A botched roofing job. What to do?

UnderALeakyRoof

I am sorry for a long post. The situation takes places in London.

TL;DR: A roofing contractor with great reviews has done a botched job and disputes the scope of work plus I think I am being severly overcharged.

I have a problem with a leak in the loft. My roof was in quite a bad shape so I decided that the best way would be to replace it.

I live in a terraced house and the front roof is pitched and on the back there is a dormer with a flat roof and narrow pitched roof on the sides.

When I talked to the contractors I made clear that I want whole roof replaced and that included the dormer.

I had quotes from a number of contractors and I selected one that had hundreds of great reviews on mybuilder and the account is a couple of years old.

The quote was more expensive than the other contractors but given the great reviews I thought I will pay for a quality work. The contract is a fixed fee with a list of jobs that should be done including all materials.

The first mistake I did is that I paid half amount upfront (about £5000). They insisted that they need this much to buy the materials.

Their subcontractor put the scaffolding up in a way that when there was a rain, all the water would have poured at neighbour's door. It has been two weeks ago and they have not fixed it despite I asked for it numerous times, now my neighbour hates me.

When they came to start the works, they started to take the roof apart and then told me they don't have the tiles I wanted. That is two weeks after I paid the instalment. They wanted to pressure me into the cheaper tiles (and not the quality and colour I wanted), that they had in their yard.I told them to put the roof back as it was and come back with the right tiles. They were very upset and made me feel that I am not acting in a good faith and they said the tiles they had were "just as good". When I requested to show me what exactly are these tiles they refused and kept asking what is my problem.

Magically they got the right tiles two days later and made me feel bad that I "forced" them to get the tiles I paid for.

They started the job again and that was the whole day of issues. For example I noticed they put an insulation that was not in the agreement. I asked them to tell me what exactly they put and they were saying that I am disrespectful because I don't trust them. I managed to dig the packaging from the skip, but I am not sure if this is the material they put or they put something old. They won't tell me. I am also not sure how can I check they put the thickness they said they put.

I also noticed that they wanted to paint over the lead instead of replacing it as agreed. They played dumb for a while and then immediately went to the supplier to buy the lead.

Towards the end of the day they said they completed the re-roofing, but I noticed they have not touched the dormer.

I said that this is not what we agreed and they say they never said they will do anything with the dormer. The contract states the whole roof will be replaced, but it doesn't specifically say the dormer will be replaced too. I thought the whole roof also means the dormer and that is what they verbally confirmed before I paid the instalment. Now they say if the work had included the dormer that would be specified in the contract and that it is not their problem.

The whole point of this work was to replace everything, so I am baffled.

They said they can do the dormer, but that will be a separate job and they said I need to pay them an extra £8000 to do it on top of the remainder of the contract. That would be way over (over a triple) what other contractors quoted me.

I asked other contractors about their quote and every single one says their quote includes the dormer and they don't understand why it would be a separate job. I would have never paid so much money if the work didn't include the dormer.

Today I asked my friend who is a builder to come and have a look at the work done so far and he thinks they botched it.

For example the tiles are not aligned properly, the pattern is not uniform and the sides are not level.

What would be your advice? They are coming on on Monday to complete the remaining work.

I have a feeling that I am being scammed. I don't understand why they have so many good reviews, they are listed as verified etc. they also keep saying they have been in this job for 25 years and have never had such a difficult client and they keep telling me I am unreasonable.

I would tell them that I will not pay the remainder until I get someone qualified to check the work. Can they object to that?

Contract states that I need to pay the rest once the work is completed.

I don't know what to do about the dormer? I asked other contractor and he said he can do it no problem for £1500. Can I deduct this amount from the current contract?

What is my legal standing? How can I find legal help - I could contact a lawyer on Monday, but how do I find the right one?

At some point when we talked about the dormer, they threatened me that they are happy to take everything (including the roof) and leave the job. Can they legally do that?

If we don't come to an agreement can I ask them to leave without dismantling the roof? I am worried they would try to damage my property.

Should I call the police when this happens or when they don't want to leave? I am thinking of worst case scenario.

I would love to come to an agreement, but they say one thing and do another and I simply lost trust.

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate some input.

Jeepers_Creepers

Jeepers.

Do you have 'Legal Protection' in your house insurance? Good - call them up for guidance tomorrow morning. 

Based on what you say - and only on what you say - they have not been a good company. You asked for quotes to replace the whole roof? In which case they should have either quoted for the WHOLE roof or made it clear that the flat dormer roof was not included for whatever reason (eg. it was in very good condition and didn't need work.) Are the dormer's side pitched roofs also tile like the rest of the house? If so, they should also have made it clear if they were NOT replacing this, and explained why. Failing that, they should have included it.

The way I see it - and I think any reasonable person/independent judge - if you asked for quotes for replacing the WHOLE roof, the onus is on roofers to state quite clearly any parts they DON'T include, and why. 

To quote an additional £8k for recovering a dormer - especially when they are already on the job - is insane, and pretty conclusive evidence that they are a poor company.

The quote also included new lead? It states this in the quote? And they tried to get away with a coat of paint? That's pretty conclusive, too, of a poor company. 

The 'cheaper' tiles they tried to palm off on you - can you demonstrate clearly that they are of a lesser quality, and different colour to what you wanted? Good - that's also conclusive evidence on a poor company.

The actual problem with the scaffolding was largely down to the scaffolding company the roofer used, but the responsibility to sort any problems is the roofer's; you employed the roofer, and the roofer employed the scaffolder. Did you complain to the roofer? And they did nothing? Good - that's conclusive evidence that they are a poor company. 

The poor quality of their work will - I suspect - require an independent surveyor to confirm should you need to take this further. Meanwhile, if you post some photos on here, there are some well qualified folk who'll be able to give you some decent judgements on this. 

A £half upfront payment seems high, but roofing materials would come to around this amount. However, I wouldn't expect a reputable roofer to ask for this amount upfront - they should, themselves, have some contingency, and only ask for what is essential in terms of materials at the start. Further staged payments would cover further materials but mostly labour, and in any case this should have been outlined at the very beginning of the job. They didn't? That's more evidence of a poor company.

Can they object to you having the work assessed independently? No! Of course not! 

When discussing the dormer, they tried the tired old threat of "we'll take it all off and leave, pal" malarkey?! Good grief - that's further evidence of a very poor company. Can they do that? Not legally, they cannot - you have paid for these materials, so they are yours. To go on your roof and remove tiles if you've asked them not to is criminal trespass - yes, you can call the police, but certainly have your phone ready to record their behaviour and you telling them you are disputing only the dormer, so leave the roof alone. 

If, at the end of this hell, they finish the main roof to your 'satisfaction' but refuse to do the dormer, then - yes, I would say it's reasonable to withhold the amount it'll cost for another roofer to do this.

At ALL times be utterly calm and don't get drawn in to 'silly' arguments. State you case clearly and concisely, repeat the key points each time, sticking to the pertinent facts - and have your phone on 'record' as you do so:

"I asked for the WHOLE roof to be replaced. How could you think this did NOT include the dormer?! Every other quote I obtained - mostly cheaper than you - included this."

"I informed you the scaffolding was causing a nuisance to my neighbour who is very upset as a result - you did NOTHING to sort this."

"I specified the tile I wanted, and you agreed this at the quoting stage. You then tried to fob me off with a cheaper tile in a colour I did not want!"

"I asked for new lead and you tried to get away with painting the old stuff!"

"You tried to charge me £8k for recovering the dormer - that's close to the cost of the whole of the rest of the whole roof. I consider that little more than an attempt at extortion." 

"AND the work you have done is not to a professional standard!"