Knoxville Rental Foundation Checklist

Foundation problems start small and grow slowly, and tenants living in a house every day are often the first to notice. In East Tennessee, where heavy rain, clay soils and hillside lots are common, an early report about a new crack or a wet basement can save a landlord from a much bigger repair. This checklist tells tenants what to look for and when to speak up.

Report within a week or two

• A new crack in drywall, especially above a door or window
• A door that suddenly sticks or won't latch
• A crack in brick or block that wasn't there before
• Floors that feel bouncier or more sloped than they did
• A musty smell coming up from a crawl space

Report right away

• Water coming into a basement or crawl space during rain
• A crack that is widening quickly, or one side of a crack higher than the other
• A basement wall that looks like it's bowing inward
• A depression or hole opening up in the yard near the house

What tenants can safely do

1. Take photos of cracks with a coin or ruler for scale, and date them
2. Mark the ends of a crack lightly with a pencil to see if it grows
3. Keep gutters' downspout extensions in place and tell the manager if they're missing
4. Don't crawl into a crawl space; shine a flashlight in from the access door instead

After heavy rain

Knoxville gets just under 52 inches of rain in a typical year. After a big storm, a quick look at the basement or crawl space access, and at where water is pooling outside, is the most useful thing a tenant can report. More: wet basements after heavy rain.

For property managers

A yearly walk-around of gutters, downspouts and grading prevents many foundation calls. For repairs, see crawl space repair, basement waterproofing, drainage and grading and foundation inspections.