Roof Insulation Cancellation of Contract

Chappy83

Hi, sorry for long winded message, but just after advice and thought I'd give all the details first:

My Wife had a cold call visit from one of those roof foam insulation companies asking if we would like a free consultation and no obligation quote as we might be eligible for a grant.

Intrigued she agreed and a surveyor came to our house to inspect the loft. After finishing he came down all serious and explained that our roof was the worst he'd ever inspected in terms of damp and mold and that if we didn't do something urgently, we'd need a new roof!

Both my wife and I know nothing about roofing and so were shocked and felt sick to our stomachs. He showed us pictures of the felt and rafters, some of which had tide marks and build up of mould, as well as moisture readings of the beams ranging from 30 to 80% (I rarely go into the loft space except for quick storage as there is no lighting up there, so had no idea of the condition).

He said work had to be done right away as a priority and quoted £7,000 if we sorted  ventilation ourselves and then they apply open cell foam with breathable membrane in between to the 66sq foot roof!

Shocked, we explained that we had very little money, to which he responded that he would apply a 33% grant. I said we needed a day or two to digest what he had told us and to assess our finances and other repairs that needed doing, to which he replied this is your priority. When I reiterated to have a couple of days he said fine, but he will remove the grant and the price will go back up. This got my back up and I accused him of holding us to ransom. He back tracked and said he'd phone his boss to get an extension on the quote. When he got off he said because of the state of the roof, we qualify for a case study which involves two further visits to assess improvement after the work had been done, and the £1,500 they would receive for this would come off the total price, bringing it down to £3,800 if we signed that day.

We reluctantly agreed, mainly through sheer fear and with foggy heads (after an intense hour of discussions with him), and agreed to a 10 year finance at 9% interest (£50 a month!).

After he left, and the dust settled, we started looking into it and realised even £3,800 was high end, and we only wanted to deal with the initial problem of moisture first and foremost. I also sent my own pictures of the loft to a building contractor friend of a friend who said, from initial pictures, it looks like there's absolutely nothing wrong with the roof, but would inspect in person this coming weekend to make sure. 

My wife sent a cancellation email quoting our 14 day cooling off period that same day (this was outlined in their own Ts&Cs). We had no response, so sent one again a few days later, this time using a citizens advice letter template quoting our rights and requesting their confirmation of cancellation. Again no response.

The agreed installation date is now fast approaching and I fear the company will now plead ignorance and claim that no email was received and charge us for bought materials and loss of earnings. What are my rights in this situation? Have I done everything I need to or should I try calling or turning up in person?

I didn't want to take this route as an email is hard evidence of cancellation, rather than my word against theirs. 

I have recent health problems and other house problems that are concerning me and this added burden is really stressing me out! 

Any help would be much appreciated. TIA

FreeBear

You have emailed them a cancellation notice as per terms of contract, job done. If you have any paperwork for the finance, make sure that you contact the lender and tell them that the contract is cancelled.

If the insulation "installers" turn up and try to claim that the materials have been specially ordered, tell them to go away - The chemicals have a six month shelf life and they can quite easily use it on another job. You should also report this company to Trading Standards (via CAB) for misleading & high pressure sales tactics.

bolwin1

I'd go belt & braces on this & also send them a covering letter via recorded delivery, including a printed copy of the first cancellation email you sent them.

davemorton

Please ensure you report them, as this sort of sales is just not on.  You could also put the name of the company in this thread (or has MSE stopped this now?) so that it comes up on google searches. 

BUFF

Foam insulated ceilings can cause issues when trying to resell your house. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/insulation/article/spray-foam-insulation-ajTlp7t5K7lT

robatwork

Don't let them in.

I pulled out of a house purchase due to this awful stuff on the roof tiles.