Damp ceilings by walls found couple of days after moving ins after moving in

eurobabe

We moved in Thursday to find the ceiling and walls in corner of to rooms damp.Also 2 other spots in wardrobe there is previous water damage. Previous work to the roof has been done, survey brought it up to check with solicitor and the reply back to solicitor said they had general repairs done to maintain roof. This didn't go any further after this point.
After moving in we've found these damp patches and we can also see evidence of previous water puddles on top of the ceiling in the loft.
Had a roofer out and he's said the roof has had lots of repair work for done to it and that he's unable to find the source if the leak and is suggesting relaying or replacing the entire roof.
Is there anyway I can claim for this other than on my house insurance which I might not be able to do.I would've thought the surveyor should've checked walls below where he roof was visibly repaired?It eas a struc survey vut I think form pics he took readings not on these walls

pinkshoes

eurobabe said:

We moved in Thursday to find the ceiling and walls in corner of to rooms damp.Also 2 other spots in wardrobe there is previous water damage. Previous work to the roof has been done, survey brought it up to check with solicitor and the reply back to solicitor said they had general repairs done to maintain roof. This didn't go any further after this point.
After moving in we've found these damp patches and we can also see evidence of previous water puddles on top of the ceiling in the loft.
Had a roofer out and he's said the roof has had lots of repair work for done to it and that he's unable to find the source if the leak and is suggesting relaying or replacing the entire roof.
Is there anyway I can claim for this other than on my house insurance which I might not be able to do.I would've thought the surveyor should've checked walls below where he roof was visibly repaired?It eas a struc survey vut I think form pics he took readings not on these walls

The key bit is in bold. The evidence of damp would have been there when you viewed, and "general repairs done to maintain the roof" does not in any way make it clear that anything has been done to tackle the damp issue. I would personally have pushed this much further, wanting to see any paperwork and guarantees.

Your surveyor flagged this as an advisory and told you to look into it, so it was then up to you to get further checks done, so I don't think you can blame the surveyor for this. What exactly was their wording?

Roof leaks are notoriously difficult to fix - ours leaks when it rains heavily but I have NO IDEA where the rain gets in! This is probably why they're advising to replace the entire roof!

ThisIsWeird

Hi Eurobabe.

I cannot see your house insurance paying for this unless the damage was caused to a 'good condition' roof by a storm. You could try, but expect a fine-toothed to be checking it.

What level of survey was carried out on the property? And what did they say about the roof? 

I'm not sure what the expectation is on a seller to provide info on 'known' issues, but if an ongoing leak was simply painted over for sale, then there 'may' be a possible claim. But, not an easy thing to do, I understand.

So, I suspect you are stuffed.

It's a bit pants for a roofer to not be able to trace where the leak is coming from, but it can sometimes be tricky. I would suggest asking at least a couple more roofers for repair quotes, and try and put off a full roof recover until you have the money saved.

You aren't planning a roof conversion or anything in the future?

Sarahspangles

eurobabe said:

We moved in Thursday to find the ceiling and walls in corner of to rooms damp.Also 2 other spots in wardrobe there is previous water damage. Previous work to the roof has been done, survey brought it up to check with solicitor and the reply back to solicitor said they had general repairs done to maintain roof. This didn't go any further after this point.
After moving in we've found these damp patches and we can also see evidence of previous water puddles on top of the ceiling in the loft.
Had a roofer out and he's said the roof has had lots of repair work for done to it and that he's unable to find the source if the leak and is suggesting relaying or replacing the entire roof.
Is there anyway I can claim for this other than on my house insurance which I might not be able to do.I would've thought the surveyor should've checked walls below where he roof was visibly repaired?It eas a struc survey vut I think form pics he took readings not on these walls

You can’t safely assume the water is getting in from above. You need to check after rain and see if there is now water in the loft. It could be poor ventilation from cooking, bathing and breathing. 

ThisIsWeird

Sarahspangles said:

You can’t safely assume the water is getting in from above. You need to check after rain and see if there is now water in the loft. It could be poor ventilation from cooking, bathing and breathing. 

Nah - it's deffo a leak :-)

RelievedSheff

Welcome to the world of home ownership.

eurobabe

Sarahspangles said:

eurobabe said:

We moved in Thursday to find the ceiling and walls in corner of to rooms damp.Also 2 other spots in wardrobe there is previous water damage. Previous work to the roof has been done, survey brought it up to check with solicitor and the reply back to solicitor said they had general repairs done to maintain roof. This didn't go any further after this point.
After moving in we've found these damp patches and we can also see evidence of previous water puddles on top of the ceiling in the loft.
Had a roofer out and he's said the roof has had lots of repair work for done to it and that he's unable to find the source if the leak and is suggesting relaying or replacing the entire roof.
Is there anyway I can claim for this other than on my house insurance which I might not be able to do.I would've thought the surveyor should've checked walls below where he roof was visibly repaired?It eas a struc survey vut I think form pics he took readings not on these walls

You can’t safely assume the water is getting in from above. You need to check after rain and see if there is now water in the loft. It could be poor ventilation from cooking, bathing and breathing. 

 That's something I intend to do the kitchen extractor is pretty crap and at worktop level, so that's hardly helping.were pretty good at ventilating and wiping down any damp in windows.there us a possibility that the excess humid air is getting to a part of the loft with little insulation and condensing.the roof insulation has also been done poorly in that some of it is blocking the wave vents, foil back bagged insulation is upside down and has loft boards on top of it so it's flattened.Ive also got a humidifier running to dry the damp walls out.when there another heavy down pour I'll have a look at the gutters and loft to see if I can find a leak

eurobabe

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi Eurobabe.

I cannot see your house insurance paying for this unless the damage was caused to a 'good condition' roof by a storm. You could try, but expect a fine-toothed to be checking it.

What level of survey was carried out on the property? And what did they say about the roof? 

I'm not sure what the expectation is on a seller to provide info on 'known' issues, but if an ongoing leak was simply painted over for sale, then there 'may' be a possible claim. But, not an easy thing to do, I understand.

So, I suspect you are stuffed.

It's a bit pants for a roofer to not be able to trace where the leak is coming from, but it can sometimes be tricky. I would suggest asking at least a couple more roofers for repair quotes, and try and put off a full roof recover until you have the money saved.

You aren't planning a roof conversion or anything in the future?

Structural survey.Vendor usually states in paperwork no known floods/leaks.But as you say it'll be very hard to prove as this leak could have developed after we move in but looks very unlikely due to all the previous work and they've also painted heavily over the plaster where it gets damp and then papered over that.Roofer said lots of work has been done but unable to locate leak and scratching his head,.Were planing on extending it or converting the garage neither if those have much affect on the roof.It just means my savings will likely get wiped for the future with the roof if it needs redoing.

eurobabe

RelievedSheff said:

Welcome to the world of home ownership.

Thanks for the helpful comment I've been a home owner for many years now.

Sarahspangles

eurobabe said:

Sarahspangles said:

You can’t safely assume the water is getting in from above. You need to check after rain and see if there is now water in the loft. It could be poor ventilation from cooking, bathing and breathing. 

 That's something I intend to do the kitchen extractor is pretty crap and at worktop level, so that's hardly helping.were pretty good at ventilating and wiping down any damp in windows.there us a possibility that the excess humid air is getting to a part of the loft with little insulation and condensing.the roof insulation has also been done poorly in that some of it is blocking the wave vents, foil back bagged insulation is upside down and has loft boards on top of it so it's flattened.Ive also got a humidifier running to dry the damp walls out.when there another heavy down pour I'll have a look at the gutters and loft to see if I can find a leak

Are you me? Every house I’ve moved into - and my kids’ student houses - has had some kind of damp problem that is self inflicted. It’s a lot easier to sort than people realise, by checking and fixing the sort of stuff you’ve listed. We only need to use a dehumidifier because OH insists his cycling gear has to dry inside.

ThisIsWeird

eurobabe said:

ThisIsWeird said:

Hi Eurobabe.

I cannot see your house insurance paying for this unless the damage was caused to a 'good condition' roof by a storm. You could try, but expect a fine-toothed to be checking it.

What level of survey was carried out on the property? And what did they say about the roof? 

I'm not sure what the expectation is on a seller to provide info on 'known' issues, but if an ongoing leak was simply painted over for sale, then there 'may' be a possible claim. But, not an easy thing to do, I understand.

So, I suspect you are stuffed.

It's a bit pants for a roofer to not be able to trace where the leak is coming from, but it can sometimes be tricky. I would suggest asking at least a couple more roofers for repair quotes, and try and put off a full roof recover until you have the money saved.

You aren't planning a roof conversion or anything in the future?

Structural survey.Vendor usually states in paperwork no known floods/leaks.But as you say it'll be very hard to prove as this leak could have developed after we move in but looks very unlikely due to all the previous work and they've also painted heavily over the plaster where it gets damp and then papered over that.Roofer said lots of work has been done but unable to locate leak and scratching his head,.Were planing on extending it or converting the garage neither if those have much affect on the roof.It just means my savings will likely get wiped for the future with the roof if it needs redoing.

There clearly have been leaks in the past - seemingly plenty of evidence. The hard thing to 'prove' would be whether they were ongoing, and the vendor knew - and intentionally covered them up.
Is your house of a vernacular peculiar to that area? If so, call up some more roofer/builders and ask if they are familiar with that style. They may just have peculiarities that a roofer is aware of that could cause this issue. At the very least, some fresh eyes trying to trace the source might be good.
How accessible is this area in the loft, where the old pooling can been seen, or where the current water lands before it seeps through to the house? Any possibility of putting treats up there to catch it? Let the damp patches dry out, and delay having to have extensive work done...
Does the roof look as tho' it's done its time?! How old is the house, and is it the original roof?