General Chat

Flipping, flipping rain.Sorry peeps just letting of a bit of steam.
We came back from a couple of days away last august to find our roof had been leaking and water had come into the bathroom, bedroom,downstairs loo and kitchen.
Called insurance company and they said the roof problem was wear and tear so we wern't covered but inside was accidental damage so they would rectify that.
Well we had roofers in to repair roof and after a couple of weeks guess what. Roof was leaking again. got in touch with the roofer who had now gone out of bussiness!!
Had another guy come to see what problem was and he repaired a few tiles costing us yet more money.
Decorators started on kitchen and other rooms but guess what. more rain and more leaks.
Every time we have somebody in to look at roof they say something else is wrong or that they dont know what the problem is.
We are both pensioners and living of our pensions and I am at my wits end, not sleeping and worrying about this all the time.
I know this is not life threatening and not an illness like some poor souls on here but I just do not know where to turn to next.

Sorry peeps. feel a bit better getting it written down. perhaps it will stop raining soon.!!!
Ann

Ann
I wonder if you could ask a surveyor to come and tell you exactly what is needed.? I do not live in the UK so do not know what the cost would be but it would at least let you know exactly why there is a problem.
I also wonder if there are any people at the local college who are on course re roof repairs and they may be able to help with qualified tutor working with them. I know that in the past when working in the UK I used students of all ages to assist in some types of work.
Also would the local authority have someone they could recommend.?

I do hope that you reseolve this soon.
good luck
B

SpanishEyes,
Thank you for your advice.
I wasnt expecting anyone to reply to my comments but this is what I like about this 'genes family'
Someone usually has good advice or even a few kind words.
Many thanks again.
Ann

Ann you have my sympathy. I seem to have attracted some cowboys in my time but a few months ago I found water running down the bathroom door. Presumed it was the tank in the loft, but found out it was a hole in the roof letting the rain in. This time I found a local lad, who has done ( so far ) a really good job, however......when the roll of felt was dropped on the roof prior to fixing, the vibration sent shock waves through the ceiling of the bathroom, resulting in a dozen pieces of plaster dropping down, revealing the nails, holding the plaster board in place.....looks a bit like Beirut in the 70's Because he has done such a good job on the roof I haven't the heart to tell him what a mess the bathroom ceiling is......but this doesn't help you I know.
My advice is to find a roofer by someone else's recommendation. As you say it isn't life threatening, but anything that keeps us awake at night is a worry. Also get a couple or so quotes before anybody does anything . Sometimes listening to their advice can help you make the right decision. They are not all dishonest......it just seems so when you can hear water dripping......I wish you well in your search- jl

Ann, it is worrying when this happens and you just dread the bad weather. I had water come in when the snow melted, it was leaking where the felting under the tiles meets the guttering as that is the wear and tear zone. Fortunately I'd had to have the other side of the roof done before we moved in so I used the same people as they are local and know the style of roof well.

It is worth asking your insurance company if they have a list of approved contractors, though that doesn't help with the expense. Also might try contacting AgeUK locally ( used to be Age Concern) they may have approved list of roofers and some may give discount for pensioners.

AgeUk may also be able to guide you re any possible grant? As you are pensioners, you 'might' be eligible for a 'crisis loan' from the the Social security...worth asking, if you can't find Ageuk locally try the CAB for that as they will know the criteria.

Janet,
Thanks for your reply.Dont know of anyone else with roof problems unfortunatly so cannot get recomendations.Originally had a few quotes but once someone has done work nobody else seems to want to take over.Sorry to hear about your bathroom ceiling but know what you mean about not having the heart to tell the guy about it.
RamblingRose.
Thanks for your reply too.
will look into all you suggested.Have been in touch with local authority but no loans because of cash shortages. Know how they feel !!
Thanks again .

Ann, are either of you ex service people? The armed forces do well in some circumstances, the local SSafa branch, which will be in the phone book, are very ready to help with advice and sometimes monetary help too.

Thanks Jean but unfortunatly we are not ex service.I know they are very good helping people as they helped my mum when she needed it as dad was in the services. Thanks anyway.
Ann

Hi Ann, I had a leaking roof a while ago. The insurance also told me it was wear and tear even though we had strong winds the night before which had blown a couple of slates off. I argued that as the rest of the roof is fine and the tiles which blew off were at the end surely, if they had slipped previously it was due to high winds and not wear and tear.
They wouldn't budge so I had to get a roofer in who did a very good job of it. He told me that insurance companies always say "It's wear and tear" but, he advised if it happens again to call a roofer out first to assess the roof and they can then give their professional opinion to the insurance company. He said they usually pay out when this is done.
Sorry I can't recommend anyone as I don't know the part of the country you live in however there are websites which recommend professionals in your local area who are members of trade bodies and their work is insured. Just a thought.
Hope everything gets sorted out soon xx

Thanks for your reply Katherine,
We did get a roofer to assess the repairs first off. The Insurance people still said it was wear and tear as no storms had been had in the area and nobody else had been affected!!!
Thanks anyway
Ann xx