Basement conversions can boost property values

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Landlords renting out houses can add to the value of their properties by undertaking basement conversions.

Alan Tovey, director of the Basement Information Centre (BIC), said that basement conversions are particularly popular in London, and can extend property and thereby save on the cost of moving house, as well as boost the overall value.

He said: "Refurbishment is [popular because] the cost of moving is much higher; people prefer to stay where they are…

"If they've got an existing cellar with limited headroom, they're sitting on something which probably doesn't have a lot of value - and spending some money on it to increase the headroom will increase the value of that space."

Basement conversions can be used as bedrooms, games rooms or wine cellars, and can often present an answer for those people wanting an extension but not wanting to eat into their garden space.

However, he warned that landlords should always determine what the cost would be, and what value it would add to the property.

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"Converting an existing basement, if there's existing headroom, is straightforward - it's really just a matter of adding waterproofing," he continued.

"If there's not enough headroom you then have to consider underpinning the foundations, to lower the foundations and the floor: which clearly adds to the cost."