Damp cellar/store room

[annoyed1212]

My DF inherited a 2 bed mid terrace property and has now got the keys. Having spent most of her life abroad she is not familiar with the property but has recently and permanently returned and hoping to move in.

I went with her to look at the house properly and we found the floor of the small store room (below the stairs and next to the second reception room) quite damp. It's obviously small but has two steps midway, and it's the ground below those steps which is wet. We can't tell if its groundwater or a leak of some sort. It's not excessive, just a wet floor and it doesn't smell bad - just musty.

She knows she is very lucky to have inherited this property but doesn't have a lot of money to spend on expensive work. She also isn't sure if the store room has always been like this or it's a recent problem. We are both as clueless as each other when it comes to these things! What is the best step to take in getting this sorted? If she fills it - as its a small area so doable- that's just masking the problem and not a solution right? And may cause damp? also the gas/electric meters are on the wall below those steps so they would need moving (more costs).

Is it best to get Environnental Health/Water co. to come and check the cause first?

Sorry if I sound stupid, English is not my first language and I'm also not very clued up. (My lovely LL sorts everything out so never had this headache. The only perk of renting!).

This sort of thing is extremely situational, and needs someone capable to take a physical look at it to see where the water's coming from and what needs to be done.

In the absence of anyone else, could you ask your lovely landlord for a favour?

Otherwise, get a couple of general domestic building or flooring companies to come and quote on fix work. The quotes will be free and will tell you what the problems are.

very likely a leak.

Consider the path the incoming water pipe takes. Most likely it runs in a straight line from the outdoor stopcock (probably next to where the front gate used to be) to the indoor stopcock (next to where the kitchen sink used to be). Some buffoon may have hidden the stopcocks and paved over them. They will be in about the same position as in neighbouring houses.

Water pipes usually start to leak within about fifty years (if steel) or eighty years (if lead)

If you can find a young person with good hearing, and let them stand in the silent house while you turn the outside stop cock off and on, they may notice a faint hiss that stops and starts.

Thank you for the replies. spoonblender yes it's a very specific problem which is very difficult to really pinpoint without seeing it. But I know how helpful and knowledgable MNers are so thought I'd ask for DF. My LL lives quite far, he travels out to me if I need him for anything concerning my house but I'd feel bad calling him all this way for someone else.

Thank you pigletjohn I always read your posts with admiration at how much you know! DF's house opens onto the pavement so no front garden and we can't see any sign of where the stopcock would be. I think the block of neighbours share a joint supply.

We spent the weekend stripping the wallpaper downstairs and have asked a local plumber to take a look at the water. Hopefully he will figure out what is causing it. We think it will be a leaky pipe as there is an MDPE pipe running through it with various joints (Missed it last time we looked as it was hidden behind junk).