Should a missing guarantee hold up our house purchase?

Broseley

We are buying our dream home. This wonderful art deco house has had a new GRP roof but the owners lost the 25 year insurance backed guarantee. Since February they have been trying to get the roofer to send them a replacement. He promises, then does nothing. We are now at a stage where we want to exchange, but still no guarantee. I have tried phoning, emailing and texting, even our solicitor tried. He says he'll do it but then doesn't. We can't wait forever. Should we pull out of the purchase? It's all too stressful!

Furts

A grp roof is an enormous liability. You have to ask searching questions here. Did the guarantee ever exist, and even if it did is it transferable? The brutal reality is any home owner knows of the grp roof realities, and consequently guards their guarantee as if it were a piece of gold. The fact that the guarantee is not available for you to scrutinise is worrying.

The default answer is the roof and concept of guarantee are dodgy. Which means you have to factor the cost of a new roof as part of your home finance calculations.

Davesnave

How much of the roofing is GRP?

roger-w5

If the vendor agrees,have a proper roofing company survey the roof and see what they find.

stator

The key questions are:
Are you using a mortgage to buy the house?
If so, are the bank insisting on the warranty for the roof before they will lend?
How big is the roof?
How much would it cost to replace?
Assuming you have to replace the roof, do you still want the house?

Furts

There is no way of checking a fibreglass roof other than obvious detailing. The whole concept of a fibreglass roof is flawed as is the guarantee. It is for this reason fibreglass roofs are, in effect, banned from use on new homes and this has been the case for years. They can be decorative - like a cantilever porch to a front door, or a chimney - or structural like a valley, but otherwise they are bad news.

It follows that no reputable roofing company is going to come along and inspect a fibreglass roof and say "that is a brilliant job and we are going to sign away our reputation to endorse it". Get real folks!

Then consider the guarantee - a roof is structural element on a new home and is required to have a minimum life span of 60 years. Fibreglass roofs get promoted by a 25 year guarantee which means they are an immediate failure to comply with any concept of good building. Why does anybody have them. The answer is the everyday one - they are cheap!

Little wonder OP has hit a stumbling block.

tonyh66

tell your solicitor you want to proceed without the guarantee? get the vendor to buy indemnity insurance for the roof?

System

Furts wrote: »

It is for this reason fibreglass roofs are, in effect, banned from use on new homes and this has been the case for years.

what?! is this similar to your thoughts on any construction that isn't masonry!?

Broseley

Thanks for all your replies. The roof is 100% flat and GRP/fibreglass. We are not getting a mortgage. The roof was only done 5 years ago so still has 20 years left on the (missing) guarantee. However we do have a copy of the insurance policy that goes with it, so the guarantee does exist. But we can't transfer it to ourselves until we have the guarantee.

Furts

the_r_sole wrote: »

what?! is this similar to your thoughts on any construction that isn't masonry!?

Don't shoot the messenger. I am simply stating what you already know. Nobody designs a grp roof for a new home and expects an easy ride with either the client or with accepted building practice.

Furts

Broseley wrote: »

Thanks for all your replies. The roof is 100% flat and GRP/fibreglass. We are not getting a mortgage. The roof was only done 5 years ago so still has 20 years left on the (missing) guarantee. However we do have a copy of the insurance policy that goes with it, so the guarantee does exist. But we can't transfer it to ourselves until we have the guarantee.

But a roof should not be flat! In itself this is a conflict with good practice. Add this to the standard of building that existed in the art deco era and there may be problems here.