Rainwater causing wet plaster

Vinniep

My elderly mum has a bay window at the front of her house. A couple of years ago rain started to leak into the top of the bay every time there was a bad storm. The house insurance said it was nothing to do with them. Mum has tried to get it repaired but nothing has worked. Every time it rains now water runs across the ceiling of the bay and down windows onto carpet. The plaster is sodden and looks like it is going to collapse in. Her carpet is permanently wet. Surely this is something that the home insurance company should put right? My mum is scared to ring them as they said no when it started. It’s a lot worse now. 

strawb_shortcake

Surely it's a maintenance issue not an insurance issue? What attempts of repair has there been and by whom? Have you checked the flashing, pointing and tiles as that's likely where the rain water is coming from.

molerat

I suspect the insurance see it as a maintenance issue rather than a claimable event. Bay windows don't just start leaking, something deteriorates over time.  She needs to get a competent builder in to sort it.

FreeBear

molerat said: I suspect the insurance see it as a maintenance issue rather than a claimable event. Bay windows don't just start leaking, something deteriorates over time.  She needs to get a competent builder in to sort it.

Or a competent roofer - Depending on the style of roof over the bay, it could be leaking flashing (pitched & tiled roof), or failing felt (flat roof). Regardless of the type of roof, I would recommend that insulation is added when the leak is being fixed. A pitched roof would need a few tiles being taken up so that fibreglass/rockwool can be spread out in the void. A flat roof would be better stripped right back, insulated, new boards laid, then EPDM put on top (or lead/zinc if appropriate for the age/construction of the property). It won't be a particularly cheap job, but it shouldn't cost more than £2K.

If left, you run the risk of roof timbers rotting, and if the floor is getting wet, floorboards & joists rotting - Both will end up costing quite a bit more to fix, so the roof needs to be done as soon as possible.

Vinniep

Thanks for your comments. You would think a competent builder or roofer would be able to sort it. Unfortunately it seems neither exist in the north west of England. She has spent a lot of money trying to have it fixed without success. 

tacpot12

It is easy to spend a lot of money chasing down intractable problems. Competent builders and roofers are hard to find. The method to find them is usually word of mouth. 

I do agree that the issue is down to maintenance and not something that could be insured against. 

Technically, bay windows are pretty simple. There is a waterproof covering over the bay (that might be lead or GRP) and this covering is tied into the wall. The covering is taken over the bay so that water falls into the gutter. If the waterproof covering is intact, the only source of ingress at high level is where the covering is tied into the wall.
If is not clear whether the water is coming into the room on the ground floor or on the upper storey. 

GRP and lead can fail prematurely if they are not supported adequately. 

If the gutters on the top bay are not working correctly, then much more water will come down the windows and potentially leak into the downstairs room. Rainater will tend to track around surfaces, so it can flow down the windows, over the window sill and curl back under the sill. The cill should have a groove underneath, like those shown on the window sills here: Capillary-grooves (builderbill-diy-help.com) 

If the water is coming into the downstairs room, sorting the gutters out, and cleaning out the grooves if they have become choked with paint will help, as will filling any gap under the cill between the cill and the wall with a good exterior mastic. You should also check that pointing to the brickwork around the window, and the render if the section between the two bays is rendered. 

Anyone who has had water ingress like this will sympathise with you and your mother.