New property, water thru wall during heavy rain, whats my respons

[Nate Richards]

Hi, I just bought my second unit, a probate rehab & rent. It took me 90 days to fix it up and place a new tenant. Ive noticed that the basement wall seeps water during very heavy rain due to hydrostatic pressure. It is about 1/4 bucket when moped up. This happened 2x, once during rehab and the tenant says it happened yesterday.

As a preventive measure I replaced some drain tiles on the opposite side of the driveway, where the neighbors gutters overflow. I also had the concrete drive leveled and it's pitching away from the house. There is no sump pump as it was built in 1950.

What is my responsibility/response to the tenant on this. I'm sure I'm not the only landlord with minor water issues. I want to be fair but not over do it. The tenant is new and I would like to keep him for a long time if possible.

Also note it is in an area where the storm drains back up when the river overflows (the house has plugs in all the drains) so I would think a sump pump is not going to work anyway.

Thanks for you input!

[Matt P.]

You have water coming in through the basement walls twice in 90 days when it rains heavy and you think that is a minor water issue? Id start with grading out the soil along the house to make sure it is all pitched away from the walls and isn't pooling anywhere. If that fails then you need to have a professional waterproofing outfit come out and dig your outside walls, seal them and install a drain system around your house to move the water away. This will only get worse and will eventually ruin your foundation.