Leaky Basement and Slab

[Jesse Stemle]

I’m currently in the process of buying my first single family home which I intend to live-in for 1-2 years with some friends as I fix it up (very outdated).

The home I’m in the process of purchasing (closing date is August 19th) has 2 water issues that I am unsure about and was hoping somebody on BP may know more about it. The house is a tri-level so half of it is built on a slab and the other half has a basement. Along the back of the house both downspouts have been disconnected allowing the majority of the water from the roof to dump into these two locations right next to the house. Oddly enough, the locations of these two disconnected downspouts are areas in the house where the seller has reported small water intrusions after a heavy rain. One of these is on the side with a slab and the other is on the side with the basement. The basement leaks pretty good during a heavy rain often leaving large puddles on the basement floor. The side of the house with the slab is only slightly damp after a heavy rain but there are indications of a leak.

My question is: Would the fact that these two downspouts are disconnected and therefor not diverting any of the water away from the foundation wall/slab be enough water to cause these leaks? And if so would properly connecting downspouts and piping the water a good distance from the house correct the issue? My concern is that this would just be “putting a bandaid” on the issue and not actually correcting it.

Any information of advice would be greatly appreciated!