Viewing tomorrow: basement tanking and leasehold things to consider

[KievLoverTwo]

I don't know much about tanking except if you do the wrong type, it can go hideously wrong, Half the property and all the bedrooms are in the basement (along with bathrooms w no windows - i will be looking at extractor power!!). Is there any way I can tell for myself if it is the wrong type? It is fully plastered so idk how much will be visible. Doubt the owner will know, bought five years ago but converted twenty years ago - Victorian building. And the owner won't be there anyway.

It looks to me like the leasehold might be owned by 2-3 building occupants, but not all of them. It also seems there is a teeny amount in the sinking fund per company's house, so I guess we should think about what major works might need doing: roof, repointing, etc. We should always have the money for a large building repair bill (up to a point - 50k might be a stretch), so it is not a major issue, I just don't know what to ask as I have never considered leasehold before (100 ground rent, 700 ish SC). Who owns it and for how long is all I can think of.

Could you help me be a bit smarter on this pls?

Shame i didn't think to order a damp meter before now, but i also believe they almost always give bad readings that put people off anyway.

Oh, and I have a mould allergy, along with M.E. Black mould exposure causes me to split blood. Hence being a bit paranoid about damp (duhmidifiers exist, obvs - just keen not to get saddled with an already ongoing problem).

(before you ask, it's because it is v affordable and big, and we left buying til far too late in life and want to save hard for a good retirement)

Tyvmia.

Look out for signs of newly painted bits of wall and werid damp smells. If it's the proper sort it should have a drain which goes into the sewers so you could ask where the drain comes out to. They also sometimes have pumps because the cellar is lower than the mains drainage.

Sorry, having had a Leasehold house with a tanked garage, I would run a mile.

The tanking failed after 20 years on the garage and was incredibly expensive to resolve. After numerous attempts with special coatings etc, we ended up having to build new inner walls with a system to drain the water seeping through the outer walls.

But that was nothing compared to the Leasehold issues. The Leaseholders couldn’t agree on anything, with one spending ridiculous amounts on vanity projects, leaving very little in the reserves. When an urgent large repair bill arose there was insufficient available to pay for the work. The Lessee’s were blindsided by demands for large sums and WW3 broke out.

Run, run, run ……….

I hear you. I have heard about tanking failing at the 20 year mark before, I just forgot about it.

Trouble is, the cost savings are so great that I can't afford to overlook it. We're talking an extra 200k on a mortgage for a house instead, and with this place we could be mortgage free (after being FTBs) within 10-11 years with overpayments.

I wonder if the leasehold reform act (when it gets sorted) will deal with any of the hideous row issues you mentioned. Hasn't been relevant to me so I haven't been following it.

Now my other nagging concern is that leaseholds usually include buildings insurance, so you don't get to pick how good or bad that provider is, should you need to claim for something big like smashing out tanking on an entire floor, drying, repair, re-doing, hotel stays, etc.

Gah, I wish my stupid anxiety brain would magic up an 'off' button.

I don’t think your House Insurance will cover you for a failure in the tanking.

House Insurance covers only for insured perils, Flood, Fire, Subsidence etc. The tanking would be considered a structural / maintenance issue.

I am serious when I say don’t do it. The stress associated with my experience was unbelievable.

Underground rooms are a nightmare. Not only keeping the ground water out, but also surface water and drains backing up in heavy rain. Brian May had that issue:
https://news.sky.com/story/queen-guitarist-brian-may-shares-footage-of-devastation-after-west-london-home-is-flooded-12354878

Don't buy underground living space, spend more on an above ground home.

Sounds like far too much stress for a garage. Had it been turned into living space?

Feeling very under enthused about the viewing later :(

It was horrendous stress and it went on for a long period while I tried to sort out a solution.

But I stored my Business paperwork there and couldn’t afford for it to get damp.

One lesson I learned is that cheap properties are cheap for a reason.

And? How did you get on?
I’d only buy a purpose built basement apartment. Think reinforced concrete walls with all the protection and drainage on the outside, preventing the water reaching the wall. Tanking is just trying to keep the moisture in the already sodden wall.

We have an entire floor of our house below ground level, inc our kitchen.

When we bought the house, the basement had been tanked with that slurry stuff you paint on the walls and it had failed - it was damp with a tide mark around the whole room.

We had it properly damp proofed with a cavity drainage membrane system - if you Google it you'll see how it works. We have our sump pump serviced every year. Otherwise, it's fab - not in the slightest bit damp and because it's properly insulated, it's toasty warm in the winter and lovely and cool in the summer (we're a Victorian house so not the best at regulating temperature otherwise).

I don't know much about leasehold but I would try and find out what waterproofing system has been used and if the pump has been regularly serviced etc

It had zero redeeming features, had been rented out for more than a decade and poorly maintained. The basement rooms felt like a dungeon.

@Geneticsbunny the whole place had been painted and there were Febreze plugs ins in every room and the hallway and even a scented candle in the communal hallway (at two thirty in the afternoon - who does that??).

It was worth the trip just to remind ourselves why cheap is cheap, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Our next viewing is likely to be reassuringly expensive.

Very suspicious. Well spotted.