Roof woes!

Feelingdoneover

Wondering if anyone could advise on our position

After the storm last weekend,part of the dry verge had blown down.  it has become apparent the roof will need to be fully replaced. The dry verge on the house has come down and after inspection by the roofing contractor it appears that the dry verge had been crudely refitted to hide the rotten and missing roof slats which  conventionally the verge should be fitted to.

The verge has been refitted crudely with blocks of wood .It is the opinion of the roofers this has been done to hide the defective roof slats, on lifting a few tiles the roof battens are either non existent or rotten and falling apart 

I have discovered a picture from Google street view which clearly shows the exact same dry verge covers missing in march 2023

In my opinion due to the picture from 2023 and the crude hiding of issues clearly says the sellers were aware of the extensive repairs needed .
The house was put on the market 1 month after the street view picture.
We had a survey carried out,but unless the verge had not been refitted,the tiles were lifted or internally the felt removed the issues would not be visible so I am not really blaming the survey
We are now faced with a costly re-roof and absolutely devastated, but one thing is 100% certain, when the verge was restored last year the sellers would have been informed exactly as we have and were fully aware of what has now slapped us in the face
Is there anything we can do or have we been stitched and have to suck it up

Any advice would be greatly appreciated 

tacpot12

If you have home insurance, check to see if you have legal expenses cover. If you do, you can call the Legal Helpline provided by your insurer for professional legal advice.

Just be aware that the seller may claim, and even be correct, that they were dupped by a cowboy roofer. 

anselld

They would be aware of deterioration to the ends of the battens when refitting the verge, but unless tiles were lifted they may not have been aware of the overall condition of the battens.  Indeed if they are as bad as described I am not sure how numerous tiles have not started slipping down.  It may be worth having a second opinion or having a look yourself if you are able.

Either way there is no chance of claiming against the previous owners.

Grizebeck

Just suck it get a new roof done and move on

Spies

No chance of recourse unfortunately as it's impossible to prove one way or another 

RelievedSheff

Welcome to the world of home ownership.

It is your home and your responsibility to do your due diligence before buying. You now own the property it is your responsibility to maintain it.

theartfullodger

RelievedSheff said:

.............................. You now own the property it is your responsibility to maintain it.

-- or to chose not to maintain it or live with the consequences (walk down many streets and see the evidence that this happens quite often...)