Leaky cellar

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

I own a Victorian mid-terrace which has a cellar. It's rented out and the tenants have mentioned that the cellar lets in a small amount of water when it rains heavily. It always did this when I lived there, all the houses in the row did the same as clearly the water table is close to the foundations. It never bothered me and always went away very quickly, no apparent problems with damp in the house.

Has anyone had experience of this and has anyone bothered to waterproof their cellar? If so, what was involved? Thanks!

[LadyKooKoo]

We got a sump pump fitted in our old house which was wired into the mains. It would start pumping when water got to a certain depth. It cost £400 but was worth it as kept the buyer happy.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Thanks Lady, will consider that if necessary.

[MillyMollyMama]

My Mum's Victorian semi had a major problem when the cellar flooded! We had it tanked. That's the only solution if you are worried about water. If you are happy to live with the water coming in and don't think that there will be more water, get a pump. It makes it difficult to use the cellar though.

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

Milly, I lived there happily for four years. It was only puddles of water occasionally and as the cellar was only used for a bit of storage (and I had plenty of shelving) it was never an issue. Tanking is pretty expensive so I'm keen to avoid that if I can.