Neighbour's new pitched roof draining onto my flat roof -no gutter

[amandae87]

Hello

I would be grateful if someone can advise please. I live in a 1970s semi which previously had a flat roof across the front of both properties covering the porch and front part of the integrated garage.
My neighbour has recently had their side changed to a pitched, tiled roof, with a pitch to the front and both sides. The roofer has put guttering on the side away from mine and the front but nothing on the shared side in the middle. This means the rain running off the side of their pitched roof runs down onto my flat roof and lies in a puddle. When asked, they said the roofer has double felted the area (there isn't a dip) next to where this runs off. He couldn't put a gutter here as it would mean she would have to have a new down pipe. A downpipe already runs down the middle from the main roof guttering to the drain on the ground just on my side.

My questions is whether this is acceptable, or if I should ask that they have guttering attached to the side to take this water to a downpipe.

I would really appreciate any thoughts.

Thank you

 

[motorbiking]

Its fairly obvious that this new roof (which seems a bit pointless tbh) increases the risk of water damage on your property. In the event that you suffer damage, you'd have an easy claim against the neighbour for the repair. Its basic common law, not to do anything that causes damage to someone's land.

I'm no roofer, but I'd have thought a hidden gutter could have been built?

EDIT: the pic you uploaded isn't great, you need one standing on your roof or from a ladder

 

[amandae87]

Thank you, that's an interesting point and reassuring.

I've just spoken to the roofer and he said something different than the neighbour told me, he said they didn't put in a gutter as it would have meant holes in the felt where their roof joins my flat roof through which water could potentially come in. He said it means a little extra water comes onto my roof but mine seems sound so it won't matter.

I don't know what to think.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The roofer either knows he shouldn't be using your roof and is lying or is a crap roofer and simply doesn't know. The roof should have been built higher so that there would have been an upstand for a gutter to connect to. You have every right (legally) to expect them to not use your roof though going legal is easier said than done. Post some good pics including some from the top though from your window. And BTW chances are he would require planning permission for adding that roof.

 

[motorbiking]

you can't ignore it. ignore it for a few years and a right is established, which any survey will comment on.

I'd avoid going heavy with the next door neighbour. though you could send your foto to planning enforcement. problem is you have to keep living there.

invite them round. tell them you understand its annoying for them to incur extra cost, but you can't ignore it as if affects your property should you sell. suggest you understand they needed planning. but the last thing you want is to involve planning enforcement.

see what they are willing to accept. the roofer knows exactly what he should have done. he just doesn't want the expense.

personally I think it looks poo. but we need better pictures to comment. it might be 100% ok

Also were you served a party structure notice ? see
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/40/section/3

again without a better photo its not clear if the roof is supported by the existing party wall.

 

[amandae87]

Thank you for the replies. I didn't receive any notices but my neighbour told me it was going ahead and how much it would be to have the two roofs done. It's hard to get a better photo from the front as the house is on quite a steep drive and the street is lower down but attached is one from the front upper window.

 

[amandae87]

Thank you for the replies. I didn't receive any notices but my neighbour told me it was going ahead and how much it would be to have the two roofs done. It's hard to get a better photo from the front as the house is on quite a steep drive and the street is lower down but attached is one from the front upper window and one from Google maps pre roof.

thank you

 

[motorbiking]

hopefully a roofer will comment on how it should have been done. Are there any other houses in the road like this? Any idea what this cost to build? It definitely needed a gutter at the very least.

What is the orange stuff? is that felt? have they just built this on top of the old roof?

 

[catlad]

Well a simple solution would have been to run a short length of gutter and letting it drain into the hopper instead of that length of rain water pipe, and then the shared down pipe could drain into the short length of guttering that in turn drains into the hopper.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

It looks like there's a bit of an upstand so seems a shame he didn't use a bit more nous to achieve a better solution.

 

[Nige F]

What is the orange stuff? is that felt? have they just built this on top of the old roof?

I wondered that too
but look on the map pic and it's the brickwork ! so there is in effect a small upstand of the party wall between the garages.

 

[amandae87]

Thank you for your replies. Yes the orange is extra felt he put on top of mine to create the join between the two roofs. It cost about £2000 for the neighbour's roof. Would have been about £1800 each if we both had it done.
I've taken another photo from the road which might make it a bit clearer.

 

[amandae87]

I've just reread a post. Sorry, yes they built the new pitch on top of the flat roof.

 

[motorbiking]

I can see why you didn't waste £2k - its pointless - is the boundary at the edge of the tiles or the horizontal drain pipe?

Does your neighbour like it? - its got to be chopped back and as a minimum a gutter added, but really he should have sealed and flashed it to stop water running under it. I suspect the water gets under the roof as easily as its pooling on yours. In which case their roof will also get damaged.

 

[catlad]

It looks hideous why has he taken it so high