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PLASTIC COVERING ON ROOF IN LOFT

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First time buyer... Level 2 Home Survey came back with 'concerns' regarding roof covered in the plastic done by previous owners.

Me and my partner don't know whether its suppose to be there or if we should remove it.
Also, if any damage, who is liable? we have signed mortgage deeds so for but that's it.

ADVICE NEEDED ASAP :) 

Comments

  • user1977
    user1977 Posts: 17,821 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    Have you spoken to your surveyor about it?
  • marcia_
    marcia_ Posts: 3,410 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
     Can you look under the plastic? Perhaps hiding damage or spray foam 
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 18,002 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Bailey725 said:

    First time buyer... Level 2 Home Survey came back with 'concerns' regarding roof covered in the plastic done by previous owners.
     

    Just to clarify - when you say done by 'previous owners'. I guess you don't mean the 'current owners', but the people who owned before them.

    A good starting point would be to ask the 'current owners' why it's there. Even if the current owners didn't put it there, they (or their surveyor) might have asked the same question when they bought, and/or found out since.


    Then you can say to your own surveyor "The current owners say it's there because a, b and c. Does that make sense? Should it be removed and the timbers/roof re-inspected?"

    Bailey725 said:

    Also, if any damage, who is liable?

    If you buy the property and you later find damage, you would have to pay to fix it.

    But if you do further surveys and find damage before exchange of contracts, you are free to negotiate, if you want.

    For example, if you find damage that would cost £5k to repair - you could try to negotiate the price down by, say, £8k, or £5k, or £2.5k or whatever. (But the seller might refuse to budge on price.)


  • Silvertabby
    Silvertabby Posts: 10,138 Forumite
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    marcia_ said:
     Can you look under the plastic? Perhaps hiding damage or spray foam 
    That awful spray foam was my first guess as well.  No reason why your surveyor can't investgate further - a little access slit would be easily fixed with tape.

    But if the present owners won't allow that, then that would be a huge red flag for me....
  • Section62
    Section62 Posts: 9,812 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper

    That they've installed a light, used white plastic, and some of the structure and wall is painted white I'd keep a open mind on the plastic just being there to make the storage area more convenient/clean, rather than there necessarily being anything sinister going on. At a guess it may be the wrap from the loft insulation and someone had the 'bright' idea of nailing it to the rafters rather than leaving it cluttering up the loft.

    That said, the carpet in the foreground of the picture needs some investigation too....
  • Albermarle
    Albermarle Posts: 27,875 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Seventh Anniversary Name Dropper
    Most houses have a polymer type membrane on the underside of the roof. This is like a secondary protection in case of a leak in the main roof. 
    However many older houses do not have this and maybe putting this plastic up was a cheap way of protecting stored goods from any moisture or dust.?
  • ChirpyChicken
    ChirpyChicken Posts: 1,523 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    We had that in a previous old 2 bed mining terrace
    It was there because they used torching on the roof so it prevented the lime mortar dropping onto stuff in the loft. 
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