Purpose of roofing felt

Hi,

Apologies if this sounds a basic question...

Whilst laying new insulation in my loft, I noticed one of the loft floor boards is very damp and is starting to flake away badly, thus will need replacing. Now I've removed the insulation when it rains you can hear rain dripping onto the board.

The felt has come away above the damp area - however I would still not have expected rain to get in, I though felt kept out dampness rather than the rain itself? Can anyone clarify?

I'm looking to claim on my house insurance (as redecoration will be required), but if it's due to the felt having come away they'll just class it as wear and tear. I can't see if the tiles have been dislodged in anyway due to my extension in front of the main roof. If they have this would explain the leak and I should be able to claim as presumably high winds have dislodged the tiles.

Many Thanks.

What kind of tiles have you got ?

Water definately shouldn't drip in, even if the felt has broken away.

You should be able to claim on your insurance for any damage caused by the water leaking in - I'll be very surprised if you can claim on your insurance for the roof repair itself.....

Bankrupt said:

You should be able to claim on your insurance for any damage caused by the water leaking in - I'll be very surprised if you can claim on your insurance for the roof repair itself.....

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Depending on how the roof was damaged you shold be able to get insurance to pay, although it will be more fun pulling teeth.

I managed to get my mothers roof fixed after high winds ripped out a few slates, but only after 500 hundreed phone-calls and a constant theme of "mmmm not sure if we cover that, we need more info"

So, definatley look into it, but be prepared to want to kill your self after speaking to them.

Oh, and felt is not a water barrier, so should have no leeway with claiming for damage done inside the house. It`s at best a secondary support, but not the felts function

Just to clarify part of your original question: the felt is there primarily to guard against powdery snow blowing through gaps between the tiles. Anything it does over and above that is a bonus. In theory rain should never get to it.

There was a famous snowstorm in London in the late '70s when many people found themselves with several inches of snow in the loft. Doesn't often happen (has to be the right kind of snow as the weatherman would say).

Time to get the ladder out and investigate, I think.

Thanks for your replies. The key is that water shoudn't get in regardless of wether there is felt there or not.

I think the insurance company will pay for the damage caused by the leak, but not the leak itself, unless when I get up there I can see broken toile etc, which I might be able to blame on high winds...

Many thanks.

Felt was originally designed as a wind and crud barrier that also happened to be waterproof.

It is by no means meant as the main protection from the weather as this is the job of the roof tiles.

Felt, after all, is full of holes once the lathes are fixed.

If you have large concrete tiles.....Then the Headlap could be too small. All to save a couple of rows on each side of a roof . Had just this scenario @ my son`s flat...The whole roof had to be re done with a proper lap. BUT it was a commonhold block and only cost them £1k. They`ve moved on now . Good Old Dad said " Don`t touch Leasehold with a barge pole " . I would rather sign my soul to Satan, than sign a leasehold