Homebuyer survey missed serious roof problem

NorthernMan

On March 12, 2012 I bought one quarter share of a Victorian terraced house, the remaining three quarters being owned by a housing association.

Recently, damp patches started to appear on my bedroom wall and ceiling. My attic is easily accessible by a pull down ladder, it is partially boarded out and there is electric lighting so I was able to investigate quite easily. I discovered some damaged slates and wet/rotting woodwork so I invited a roofer to take a look. Although I have yet to receive a quote, the roofer has hinted that I will need to spend in the region of £10,000 on a complete new roof. He commented with words to the effect that the roof has had it.

I have checked with the housing association and - as I thought - they are not liable for the cost of repairs. Their best suggestion was that if I couldn't afford the repair then I should sell the house (fortunately I can just about afford £10k but I will have difficulties if it is much more than that).

I had a home-buyer's survey prior to moving in and there was not a single mention of the roof being a problem. Is it possible that the surveyor could be held to account for missing such an obvious problem? I know it is nearly three years since the survey was carried out but this seems to me to be a very short amount of time for a roof to deteriorate from not being worth a mention on a survey, to being in need of replacement.

Thanks for any help

mikb

What did the survey say about the roof space?

If it says "The roof space was inspected, the roof is of (x) construction and is in good order" you might have a case, if you've got a builder that says it's had it.

However, look for phrases like "Limitations of this survey" that mention "access to the loft was not available on the day of inspection" or "loft area was full of junk and therefore only a cursory inspection ..." etc. There may well be a followup paragraph saying "you should have this checked out further BEFORE buying".

... then you have less of a case.

A Homebuyer's survey is fairly basic: The house exists, and is broadly as described, valued about right, and probably habitable.

The really detailed (expensive) survey involves ripping up floorboards, carpets, plaster off walls, cameras up the chimney etc. etc. and a lot of sellers won't put up with that, for obvious reasons.

Read the survey. Look for all the bits about the roof/attic space, and come back with details.

JReacher1

It's going to be difficult to prove the survey should have picked this up.

I'm not due how part ownership works but are you only responsible for 1/4 of the costs of the new roof. Will the HA cover the rest?

Edit I've just seen the HA have disowned all responsibility

JReacher1

Also £10k seems expensive. Get a few quotes. I paid £2k for a new slate roof on a terrace house.

NorthernMan

Just read my survey - I was wrong, there is mention of work required to the roof but there is specific mention that work is not urgent. In particular all references to the roof are described as condition rating 2 - Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or
urgent. References to the roof are as follows

The main roof is covered with natural slates.
The coverings are in need of some repairs.
A number of slates have slipped out of place, or are broken, and need replacing.
The bedding mortar to the ridge tiles verges is deteriorating and will need
replacing.
This should be dealt with soon after taking ownership. However, you should obtain
estimates for repair/improvement work before exchange of contracts.
Some slates are held in place with tingles (metal retaining straps) which is
indicative that the original fixing nails are reaching the end of their useful life. As
further corrosion takes place, slate coverings will continue to slip and require
refixing with such straps.
Whilst expensive and comprehensive re-covering is not yet justified, ongoing
maintenance costs will be higher than normal.
The slope of the roof over the bathroom is too shallow for the type of slates used
and under severe weather conditions, the roof could leak. However, it has been
lined with timber boarding and no obvious signs of leakage were noted.
The main roof does not have an internal lining which would normally act as a
secondary barrier to rainwater. This is not unusual for a property of this age when
builders consider a second barrier unnecessary. The absence of a lining under the
roof covering can lead to rainwater penetration but we do not consider the risk
significant enough to warrant the costly and disruptive work of removing the
existing coverings to install such a barrier. Nevertheless, until this is undertaken,
the roof coverings should be kept in good condition at all times. The roof space should also be checked periodically for any decay or disrepair.
The front bay roof is covered in lead. The roof covering is old but was in
satisfactory condition for its age with no sign of any damp penetration.

Within the main roof space insulation and timber boarding severely obstructed our
inspection of the interior.

The main roof space was entered through a hatch in the landing ceiling.
The roof is formed with conventional timber rafters and purlins supporting the
coverings.
The roof structure sags which is not unusual bearing in mind the age of the
property. No further movement is expected and no repairs are necessary at this
time.
The thermal insulation in the roof space is satisfactory and meets modern
requirements.
There are holes in the right hand party wall which should be sealed with fireproof
material to minimise the risk of fire spread.
This can be dealt with soon after taking ownership.

JReacher1

That seems quite a thorough survey. Don't think you have any legal recourse you can pursue with them

Fosterdog

NorthernMan wrote: »

Just read my survey - I was wrong, there is mention of work required to the roof but there is specific mention that work is not urgent. In particular all references to the roof are described as condition rating 2 - Defects that need repairing or replacing but are not considered to be either serious or
urgent. References to the roof are as follows

The main roof is covered with natural slates.
The coverings are in need of some repairs.
A number of slates have slipped out of place, or are broken, and need replacing.
The bedding mortar to the ridge tiles verges is deteriorating and will need
replacing.
This should be dealt with soon after taking ownership. However, you should obtain
estimates for repair/improvement work before exchange of contracts.
Some slates are held in place with tingles (metal retaining straps) which is
indicative that the original fixing nails are reaching the end of their useful life. As
further corrosion takes place, slate coverings will continue to slip and require
refixing with such straps.
Whilst expensive and comprehensive re-covering is not yet justified, ongoing
maintenance costs will be higher than normal.
The slope of the roof over the bathroom is too shallow for the type of slates used
and under severe weather conditions, the roof could leak. However, it has been
lined with timber boarding and no obvious signs of leakage were noted.
The main roof does not have an internal lining which would normally act as a
secondary barrier to rainwater. This is not unusual for a property of this age when
builders consider a second barrier unnecessary. The absence of a lining under the
roof covering can lead to rainwater penetration but we do not consider the risk
significant enough to warrant the costly and disruptive work of removing the
existing coverings to install such a barrier. Nevertheless, until this is undertaken,
the roof coverings should be kept in good condition at all times. The roof space should also be checked periodically for any decay or disrepair.
The front bay roof is covered in lead. The roof covering is old but was in
satisfactory condition for its age with no sign of any damp penetration.

Within the main roof space insulation and timber boarding severely obstructed our
inspection of the interior.

The main roof space was entered through a hatch in the landing ceiling.
The roof is formed with conventional timber rafters and purlins supporting the
coverings.
The roof structure sags which is not unusual bearing in mind the age of the
property. No further movement is expected and no repairs are necessary at this
time.
The thermal insulation in the roof space is satisfactory and meets modern
requirements.
There are holes in the right hand party wall which should be sealed with fireproof
material to minimise the risk of fire spread.
This can be dealt with soon after taking ownership.

It may say that work is not urgent but it also says that some work should be carried out soon after taking ownership and to get estimates before buying the house.

You bought the house over eighteen months ago, that is more than enough time for what were non urgent issues to get worse especially without the recommended works being carried out to stop further deterioration.

mattyprice4004

So you got a survey which said needs 'needs repair soon after purchase' and did nothing for nearly 2 years?
It's a bit pointless having a survey done if you ignore the advice given.

JReacher1

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

So you got a survey which said needs 'needs repair soon after purchase' and did nothing for nearly 2 years?
It's a bit pointless having a survey done if you ignore the advice given.

The survey date is March 2012 so it's amost 3 years that he's done nothing!

hollydays

Get several more quotes via trading standards approved tradesman

mikb

This should be dealt with soon after taking ownership.

Were they?

However, it has been lined with timber boarding and no obvious signs of leakage were noted.

That makes it hard to survey without ripping the lining off. Not within the scope of the survey.

roof coverings should be kept in good condition at all times. The roof space should also be checked periodically for any decay or disrepair.

When was it last checked?

Within the main roof space insulation and timber boarding severely obstructed our inspection of the interior.

Also makes the survey harder.

I know it's probably not want you wanted to hear, but that's the sort of thing I was expecting they'd have said, and they will refer you to that fairly quickly.

As per other posters, shop around for some more quotes and see.