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

eurobabe

ThisIsWeird said:

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?

It's a 1970s house lots of similar properties in he area and roofer is local.Ivr got some others having a look to to see if hey can figure it out.

ThisIsWeird

Good luck, and please keep us updated.

eurobabe

I've since noticed the brickwork needs repointing in places and there's are some small holes places.So that could be a possibility.

ThisIsWeird

eurobabe said:

I've since noticed the brickwork needs repointing in places and there's are some small holes places.So that could be a possibility.

A 1970's house will have cavity walls, so I have to say that some dodgy pointing letting in water is unlikely. But do point it out to your roofer.

Any chance of a photo of this pointing and holes?