how to value a house subject to flooding

In message , Robert writes

Presumably other houses near the river have the same problem, so you could see how their values compare, assuming some have sold in the past year or so. If you can do this, it's not really a reduction, more like a comparison.

Even if houses sold dont compare directly with the one you are looking at, if you can work out how many sq.ft., (or sq.m. If you are young ), they are, £ per sq.ft. Usually provides a rough approximation.

The other thing you could try is to see how much they sell for away from the flood danger, and deduct something for the tanking, (see below).

If it were me, I would also build in a cost for tanking the whole basement with something like Newton Membranes and drainage systems, to try and stop the flooding, (not sure how you do this with windows, but I would guess that there is a way.

My builder has suggested around £15K for a 1000 sq.ft basement flat in Manchester, but this would not seal the windows, assuming that they need something doing.

I live 3 metres from a brook which flooded very severely back in 1976. Our basement is bone dry and we are not in the brook's flood plain, so it is worth looking at the Environment Agency's excellent map to see whether your prospective property truly is in danger. Enter your postcode here:

I wouldn't touch my neighbour's properties (in the flood plain) at any price. We are in an urban setting and I am told by our local estate agent that the water is the least of the problems; it is the chemical contamination that will write off your house!

Stay clear!

Thank you for your comments gentlemen - there i sp[lenty to think about there. it is not easy to find similar houses in the area because it is the presence of the basement rooms that makes the difference and I do not known which other houses have them - in fact I have never come across another house in Cambridge (that's where we are talking about) near the river and with a basement.

Further complicatiojnhs are: the house is grade II listed. It has way to bring a car near the property. Otehr houses have dropped kerbs and on site parking but this one faces onto a pelican crossing, so I suspect the Council would not allow us to drop the kerb there.

thanks again,

Robert

In message , Robert writes

Should you care to visit the Isle of Wight, you will find a load of Victorian houses more or less on Ryde sea front with basements and pumps in the basements. I would expect that some of these will be listed. It puts the wind up some people, others aren't too bothered.

Yes, a pump would not worry me, but it does make the house harder to sell and I need to reflect that in my offer. In my case, there is no pump (apparently) but there are dehumidifiers in the basement and the paint is peeling off the walls for the bottom 2 feet. i suspect that is where the normal water tabel comes up to.

it was built in 1850 so it won't have any fancy membranes outside the basement walls.

R