Homes Under the Hammer owner shares ‘clever move’ as she bags ‘bargain’ property

Homes Under The Hammer host Tommy Walsh was in awe of one buyer on the show who’d had an ace up her sleeve the entire time

Homes Under The Hammer presenter Tommy Walsh is no stranger when it comes to property disasters, but the two-bedroom flat featured in Thursday’s (August 14) repeat episode left him utterly stunned. The BBC expert couldn’t hide his shock as he explored a ground floor flat in the tiny village of Allhallows, situated just outside Rochester in Kent.

Before stepping inside the property, Tommy remarked that it was “so close the shoreline” that he could actually smell the ice cream and fish and chips. He then informed viewers that the flat was heading to auction with a guide price ranging from £12,000 to £16,000, adding: “That sounds very cheap to me.”

Upon entering through the front door, it became immediately obvious to Tommy that the property was plagued with damp – a problem that could prove expensive for any potential purchaser. However, as he continued his inspection of the flat and entered the second bedroom, he declared: “There is something seriously wrong here,” after discovering a wall completely soaked with damp and stripped of all plaster.

READ MORE: BBC Homes Under the Hammer stars spots ‘concerning’ issues minutes into showREAD MORE: BBC Homes Under the Hammer star spots ‘concerning’ issue as soon as she steps inside property

The specialist went on: “In room number two we have a serious problem, this is not just light dampness – this is penetration damp and there is something seriously wrong to have caused this much of a problem,” reports Kent Live. And what he hadn’t discovered yet was that the damp issues were merely the tip of the iceberg for any would-be buyer.

Upon reaching the kitchen and bathroom, he found both rooms were entirely missing their ceilings due to extensive water damage from a leak above. Tommy expressed his concern, saying: “I don’t like the look of this.

“There’s so much water coming through the ceiling – that ceiling has completely collapsed and it’s been tipping water through because it’s all showing the evidence here.” He continued: “Oh my god, you’re not going to believe this, the kitchen but it’s in such a state. Look at the ceiling, it collapsed completely.”

Despite Tommy’s apprehensions about the refurbishment of the ground-floor flat, property manager and estate agent Maxine did purchase the home for £81,000, assuring the host she had a trick up her sleeve.

The host voiced one of his concerns after his viewing, noting that it was a leasehold, meaning any potential alterations to the flat would be under the control of the freeholder. However, Maxine had already considered this.

She explained: “First thing we actually bought in that same auction before the property was the freehold because then we were able to control the destiny of how this building actually needs to move on.” Off camera, narrator Jacqui Joseph commented: “The real clever move was acquiring the freehold so that she has jurisdiction over what happens with this property.”

Maxine estimated that the work required to bring the property up to standard would take around 12 months, and she had set aside a maximum budget of approximately £30,000 for the work. The programme returned 18 months later to see how Maxine had progressed.

While the property had been renovated to an impressive standard and was ready to move into, Maxine revealed she had overspent by £12,000. She encountered unforeseen expensive complications including fitting a brand new central heating arrangement, removing wallcoverings to address moisture problems, replacing the roof, and incorporating a combination boiler setup.

She stated: “We’re looking at about £42,000 that we’ve spent on this project.”

Including the property purchase, Maxine’s total expenditure reached £123,000. Although she said she had no intention of selling, a property agent suggested she could secure a premium resale value of £170,000, delivering a substantial pre-tax return of £47,000.

Maxine rejected the proposal and declared she was committed for the “long haul”, noting she anticipated achieving monthly rental income of £1,200.

Homes Under the Hammer airs weekdays on BBC One from 11:15am.