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House not constructed properly!!
Comments
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I've highlighted the most important part, and the person who came to see you is correct in what they said. I carry out surveys for insurers on a regular basis and roof reports constitute part of what I do. Insurers will usually state somewhere in their policy that you are expected to keep the property in a reasonable state of repair. This includes your roof. How do you keep your roof in a reasonable state of repair? If you really want to cover all the bases you have a local roofer inspect (maybe once a year) and carry out any minor repairs required. You'd keep the reports/receipts they supplied you with and this would show the insurers that you maintain your roof to a reasonable standard.
Who does that though? No-one I've met in 11 years of doing the job is who, so the surveyor has to base his decision on what he can see.
Any decent surveyor with enough experience should be able to see the difference between a well maintained roof and one which hasn't been maintained. If the roof looks like it's not seen a roofers touch in years and is in pretty poor condition then it's fair to say there's a good chance the claim may be repudiated. He has to make the decision based on whether or not your roof would have sustained the same damage had it been in a reasonable state of repair. If your ridge tiles have been blown off but everyone elses on the street are still on it's not unfair to assume that there was some maintenance required for instance.
Your roof is open to wear from the elements all year round and just because it has survived worse storms in the past doesn't mean it's in the same condition as it was back then. At points in it's lifespan the roof will need some maintenance to keep it in a reasonable state of repair. Some of it will be more obvious than others, loose ridge tiles aren't always easy to see (although getting a roofer to get up there and take a look once in a while solves this problem, not that people do it of course!) It's only when they come off and highlight the problem that it becomes clear there might have been a problem to start with. At this point it's usually too late anyway of course.
If the person who came down to inspect it has decided that the roof hasn't been maintained and this is the root cause of the damage then unfortunately they were right to turn it down.
If they work for the insurer, and the roof is of normal repair, it's worth a written complaint, then referring it to the FOS.0 -
If they work for the insurer, and the roof is of normal repair, it's worth a written complaint, then referring it to the FOS.
Unfortunately it looks like I will have to although I could do without the hassle. I should have known things were going to go bad when I caught him taking photos of my stairs - as I have been ill for the last few years I've not been able to redo the paint.0 -
.which is exactly what they are relying on, make it hard to claim and hope the punter gives upUnfortunately it looks like I will have to although I could do without the hassle......I should have known things were going to go bad when I caught him taking photos of my stairs - as I have been ill for the last few years I've not been able to redo the paint.
If this happened to me I think I'd get "very upset" and be questioning the insurance company as to exactly why this surveyor was secretly taking pictures of the inside ground floor of my home in connection with a claim for external roof storm damage0 -
.which is exactly what they are relying on, make it hard to claim and hope the punter gives up
If this happened to me I think I'd get "very upset" and be questioning the insurance company as to exactly why this surveyor was secretly taking pictures of the inside ground floor of my home in connection with a claim for external roof storm damage
It would look like a fishing trip to find an excuse not to pay.
If "improper construction" wouldn't hold water, he'd be ready to drop onto "poor state of repair"
Improper constuction means it was made that way initially, and it appears to have survived well enough until now, lack of maintenance is different, and I've been in houses re-roofed 5 years ago that were last decorated in 1960, so again little bearing.
I really would complain in writing, and list the surveyors snooping.0 -
I suspect that as you 'caught him taking pictures of your stairs' he is collecting information to present as evidence for his rejecting the claim on the basis that if you haven't maintained your stairs, you probably haven't maintained your roof either. Not sure about the 'wrong mortar' - how would you know? I certainly wouldn't ..0
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I suspect that as you 'caught him taking pictures of your stairs' he is collecting information to present as evidence for his rejecting the claim on the basis that if you haven't maintained your stairs, you probably haven't maintained your roof either.
The two aren't linked though.
I know people who maintain one but not the other.
If he is stating that the roof isn't maintained then he needs to look at the condition of other external structures of the house linked to it i.e. guttering, down pipes.
In this case there is a good reason not to paint/decorate the stairs. I know plenty of people who when they had children under 16 refused to decorate rooms/walls.
It would have been better to ask him why he was taking the photos when he was doing it.
He must have taken a sample of it or crumbled it.Not sure about the 'wrong mortar' - how would you know? I certainly wouldn't ..
Unfortunately when some professionals don't bother asking the background of the person they are explaining things to before using the terms they do.I'm not cynical I'm realistic
(If a link I give opens pop ups I won't know I don't use windows)0 -
In this case there is a good reason not to paint/decorate the stairs. I know plenty of people who when they had children under 16 refused to decorate rooms/walls.
The interior of my house does need decorating after we got some external lighting put in but before I can get things like that done I have to find accomodation for myself (I have chronic lung disease) my eldest son and husband as we can't be in the house when this is done. Not a priority to be honest at the moment. My step dad painted the external stairs a couple of years ago when we repaired them but I think we used the wrong sort of paint as it is coming off. I want to get my whole garden monoblocked and was going to do all of this done together.
It would have been better to ask him why he was taking the photos when he was doing it.
I can only put this down to my own stupidity, I believed we had a genuine claim.
He must have taken a sample of it or crumbled it.
No his evidence was based on a photograph of the ridge tile still sitting on my roof. He was only alone for a few seconds after getting out of the car, I had to ensure my two children were okay while I showed him round the back door.
I tried to hand him some of the stuff that fell off the side of the house but he didn't touch it. He was on the property less than 10 minutes - probably about 5 to be honest.
My mother in law has arranged for someone to come and give an estimate for the repair to my roof. I am going to ask for their opinion on the mortar and stuff and use this as evidence when I make a complaint.
I know I am a pratt but why do this to people? Other than the flooding last year I have never made a claim before and would never make a dishonest claim (you'll have to take my word on that one although I know it can't be proven.)
From five minutes on my property this guy has effectively declared both my insurance and mortgage invalid or maybe I am over reacting to what this could mean for us. I am just horrified by the whole thing and wish I had never bought this place, when I lived in a council house I didn't have to worry about this kind of thing. We've done our best to improve it but it was probably a waste of time.0 -
We are the worst damaged in the street
We are not the worst affected, I should really consider myself grateful for the blessings I have three houses in the estate I live in, including one on my street have had the entire side of their wall blown off. Ridge tiles are off everywhere as you go higher up the estate, all the houses in the area were built about the same time.0 -
.which is exactly what they are relying on, make it hard to claim and hope the punter gives up
Contrary to popular belief this isn't how insurance companies work, or at least it's not how it works for the insurance companies we carry out the work for. If the policy covers the damage caused then there's never a moment that they try to make claiming difficult.
With roofs it's not always black and white though, there are quite a few shades of grey and any surveyor that gets involved in the claim will have to decide on each claim based on what is there to look at. I would have expected them to at least get on the roof and do a proper inspection though, taking a photo from a car doesn't sound very professional to me.
As Myrr has stated many roofs in the area were damaged by the winds then it does tend to suggest that the damage may have occured regardless, although without phsycally seeing it I couldn't possibly say one way or another.
The surveyor would have taken photos of any areas of the property that were in a poor state of repair/decoration for future purposes. For instance, if I go and see a property and the lounge decor is in a very poor state then the insurers would expect me to take a photo of it to show what condition it was in at the time I visited. Now, if the owner of that property puts a claim in 6 months later for a water leak from a radiator above the lounge and they are claiming for decorations, there are some insurance companies that might say they wouldn't pay for it as it would have needed doing anyway. Some would agree to do it, but it's at the discretion of the insurers.0
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