Problems after completion

Poppycat68

Sigh
Completed on my house on Friday (hurrah) do love the house.

However when I picked up the keys, it was clear water damage in the bedroom and on inspection the roof is leaking. Have called roofer, and my new roof goes on tomorrow and Friday.

This did not come up in the survey - we had a dry summer, but I think my (high cost) surveyor may have missed stuff. But the survey was done in a period of dry weather, but the surveyor noted some of the flashing round the chimney needed repair (non urgent) and suggested periodic inspection and replacement of tiles.

The vendors knew the roof was leaking - I know this because the neighbour across the road had been up there to look at it, so not only did they know, they had assessments on what to do from the neighbours.

Do I have any redress ? Should they have been required to declare it as a known fault. Oh yes, the vendors are now in Malta, so I suspect that if I had some redress, in practice it will be challenging if not impossible.

I've got over the shock of the cost, but this means some of the work to be done (as we had planned) on the house will get delayed - non-essential repairs but improvements, like putting in a downstairs toilet under the stairs - and as an urgent thing, I have no choice and am grateful I kept money for other things.

any comments would be helpful

davidmcn

Poppycat68 wrote: »

Should they have been required to declare it as a known fault.

If you had asked them, yes.

ThePants999

Yeah, that. Expanding slightly - they would be liable for things they told you that were not true (as long as you could prove they knew they were not true), but they're not liable for things they DIDN'T say. That's why surveyors and the like exist. Caveat emptor.

Sorry you got unlucky, though

Poppycat68

I suspected as much - and yes unlucky but glad it happened now, rather than after I'd spent money on a non essential downstairs toilet ! - and that's a repair waiting to happen on most houses, so I know I won't ever have to face it again

I'm having to be calm and accepting and be a little philosophical about this pile of bricks that will eat all our money going forward.

buglawton

'My new roof goes on tomorrow'. Very impetuous, but kudos if you can snap your fingers and afford to do that after the moving in costs.

A new roof would be recommended by any self respecting roofing company of course.

Unless the roof timbers are structurally unsound, absolutely no need for a new roof. Unless you didn't like the colour of the old one.

goodwithsaving

buglawton wrote: »

Unless the roof timbers are structurally unsound, absolutely no need for a new roof. Unless you didn't like the colour of the old one.

How do you think a new felting would be laid without removing the tiles?
My roof timbers were fine. Still needed a new roof though, as felt completely perished and new tiles required.


OP, I'm sorry your roof has gone but like you say, better than before you did non-essentials. Mine went after a new bathroom etc, needed a bank loan!

G_M

goodwithsaving wrote: »

How do you think a new felting would be laid without removing the tiles?
!

Did I miss the bit where the OP said a new roofing felt was needed?

buglawton

The only issues mentioned in initial post that I replied to was a leak and flashing. Oh and when my roof had to be redone due to a loft extension, all old tiles and much of the existing timber structure was re-used. A new roof didn't come into the picture.

Poppycat68

G_M wrote: »

Did I miss the bit where the OP said a new roofing felt was needed?

What roofing felt ! Roofing felt was introduced as standard in the 1930's and we don't have any

This means parts of this roof are the original, which makes it 120 years old. The guttering at the front is cast iron (!) but I had already marked that for replacement as it was visibly past end of life. The timbers - are ok for the age, but will be treated in this process, and one replacement.

I've concluded my surveyor f'd up - but it had been dry all summer, but really no excuses.

A lot of roofers actually will say repair over re-do at this time of year, if it's possible to repair they will suggest that - particularly as there appears to no shortage of repair work after bad weather - and this was the initial assumption when discussed over the phone.

As it is, there is enough water damage that I have to replace part of the ceiling in the master bedroom and replaster ( but we have experience of that from our current place with other half put his foot through the ceiling whilst tinkering in the attic).

The reason I have cash left is this is a fixer-upper - so I had kept a significant sum to address issues -and most issues were reflected in price. I now feel like a bit of an idiot for not knocking down a bit more for roofing costs - but I relied on survey for this.

moneyistooshorttomention

The surveyors on both my starter house and current house weren't up to much:mad: and I'm upset with them - but, bad as they both were, the one for my first house (a Victorian terrace, built 1880s) did say "The roof needs replacing - I estimate it will last you another 3-5 years".

In the event - (because I felt at risk of becoming unemployed again and would have had a 100% roof grant if that happened) I left the roof and did other work first. It "went" on me about 14 years into having that house (ie it would have been about 110 years old at that point) - and I did it then (and yep...it was with a loan).

If your house is 120 years old - it is true that that roof was going to need replacing pronto. Nevertheless, not sure you'd get very far with the surveyor for not mentioning it.

Davesnave

The surveyor went to the default position for an old roof by saying 'periodic maintenance' and a roofing company found the situation was much worse than that.....hmmm.

Anyway, the new roof covering goes on today, so it's too late for a second opinion on your surveyor's advice. I doubt you could find anyone to say it was totally unjustified.

Am I correct that we haven't been told what level of survey you had?