 Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Jan 1, 2012 10:23 AM
 Water Seepage (by in [IN]) Jan 1, 2012 10:52 AM
Water Seepage (by Jason [PA]) Jan 1, 2012 12:40 PM
Water Seepage (by Virden [OH]) Jan 1, 2012 1:20 PM
Water Seepage (by Frank [NJ]) Jan 1, 2012 5:20 PM
Water Seepage (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Jan 1, 2012 9:58 PM
Water Seepage (by Reid [KS]) Jan 1, 2012 10:30 PM
Water Seepage (by Reid [KS]) Jan 1, 2012 10:35 PM
Water Seepage (by Chris [CA]) Jan 2, 2012 4:57 AM
Water Seepage (by Doug [NJ]) Jan 3, 2012 6:45 AM
Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Jan 3, 2012 4:56 PM
Water Seepage (by Barb [MO]) Jan 4, 2012 8:29 PM
Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Jan 4, 2012 9:15 PM
Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 10:23 AM
Message:
State Specific Question About: NEW JERSEY (NJ)
I am currently renting out a 1-family house on a 1 year lease with 7 months left. It has an unfinished basement (we refer to it as the cellar). When it rains pretty hard, we get seepage around 2 of the corners. It's not deep and we can typically wet-vac it in under 15 minutes.
My current tenant, who has been badgering me about other issues (some real, some imaqgined), has demanded that I install french drains and/or a sump pump. I don't want to spend the $2500-$8000 to do it.
Do I have to put either of these remedies in or can I leave the situation as-is?
Thanx!
Jeremy --74.105.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by in [IN]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 10:52 AM
Message:
First Drylock, on the walls, and leave some podwer on the floor any excess water will be wicked up fast..
Later maybe Put a well pit in and a sump pump should do the trick if needed.. --67.175.xxx.xx |
Water Seepage (by Jason [PA]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 12:40 PM
Message:
Been through this before. Tell them that that property and other properties of that age with unfinished basements do let some water in. It has been doing it since the day it was built, during all of your ownership and that I'd how it is. --74.99.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Virden [OH]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 1:20 PM
Message:
If you worked in the insurance industry what Jason said is how they will explain it, a room below grade is for mechanical equipment only and you almost always see it on blocks to prevent water from entering, storage is at your own risk from renters insurance standpoint, our HUD office has said if the water goes over the floor to the drain then the drain is doing what it was intended to do, I did have a tenant put cement over it and complain the sec8 but I had pictures when I chiseled off the cement and you could see the original color below the cement - they lost and were evicted. --68.76.xxx.xx |
Water Seepage (by Frank [NJ]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 5:20 PM
Message:
Before you go to all the trouble to fix someething INSIDE, how about trying to ffix what is wrong from the OUTSIDE? are there gutter/downspout/leader issues, i.e. dumping water right in the area/corners that have the leaks? Is the dirt/ground up at the house in need of re-grading? those are the easiest short term fixes and very likely will stop the problem at its source, which is where you want to start your efforts to start with.
It is the height of folly to think that this problem will not grow in size as the water penetration continues with just sopping up efforts as a control measure. Water seepagee is not a ggood thingg, even if you can clean it up fairly quick. --75.198.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 9:58 PM
Message:
Water ALWAYS flows DOWN, so start any water issue by looking UP. Start at the peak of the roof and examine where the water travels.
Bad guttering or lack of run off is usually the issue. Downspout extenders can help.
Give that water another place to go. --50.129.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Reid [KS]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 10:30 PM
Message:
Getting the down spouts to carry the water further from the house is a good idea . Along with what around here some use. They trench around the foundation and fill in with Drilling Mud which is a dry mixture of Fullers earth and some other things unknown to me. It's what the oil men use during oil well drilling here. It makes a Barrier that keeps water from entering the foundation. --99.103.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Reid [KS]) Posted on: Jan 1, 2012 10:35 PM
Message:
take a look at
www.greatlakeswaterproofing.com/bento-grout-waterproofing-system.html
I meant to say Bentonite instead of Fullers earth --99.103.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Chris [CA]) Posted on: Jan 2, 2012 4:57 AM
Message:
it's not related but such tactics are not unknown. I had a T who needed reasons for not paying the rent. He destroyed the Williams wall heater and used the free electricity to heat the studio.
I noticed the bill was hundreds higher than usual - not a word to me! Meanwhile, they called in the city... An eviction specialist told me they still have to pay rent and when they were served, they just took off!
These keyboard jockeys are vici*us in their letters and behavior, but they are fearful in court. Drag his behind to court, several courts. More than one counter attack and see how he is handling THAT! Him refusing to let a professional do any work should be documented and reported back to these agencies. In the neighboring town they STOP bothering with that in eviction cases as these tenants go wild in their desperate search for damages.
Is there such a law regarding the SD? The SD is yours, not theirs and if NJ was that tenant friendly, maybe it's time to sell and go out of state. Take care and do end this by hitt*ng back rather than paying some lawyer to amuse himself. They don't care one bit, in case you haven't noticed.
You need a friend, find fellow LLs. Or e-mail me your stuff and I'll respond with comments and verified time it took to review all that and ask questions and offer opinions (which won't be qualified, of course). I bet an hour or two is all it takes even if there are 23 e-mails to read. The tenant is broke. He is not an enemy who can pay if you win. You got to STOP this before you go bankrupt or lose any interest in the business over this individual! --118.172.xxx.xx |
Water Seepage (by Doug [NJ]) Posted on: Jan 3, 2012 6:45 AM
Message:
Does your lease contain a provision that the basement is not a 'living area', and can only be used for storage at the tenants own risk? I always make sure that is in a single family lease, even with a finished basement. It is 'as is', and I would never pay to install french drains or a sump unless the basement was filling with a foot of water every time it rained... --216.139.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Posted on: Jan 3, 2012 4:56 PM
Message:
The lease says that I am not responsible for damage that occurs to their property from fire, flood, wind, theft or anything else if it is stored in the attic, the basement, shed or the garage.
This whole saga is a shame too. The house is actually very nice and has passed all town inspections. Yet these people persist.
The town called me to today to update me on what they are doing. they are sick of fielding their calls and have started to tell them that they can't help them.
these people need to go! --74.105.xxx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Barb [MO]) Posted on: Jan 4, 2012 8:29 PM
Message:
How old is the home? I live in a home that is nearly 100 years old. Every time it rains, we get a small creak across the basement floor. The basement was "cold poured" and will always leak. You can even tell where they stopped work on one day and started the next based on the concrete joints!
The town has passed the house on inspection and said they can't help. You called it a cellar and in a tornado, it would hopefully protect them. Time for the happy clause? --64.15.xx.xxx |
Water Seepage (by Jeremy [NJ]) Posted on: Jan 4, 2012 9:15 PM
Message:
sorry to seem ignorant, but what is this Happy Clause I keep reading about? --74.105.xxx.xxx |
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