Leaking roof - insurance refusing to pay out

ToToTango

A few weeks ago I went into my sons bedroom to find that there was water dripping through his ceiling into his bedroom. It was during a week/weekend when we had horrendous rain etc so I assume this was what had caused the leak.

I contacted my insurance company - Direct Line - who sent an independent surveyor out. We have had a letter from them saying that DL will not pay out as the leak was due to bad workmanship/the lead on the roof not being installed correctly. We had a new roof put on 13 years ago and as it has never leaked we have never had a reason to believe there was a problem. The company that did the roof for us no longer exists.

I want to 'fight' their decision but having spoken to the financial ombudsman they say I would need to send in some documentation to back up my argument. Could anyone give me any idea/advice etc on who I could approach for help.

I have tried ringing the CAB but they are busy so I will keep trying. Any suggestions from here would be most welcome.

I have had an emergency repair done so the roof is not leaking but I am being quoted in the region of £1,000 to do the repairs.

huckster

DL and the assessor are correct that a leaky roof is not covered unless an insured peril is proved to be the cause. Can you get a roofing contractor out who is a member of an approved trade body, to confirm the cause of the roof problem? This is what the FOS are asking you to do. Get proof that this is something for insurance to cover and not a maintenance issue.

While the roof itself may not be covered. If you have accidental damage on the Building Insurance, they should cover any consequential damage to the ceiling. But with the excess and future increases in premium, you may not wish to claim for this.

Pointless you phoning CAB or the FOS. The ball is in your court to get the proof you need to take this forward.

ToToTango

Thanks for replying.
the issue of maintaining the roof was mentioned by the surveyor. I don't know exactly what they mean by maintenance - if there is a bad thunderstorm we would look to see if any tiles have been damaged etc but do they expect you to regularly go on the roof/get a roofing contractor in to inspect the roof?

It is frustrating as the roof has been fine for 13 years. I have spoken to one roofing contactor who said that he thought DL were being a bit harsh as the leak is where the lead flashing connects the roof to the chimney - apparently it has been cut a bit short.

huckster

You have to prove it was storm damage and not maintenance. You get a roofing contractor or other qualified assessor out to provide their written opinion.

Quentin

ToToTango wrote: »

I have spoken to one roofing contactor who said that he thought DL were being a bit harsh as the leak is where the lead flashing connects the roof to the chimney - apparently it has been cut a bit short.

This would match up with the "bad workmanship etc" identified by your insurer's surveyor.

But this isn't covered by your policy, so your plan to fight their decision would fail unless you can find other grounds to use for your fight.

lisyloo

It doesn't sound to me that you know for sure whether you can back up your case.
If it was bad workmanship it might not show up until there is bad rain, this doesn't mean the bad rain caused this.
Your insurance does not cover you for bad workmanship but it does for storm damage,

You'd need to get at your own cost an independent report.
If it comes down to storm damage then you can make a complaint with the report as evidence, but if it also points to poor workmanship then you aren't covered.

I would pesonally first ask the insurer if I could see a copy of the report and if possible speak to the surveyor.
This might tell you whether you think they are right on not without paying for another report.

ToToTango

lisyloo wrote: »

It doesn't sound to me that you know for sure whether you can back up your case.
If it was bad workmanship it might not show up until there is bad rain, this doesn't mean the bad rain caused this.
Your insurance does not cover you for bad workmanship but it does for storm damage,

The frustrating thing is that if the workmanship was so bad I can't understand how the roof lasted 13 years without leaking.

I have seen a copy of the report and it states that the lead flashing was not installed correctly. Again frustrating because how would we know this - the roof has never leaked before and there are no tiles out of place

huckster

It is a maintenance issue, as it sound like the materials have been subject to weathering.

I had to have £900 worth of work to my roof caused by weathering. I knew that the roof needed some attention from visual inspection and I paid for it. I did not bother with the Insurance as there was no single event of storm that had caused the damage. It was gradual wear and tear.

ToToTango

huckster wrote: »

It is a maintenance issue, as it sound like the materials have been subject to weathering.

I had to have £900 worth of work to my roof caused by weathering. I knew that the roof needed some attention from visual inspection and I paid for it. I did not bother with the Insurance as there was no single event of storm that had caused the damage. It was gradual wear and tear.

I have learnt more about roofs in the last month I have have ever known!

I suppose my argument is that if it was installed that way and has lasted 13 years surely it can't have been that bad. It was not obvious from looking at the roof, only when a trained surveyor looked at it.

Suppose its not my fault, just annoying that the only person to blame, the roofer who did the job, is no longer contactable.

lisyloo

I suppose my argument is that if it was installed that way and has lasted 13 years surely it can't have been that bad.

No-ones saying it's that bad.
But they are saying it wasn't done properly.
It would have failed at the next bad storm, that just happens to have been 13 years.

How did you pay the roofer?
Did you pay by credit card by any chance?
I'm just wondering if you have any protection that way?

ToToTango

lisyloo wrote: »

No-ones saying it's that bad.
But they are saying it wasn't done properly.
It would have failed at the next bad storm, that just happens to have been 13 years.

How did you pay the roofer?
Did you pay by credit card by any chance?
I'm just wondering if you have any protection that way?

Thanks for the suggestion - I paid him by cash

We haven't had to wait 13 years for a bad storm, we've had worse hail etc, I guess it was the last staw - but I understand your point