Storm damage and not covered by insurance

[DVader]

Hi. I have had a building inspector visit my home to assess the damage to my roof after last week's storm. Two roof tiles came off and one landed on my car!

Apparently I am not covered by my insurance even to have the roof repaired. The inspector said the construction of the roof is not of the standards required. The house builder did not pin any of the roof tiles and hence rely solely on their weight to stay in place.

The house was built in 2001 by Countryside. Do I have a claim against Countryside?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Tile make and model, pitch (angle), gauge (distance between battens), location?

 

[DVader]

Sorry for the lack of details. I can relay what was said over the phone.

The roof tiles on the gable slopes were only held down by the fascia panels by friction basically.

Tiles beneath the ridge were only fixed by the mortar, and some are loose, waiting for the next wind????

Apparently all perimeter tiles need to be pinned, by none of mine are.

 

[joe-90]

What did your car insurers say?

 

[DVader]

Car insurers were ok.

The house insurers are saying they would not insure a building that is not built within construction regulations. They appreciate I am completely unknowing, but rules are rules.

It has now transpired, having spoken to the insurer, that my house is no longer insured and will not be until the roof is brought to building regs. I have spoken to legal advisor who confirms the insurer's stance on repair and future cover...................ouch!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Tile make and model, pitch (angle), gauge (distance between battens), location?

 

[DVader]

Sorry Freddie. I've no clue about the specific details of the roof.

Good news though. Legal advisor just rang to say that the survey carried out by the mortgage company should have picked it up. Although impossible to detect without removing tiles, the onus is with that initial survey to assure the mortgage lender the house is of building reg quality.

Fingers crossed.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What rubbish, how on earth would a homebuyers survey pick that up? Surveys have more get out clauses than insurance policies!

The thread won't go anywhere unless you give some basic information as requested.

 

[Alastairreid]

How do they know there are no tiles clipped?.

Did the loss adjusters send contractors up to check every tile on the roof was clipped?

You lose 2 tiles in a storm! how many tiles have you lost in previous high winds?

Depending on where you live, exposure, pitch of roof and type of tile will determine method of fixing, pattern of fixing etc.

I've being doing insurance work for over 30yrs to some degree or other and never heard of a case like this.

Btw your excess would probably be more than it would be to renew 2 tiles.

 

[DVader]

Freddie and Alistair. Not being a roofer, my knowledge is limited.

Clipped? I take that as cut. The tile from the garage roof was clipped below the holes and hence only being held on by it's own weight. The mortar to which it was located with had not bonded. The survey picked up several other tiles still up there that were loose.

The house roof tile was basically clamped in place by a flimsy plastic fascia capping held on with two screws. No pins were used to secure the tile. One good gust and the capping let go. All the tiles on the gable end are similar.

Pitch of roof approx 40 degrees. Facing SW. Anglia interlocking tiles.

Loss adjuster stated that because the construction was not of the building reg quality............. tough.

It is early days. I await written report which then goes to legal advisor.

What are your thoughts?.............legally

 

[Alastairreid]

Do you know the type of tiles you have? or even better post a pic.

Clip! as in mechanical fixing for the tile.

And my thoughts (legally) if they looked hard enough they would be pushed to find a single roof in the country which conforms to every technical detail laid down by the manufacturers.

Take them to the ombudsman if you have no satisfaction.

 

[Alastairreid]

Insurance companies normally work to procedures when dealing with claims such as this! especially after a storm, In your case the damage was minimal.
After your initial call to them they would be looking for damage limitation! ie get the tiles repaired to prevent further damage from water ingress etc.

They would either send out their own approved contractor or authorize you to appoint your own as long as the bill did not exceed a certain amount.

The part i find confusing is why instead of getting a couple of tiles repaired they decided to do a postmortem on your roof which would cost more than the original job.

 

[DVader]

I do see your logic Alistair. The problem for me is the access to the house roof, otherwise I would've jumped on the garage myself and sorted. But being 30ft up I would need scaffolding and that's not cheap. There is nothing to lash a ladder to either.

The legal advisor has been busy and has stated under the Defective Premises Act, Countryside Properties failed on three counts, workmanship, materials and fit for habitation, should the construction be at fault.

I shall await the written report from the assessor and send that off to Countryside should my insurer refuse to fix.