Building problems should I be worried and do I have a claim

recci
recci Posts: 238
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edited 11 April 2017 at 11:01PM in Insurance & life assurance
There are two problems which have occurred that have made me wish id never bought this flat.

The first of which is a small tree seems to have taken root on brick work next to the roof. See the link photo's. Iv been in the flat two years and never noticed it until recently. Its clearing damaging the building and is going to have to be dealt with sooner than later. Iv no idea who to call to deal with this a roofer or building company? Its up very high so I assume they will need to erect scaffolding so this is going to cost a fortune :mad:. There is no factoring in this building but an agreement when you bought the house that any maintenance work to the building is split 5 ways between all the flats. According to my neighbour most pay up but are very slow in doing so and I cant afford to front the cost and then wait a year on them paying up.

Any chance buildings insurance will cover this?


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The second issue is I live next to a main road and every time a big lorry or bus goes by I feel the living room shake. Once when a Juggernaut went by it was so bad that the vibration spilled some of my tea that was on the floor in a full cup.

Iv noticed some some cracks forming in the plaster along one wall. Its an old building built around 1910 and I am not sure how old the cracks actually as as I suspect the previous owner just did a quick cover up job with paint to sell that house. Iv posted some pictures as best I could, should I actually be worried about this and what should I do?

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Comments

  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,518
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    Nobody noticed the plant/tree for 2 years? Looking at that the roots are probably in the loft. has nobody been up there and looked?

    Looks like its already caused damage and the insurance may say a lack of maintenance and old damage been insured with the same company for a long time?

    Re the cracks wallpaper?
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  • csgohan4
    csgohan4 Posts: 10,587
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    thought trees were mean to be on the ground not in roofs. Not sure if your insurance will cover damage that has occurred over time.
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  • recci
    recci Posts: 238
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    Nobody noticed the plant/tree for 2 years? Looking at that the roots are probably in the loft. has nobody been up there and looked?

    Looks like its already caused damage and the insurance may say a lack of maintenance and old damage been insured with the same company for a long time?

    Re the cracks wallpaper?

    The roots aren't in the loft I checked its into the brick work next to the roof. Work was carried out on the roof to fix leaks last year and nobody noticed. Iv been insured with the same company for two years since i moved in. I remember seeing something up their but it just looked like a small weed. Its grown massively in the last year.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,421
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    edited 12 April 2017 at 11:51AM
    csgohan4 wrote: »
    thought trees were mean to be on the ground not in roofs.

    If it is a Buddleia, they will grow just about anywhere, even in the top of a wall. Just walk around any rundown area at derelict buildings, and you'll see them poking out.

    The OP need to shimmy up a ladder (or get someone in) and rip it out. Hopefully, the roots won't have gotten too far in to the brickwork, so damage should be minimal.

    Just a thought - As this is a flat, I'm guessing it is leasehold ?
    What do your deeds say about maintenance of the exterior fabric of the building ?
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  • recci
    recci Posts: 238
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    The lease hold says all 5 flats have to chip in for repair. But they are very slow in paying up.
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,056
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    Is there a management company for the building ?

    How does the building insurance get paid?
    Never pay on an estimated bill
  • recci
    recci Posts: 238
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    there is no factoring company just an agreement in the documents when buying the flat that we all must split the bills. Buildings insurance is individual to each owner
  • Ganga
    Ganga Posts: 4,102
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    If the building has stood for 107 years i would not be to worried unless something major has happened,new motorway/main road/railway line built next door.
    ITS NOT EASY TO GET EVERYTHING WRONG ,I HAVE TO WORK HARD TO DO IT!
  • vw100
    vw100 Posts: 306
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    Someone needs to get up there and rip the weed out, I doubt the roots are deep into the brickwork. Cracks in plaster seem surface cracks, can happen for number of reasons such as material under the plaster absorbed the moisture to quickly from the plaster when it was done. Vibrations can also cause these.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,077
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    You could lean out of the nearby window and spray the tree with systemic weedkiller like Roundup. That would at least kill it and stop further growth.
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