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Advice required re.Home Insurance Roof Dispute
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splattoad
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hello,
First time poster so let me know if I'm breaking a rule somewhere. I'm a first time homeowner and have never been though anything like this before, so I'm after some basic advice about where I stand and how to proceed. Thank you in advance.
The storms back in Feb caused some damage to the cement verge on our roof. Chunks had blown down, and one particularly large chunk was left hanging out just over our front door. Spoke to the insurance co. the next day, who said the winds in our area had been sustained 60mph plus and they said they'd send an emergency team due to the risk of the cement lump and an assessor. Took nearly 2 weeks for the emergency team, who turned up, took a look and said that they would need scaffolding (cement was at the peak of our roof, so in effect 3 stories up). They left, never heard anything further from them. The lump later fell down overnight, fortunately no one was hurt.
The assessor took a few photos and made the decision it was due to wear and tear.
We know that the roof was looked at and repaired/replaced only ~5 years ago, as the gentleman we bought it off at that time had renovated the whole building. I have an email from him, including photos of some of the work done. We also had someone up on the roof a few years ago (unrelated work) and he conducted a survey while he was up there including taking photos, which concluded that the verge was doing ok, no work required. I have tried to contact this contractor but no success and have nothing in writing.
I have launched a dispute with the company regarding their decision. I have the feeling they will reject it as a matter of course.
And sometime in the past week (I've got a lung condition so have not been outside much in the past few weeks) the wind has lifted some of the tiles next to the verge. I can see at least 1 is at a 45 degree angle and is now hanging over the edge of the path to the front door. This is the only tile I can clearly see that has been displaced. I have rung my insurance yesterday, waiting for a call back.
Slight complication might be that my insurance provider is due to swap tomorrow. Dont know if this is a problem or not.
My questions right now - are any roofers working? Is it possible for me to get someone out to look while social distancing is in place? How much does it cost to get an opinion on the state of the roof? The repairs are likely to require scaffolding, and the area is basically down an alley ~1m wide (gap betweenmy house and the neighbours fence), so the scaffolding might not be possible? Has anyone got experience with scaffolding in tight spots? If I get the roof repaired are the insurance company able to just walk away from my dispute? If I can prove the storm damage, does that mean the subsequent tile damage is also covered? If I get any work done on my roof is that something I can claim back? Is one loose tile likely to cause major damage if I have to wait? What can I do to strengthen my claim?
Thank you in advance for any advice or answers. I really have nowhere to turn for advice and am feeling seriously out of my depth. Thank you.
First time poster so let me know if I'm breaking a rule somewhere. I'm a first time homeowner and have never been though anything like this before, so I'm after some basic advice about where I stand and how to proceed. Thank you in advance.
The storms back in Feb caused some damage to the cement verge on our roof. Chunks had blown down, and one particularly large chunk was left hanging out just over our front door. Spoke to the insurance co. the next day, who said the winds in our area had been sustained 60mph plus and they said they'd send an emergency team due to the risk of the cement lump and an assessor. Took nearly 2 weeks for the emergency team, who turned up, took a look and said that they would need scaffolding (cement was at the peak of our roof, so in effect 3 stories up). They left, never heard anything further from them. The lump later fell down overnight, fortunately no one was hurt.
The assessor took a few photos and made the decision it was due to wear and tear.
We know that the roof was looked at and repaired/replaced only ~5 years ago, as the gentleman we bought it off at that time had renovated the whole building. I have an email from him, including photos of some of the work done. We also had someone up on the roof a few years ago (unrelated work) and he conducted a survey while he was up there including taking photos, which concluded that the verge was doing ok, no work required. I have tried to contact this contractor but no success and have nothing in writing.
I have launched a dispute with the company regarding their decision. I have the feeling they will reject it as a matter of course.
And sometime in the past week (I've got a lung condition so have not been outside much in the past few weeks) the wind has lifted some of the tiles next to the verge. I can see at least 1 is at a 45 degree angle and is now hanging over the edge of the path to the front door. This is the only tile I can clearly see that has been displaced. I have rung my insurance yesterday, waiting for a call back.
Slight complication might be that my insurance provider is due to swap tomorrow. Dont know if this is a problem or not.
My questions right now - are any roofers working? Is it possible for me to get someone out to look while social distancing is in place? How much does it cost to get an opinion on the state of the roof? The repairs are likely to require scaffolding, and the area is basically down an alley ~1m wide (gap betweenmy house and the neighbours fence), so the scaffolding might not be possible? Has anyone got experience with scaffolding in tight spots? If I get the roof repaired are the insurance company able to just walk away from my dispute? If I can prove the storm damage, does that mean the subsequent tile damage is also covered? If I get any work done on my roof is that something I can claim back? Is one loose tile likely to cause major damage if I have to wait? What can I do to strengthen my claim?
Thank you in advance for any advice or answers. I really have nowhere to turn for advice and am feeling seriously out of my depth. Thank you.
0
Comments
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Yes, of course roofers are working. People haven't just been tolerating leaky roofs for the past few months.1
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From the description of the required work, the OP will probably be better off paying a roofer than claiming on their insurance. With a claim there will be an excess to pay and almost certainly an increase in premium too.
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Thank you. I've tried to contact two locally and had been told that the first was shielding and the second wasnt working for the same reason, hence my question.0
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where are you located? make sure you confirm the price before you get people to start work as you don't want to be surprised with a big bill for a small job1
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You've been unfortunate with trying to get hold of tradesmen. My neighbour lost ridge tiles during the March storms. It took a few weeks but he got a roofer out in the middle of the lockdown.splattoad said:Thank you. I've tried to contact two locally and had been told that the first was shielding and the second wasnt working for the same reason, hence my question.
1 -
Thank you all for the advice. It sounds like I'm best off keeping on with the local roofers and seeing what they quote.
Thanks again!0
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