Advice on purchase of basement flat

fridaysc

Thanks everyone for your responses. I hadn't considered that there might be issues with drains so need to check it out

phoebe1989seb

I was also burgled many years ago when renting a basement flat. I have to add that the siruation was quite unusual in that the flat was the only residential property in the (early Victorian) building, the remaining four floors being business use.

Moreover, there was a (locked) interconnecting door from the flat into the ground floor hallway and it was via this means that the burglar broke through. Although several hundred £££ of jewellery etc was taken, luckily I was away for the weekend when it happened.

Later a second break-in attempt was made whilst I was at home - during an afternoon - this time through a roof lantern over the rear bathroom. My then boyfriend - now DH - caught them in the act and they fled. Scary nonetheless.

However, that didn't stop us going on to buy a basement flat elsewhere. Another Victorian conversion, it had been tanked and we had no issues with noise from the flat above or any serious damp problems. It was fairly dark though and we sold it after two years.

DS and his GF bought a basement flat in a Brighton listed building three years ago. They do have some damp issues and often hear the ground floor neighbour stomping about, although there are no issues with overhearing conversations or music. They did also have a few problems with leaks from the ground floor flat's plumbing which was a PITA at the time, especially as DS had recently had extensive work carried out, some of which had to be redone.

On a separate issue - and this is highly unlikely to happen to anyone else - a (drugged up) bloke from an upper flat actually fell through a polycarbonate roof over DS/GF's courtyard whilst the GF was present. Bl00dy weird.......but it is Brighton!

I don't think they'll be buying another basement flat, but tbh I think that's more about lack of daylight than anything else, lol!

Everyone's experiences will be different and many people live happily in basements for many years