Soakaway full, guttering overflow, water drip inside

Jellynailer

My rainwater goes into a soakaway at the back but into a normal deep chamber in the front shared courtyard but rainwater for neighbours goes into a separate soakaway.  The front flooded last week but this cleared.  Tonight it has flooded again.

At the back at the same time I have been woken up by a drip to find the corner of my bed wet but, in tandem with the front, it cleared and the ceiling had dried by tonight.  Have been up since 1 a.m due to water ingress again.  The amount of water collected in a container since then is only about a cupful.

My bedhead is close to the window which is immediately under the edge of the roof with a box in to disguise the slope of the roof (= 1980s cowboy refurb of an 19th century cottage!).  The guttering under the lip of the roof has a hedgehog in it to prevent leaves from the many surrounding trees settling.

I have never had a problem before but think I should expect more of the unprecedented prolongued rain many of us have been experiencing.

I will post pictures inside and out tomorrow for advice on a solution other than enlarging the soakaway which is in my neighbour's garden and shared with them.  In the meantime, can I claim on my house insurance for at least the repair to my bedroom ceiling and guttering/roof work to make my home watertight again?

Jellynailer

cPanic over.  My home help took photos outside and there is one roof tile out of sync = nothing to do with the soakaway.  The tile is over the corner of my room and not where the ceiling overhand was dripping.  Current damp meter readings 7 ,8,to 9 in the corner.

FreeBear

Jellynailer said: In the meantime, can I claim on my house insurance for at least the repair to my bedroom ceiling and guttering/roof work to make my home watertight again?

You will probably find the excess to be way more than the cost of having a tile pushed back in place.

As for the soakaway, insurance would probably say "maintenance issue" so reject any claim. Quite possible that it is undersized for the size of roof and/or soil conditions. If that is the case, you may want to look at installing a few SUDS crates to cope with the extra rain water.

EssexHebridean

FreeBear said:

Jellynailer said: In the meantime, can I claim on my house insurance for at least the repair to my bedroom ceiling and guttering/roof work to make my home watertight again?

You will probably find the excess to be way more than the cost of having a tile pushed back in place.

As for the soakaway, insurance would probably say "maintenance issue" so reject any claim. Quite possible that it is undersized for the size of roof and/or soil conditions. If that is the case, you may want to look at installing a few SUDS crates to cope with the extra rain water.

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Jellynailer - the title of your thread  actually says that the soakaway is full, and your OP also states that aside from the leak at the back, the front of the house had also flooded in the heavy rain the other day. You also asked about claiming on the insurance. FreeBear was trying to help, and made a good point about the excess. 

FreeBear

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Not going to trawl the forum looking for all your other threads & posts and reading them before responding to specific points in *this thread.

Just remember, this forum is not mumsnet, and we try to give helpful responses to specific questions without being judgemental.

EssexHebridean

Could I urge you not to overlook the full soakaway and flooding to the front which you could  see from your front window. Clearly that is not a figment of your imagination - you are far too clear on what you could see for that - and also not related to the issue you suffered at the back of the property. Repeated flooding to the front of your property could end up causing problems with damp walls there, and possibly even black mould forming. It is clear from your comments elsewhere that this is something you have extreme concerns about, and as per your advice to an OP on another thread - incorrect in the context of their issue but relevant to you perhaps - it would probably be a good idea to get an expert to visit to establish the situation you are dealing with and ensure that things are put right. Of course being disabled makes things more complex - and allowing that from what you have said you aren’t in a position to be able to deal with routine maintenance jobs of this type yourself, it’s probably as well to find reliable tradesmen who can help you to ensure that the property is kept in good order. 

mybestattempt

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The only post I can see about an insurance claim suggested that the cost of roof repairs might exceed the insurance excess (and any claim for soakaway repairs would probably be rejected).

It was an opinion and meant as advice, there's nothing to stop you making a claim and your insurer will check out relevant information.

Please don't take this post as criticism of you.

I think I understand, from your many posts across several threads, that you are annoyed with some posters and face other difficulties.