New Builders responsibility for dangerous roof tiles.

isagan

I have a 5 year old new house from a large builder and recently a large concrete tile fell from the roof and smashed into the patio on a NON windy day, luckily the family was inside. I've contacted the builder but they said "your warranty with Berkeley Homes expired in May 2017 this is not something we would attend to.".
I concerned on the safety of the roof and tiles and as the house front is near a pavement and if another tile fell I'm very concerned of the consequences.
I've requested builder to check the roof as the guttering is lower then the roof line and if a tile falls it will not be caught by the guttering and you would not expect a 5 year old house to shed very large concrete tiles from the roof.
Who is responsible for the roof of a 5 year old new build property?

davidmcn

isagan said:

Who is responsible for the roof of a 5 year old new build property?

You are. It's your roof.

If you think you have an NHBC or similar warranty then you'd better go find it, but often they're fairly limited in what they cover.

Thrugelmir

Being 5 years old. No longer a new build.

pinkteapot

You only have a full warranty (which would cover roof tiles) for the first two years. In years 3-10, the warranty is much more limited and generally only covers major structural faults. Check the wording, but it's probably up to you to get a roofer out. 

I doubt they're concrete tiles. Looks more like slate. 

daveyjp

It will have been windy over the last 5 years.  If you don't check your roof regularly you don't know when it first slipped.  You are right to get it checked, but tiles and slates can and do slip and its part of home ownership to get them put back.

Our neighbour had a roof tile slip during the winter storm, they had no idea until I told them.

Doozergirl

The time that the roof tile falls doesn't necessarily equate with the wind.  

The roof is your responsibility right now. Out of the snagging period and not structural under the 10 year warranty. 

The_Warned

People have insurance for matters concrete tiles falling from a roof and injuring a third party. I suspect you already have this in place. Provided the building is maintained well, the insurance would pay out in the event of an accident.

Just because one tile fell, doesn't mean that any others will be likely to do the same.

The_Warned

pinkteapot said:

I doubt they're concrete tiles. Looks more like slate. 

Look too regular to be quarried stone and too hunky for slate IMO.

RelievedSheff

After the first two years builders warranty is expired then minor issues like slipped or loose roof tiles are the responsibility of the home owner to get repaired. Find a local roofer and get them to sort it out. It won't be expensive to replace a tile and inspect the rest of the roof for any further issues.

Roofs are one of the most exposed elements of any property.

eidand

as far as I remember the builder only covers the first 2 years, after that the NHBC 10 year one kicks in, or someone else depending on who the builder uses. Might want to check your documentation and give them a ring, when possible

ElephantBoy57

RelievedSheff said:

After the first two years builders warranty is expired then minor issues like slipped or loose roof tiles are the responsibility of the home owner to get repaired. Find a local roofer and get them to sort it out. It won't be expensive to replace a tile and inspect the rest of the roof for any further issues.
Roofs are one of the most exposed elements of any property.

How long should a brand new roof last, without a tile being shed? The builder of the house may not want to be responsible, but you could shame them into getting them to repair it.

As with the Sale of Goods Act, under the Consumer Rights Act, all products must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described. Not sure if the above applies to a house, but it certainly should.

https://hoa.org.uk/catalogues/buying-a-new-home-your-rights/files/assets/common/downloads/publication.pdf