, and could possibly be vacant or even squatted. There is a door that connects the two front "gardens" - they are both basement flats with own entrances from the outside - but this door was also ajar and in poor condition. There is also a mess of TV cable wires connecting both buildings. The flats above it however appear to be occupied and in good nick.
3. Drainage pipes, both next door's and the flat I looked at, appear to simply drain onto the ground. Next door's drains onto the front garden dividing wall, while the flat I viewed has a drain, but it's 3 feet away from where the rainwater pipe ends.
4. Cracks (filled & repaired) to the side elevation on the first and second floor. It was dark when we saw these, but it looks like the cracks had been repaired at some point. The wall is rendered, so it looks like the cracks were filled and covered over with some lighter render. We noticed about 4 or 5, each about half a metre running vertically down the wall. I don't think a staircase runs along that wall on the interior.
5. Recent cheap redecoration - this could have been simply a tidy-up after the renters moved out, but I did notice some slightly lumpy bits on the lounge wall near the ceiling. Is it possible that the repainting could have been done to cover up a damp problem? If so, are there telltale signs that we can look out for?

If you got this far, I thank you for reading through my mega-long-post. If anyone has some tips of what we should look out for, I would really appreciate it. We thought we were vigilant last time, but I guess not enough.

david29dpo

1. Agent most likely lying about the survey. They don't have to tell you though.
2.3.4.5.... run, quickly.

Slinky

ditto David

This is just the lot you noticed first time round. If you want to go back for a second look to confirm it, I bet you find a whole heap of other potential trouble.

Sooki

Why are you going for a 2nd look, it sounds a nightmare in the making.

JJ.

Slinky wrote: »

ditto David

This is just the lot you noticed first time round. If you want to go back for a second look to confirm it, I bet you find a whole heap of other potential trouble.

Have to agree with both of the above posters.

If the down pipes aren't connecting with a ground level drain adequately, then there's every possibility that there will be damp issues in that area of the house.

Be really thorough with your second visit, take your time and scrutinise everything. If you're going with an agent for the property, don't let them rush you! Check the back of the base unit cupboards in the kitchen. Any sign of mould on the back of the units could potentially mean you have damp or leaking pipes in that area.

When you're going through the rooms make sure you look at every aspect of it, from floor to ceiling. Sometimes a quick brush up could be hiding the demon problems. Note any outside issues, and check the room on the inside. Check all the electrics, sockets, switches, etc.

It's so easy to be swayed by a property, especially a period property. Believe me I know. I'm living in one, and we're still putting right all the countless mistakes the previous owners made.. The list is endless, but pennies to do it are not. So 10 years on, we're still putting her right.

Is it possible you could take someone with you that's impartial to the property? They'd see it differently to you, and might catch things you miss. Just a thought..

Hope all goes well this afternoon. Good luck!

DannyboyMidlands

It sounds grim. Basement flats are often dark and damp and this one sounds like a prime example but with the addition of dirty neighbours, dodgy drainage and cracks to the walls. Why bother going back?

Listen to your instincts.

PoisonIvy

Thanks for the replies. I know it looks crazy that we booked a second viewing, but we are very new to this, and as we're in London and have a small deposit (10%), we're not exactly spoiled for choice in our price range. We don't want to live miles outside of zone 2 or 3, because what we'd save on the price would be eaten up by transport times and costs.

We're trying to be realistic, and are prepared to put in the time, money, and work on a less-than-perfect place. We just don't want to pay more than it's worth, and we want to be realistic about what we can actually handle. We're not lucky enough to know a builder mate who can come along to viewings with us, and most of the people I know who have bought places bought them before the boom and think everything is overpriced now.

I appreciate the time people have taken to respond. There's a lot of guides on what to ask when viewing and what to look out for, but it's still baffling. Is there a thread somewhere on this forum that points out potential warning signs (such as the ones discussed here)? Or any other recommended reading?

poppysarah

Why not just squat in the open one?

ceegee

I would dismiss this flat as a potential home and look for something else.

Even disregarding the other points, it's the drainage that does it for me.

It is a basement flat. The downpipes and drainage are very suspect. The potential for damp problems is huge and the cost to rectify the problem and subsequent damage will also be huge. The recent re-decoration would also set alarm bells ringing......has it been done to mask existing damp?

Honestly, damp/bad drainage is a nightmare situation and if your flat is "underground" and there is dodgy or non-existent drainage, then you will have a nightmare of a time living there.

Look for something else.

Good luck!:)

JJ.

How did you get on with the second viewing PoisonIvy?

Doozergirl

Your nose will be the best to sniff out damp, even if it's been recently repainted. Have a look around, see if they've got air fresheners. If no-one lives there, it will be a bit of a giveaway.

Breathe in as you open each door.

Are the chimney breasts open, do the windows have trickle vents or are they original sashes? You want ventilation. No ventilation then high risk of condensation and mould.

Ask if any damp proofing work has been carried out. I'd expect it to have been done at some point - it's a good sign if it has.

All this said - we've lived in a lot of houses and the only one with a problem was a Victorian half basement flat. The bathroom was below ground and it wasn't a massive issue, but it never quite felt right. We did have mould behind curtains etc near to the bathroom which we solved by reinstating the fireplace.