I’m buying a ground-floor flat in North London and just found out, a month after my offer was accepted, that it was flooded due to a kitchen sink backup. The issue was caused by a central drain blockage, and the tenant wasn’t home for a couple of days, which made the situation worse. The entire flat ended up being affected.
My main concern: Could this happen again, and how was the issue actually resolved? The management company says they’ll service the drains more regularly moving forward, but I’ve asked for email confirmation to better understand what exactly they’re committing to. Since it’s a ground-floor flat, I’m worried that if residents upstairs put things down the drain they shouldn’t, I could be at risk again. On the other hand, if they’ve learned their lesson and I’m home more often, I could catch any issues early enough to prevent another flood.
But what if I’m unlucky, and it happens again? I’m also concerned about resale value. If it happens twice, no one will believe it’s just a fluke.
The vendor was reimbursed £13k by the management company, which covered replacing the cabinets and sink, priming the floor, deep-cleaning the dishwasher, replacing damaged flooring, installing new carpet and underlay, and repainting the bedroom, hallway, and kitchen. So, cosmetically, everything looks fine, and my surveyor, who did an L1 homebuyer’s report, said the flat’s condition was good.
But I’m still hesitant for a few reasons:
- Two days of flooding likely caused deeper, unseen damage – Even though the flat looks fine on the surface, two days of flooding could have caused moisture to get into walls or floors, which might lead to mould or long-term issues that aren’t visible yet.
- Recent flood means long-term effects are still unknown – The flood happened recently, so it’s hard to judge the full long-term impact. This puts the buyer (me!) at risk of dealing with future problems down the line.
- Uneven kitchen floor wasn’t properly fixed – The homebuyer’s survey noted the kitchen floor is uneven, even though it was supposedly replaced after the flood. This suggests that the repairs may not have been done thoroughly or properly.
- Insurance uncertainty – There’s a chance insurance premiums could go up, or future policies might be more expensive due to the flat’s flood history. Since it’s a block-wide building insurance policy, my share might not be huge, but it’s still something to consider.
- Harder to sell in the future – If I ever need to sell, I’ll have to explain the flooding incident, which could put off potential buyers.
What do you guys think? Is this worth negotiating a price reduction, or should I consider walking away? Any advice is appreciated!