Roof leaking

I

inspector

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I've just discovered my roof is leaking, I am Insured with hibernian, What do I do next? Contact a roofer myself or contact Hibernian? How are they for paying out? Anyone any experiance or advice?
 
What caused the leak? Check the terms & conditions of your policy to see what's covered? For example a leak caused by an accident may be but a leak caused by wear and tear may not. Contact the insurance company first unless it's an emergency and needs immediate attention. If it does then make sure to get proper detailed (VAT inclusive) receipts for any work done.
 
Clubman is correct, contact insurance co. first. Some insurance companies have tradesmen on file who can be called out on emergency.
 
thanks, I contacted ins company this morning and would you believe- they checked met eireann for storm status last night and cause there was no storm ( heavy rain is not covered) so i'm not covered, Now i've to pay for a roofer to come and examin the roof and see if a slate is missing- maby from a time previous to last night,but wear and tear is not covered, or i've to call a plumber and see if its a leaking pipe, pipe would not be covered by ins but damage to ceiling would.....so now do i need a painter or plasterer, a roofer or a plumber? either way its going to cost me--- My excess is 125 euros but ins company warned me that ins is due for renewal in december and i'd miss out on a 30% no claims discount if i claim... I thought a claim (my first ever in my life) would be less complicated but i guess not......
 
I have a strange roof leaking problem and I cannot seem to get anyone to look at it. Its strange in that the leak is occuring only on the ground floor of a 2 story extension and only occurs when there is heavy rain and southerly winds. It would appear the wind is blowing rain into some cavity and it is travelling down and exiting via the ceiling of the ground floor room.

I have called a number of roofing people but I cannot get anyone to come and look at it -when I describe it (or when they hear it is not an insurance claim!) they seem to lose interest.

I live in North Wicklow so if anyone can put me in contact with a good roof person I would appreciate it
 
Strangely enough a friend of mine had this exact problem recently. Her husband eventually discovered that when gutters were erected a nail had been put in at an angle instead of straight. He put a hose on the roof and when water got heavy it travelled down the nail and into the wall. Thought it was pure fluke but you never know....you might have the same problem
 
inspector said:
thanks, I contacted ins company this morning and would you believe- they checked met eireann for storm status last night and cause there was no storm ( heavy rain is not covered) so i'm not covered, Now i've to pay for a roofer to come and examin the roof and see if a slate is missing- maby from a time previous to last night,but wear and tear is not covered, or i've to call a plumber and see if its a leaking pipe, pipe would not be covered by ins but damage to ceiling would.....so now do i need a painter or plasterer, a roofer or a plumber? either way its going to cost me--- My excess is 125 euros but ins company warned me that ins is due for renewal in december and i'd miss out on a 30% no claims discount if i claim... I thought a claim (my first ever in my life) would be less complicated but i guess not......
Click to expand...

Well I've heard it all now!!:(
 
The time to read the terms & conditions of any insurance policy is before buying it. At least then if the cover is not suitable for your needs you can go elsewhere.

Also - maintaining a house costs money that may not always be covered by insurance.
 
I had a leak on the roof also about two years ago. The roofer said that the insurance company, would pay no problem, so he did the job(something to do with the flashing at the chimney) and filled out the paperwork. He took his money. The insurance co then said, there had been no storm so they refused to pay. I was down I think €750. I have changed insurance companies since then.

Get the insurance co to check out the damage first, before getting the roofer in, if you intend to claim.

Rgds
Billo
 
Kelmar, your problem is almost certainly related to the faulty placement of a DPC or flashing in the wall construction. Water can track for consideravle distances in a cavity and you really have to inspect the entire construction to rule out the obvious. Problems like these can be difficult to trace and you will need to get a good experienced builder to look at it.
I agree with ClubMan regarding routine house maintenance- unless you can attribute damage directly to a storm you just have to take it on the chin. Most people pay scant attention to the condition of the roof, gutters, flashings and other external elements of their house until there's a problem.
 
Hello Everyone,

New to the forum but need help with my Chimneys(2) Urgently!!
Live in a dormer style house with 1 Gable chimney and 1 chimney with two awkward angles around.
There is leaking coming in the bedroom walls below both chimneys, 1 of the chimneys in particular is really bad with fluffy stuff now appearing around all the damp area. Have had numerous people up on the roof with wide ranging expertise and no one call tell what the problem is?? So frustrating.
Got someone to seal around the lead flashing of the valley with chimney tar but this made the problem even worse.
Is it possible that as the lead valleys and tiling look fine that the chimneys were not plastered properly even though the plastering looks pretty good some hairline cracks are noticeable on the chimneys and maybe driving rain would force water into the cracks.
Anybody's response or knowledge would appreciated, frightened about the costs involved in repair but would just like to get to the root to sort it out. Thanks.
 
I find it hard to believe that a decent roofer cannot pinpoint the problem and outline the remedial work required. As mentioned here I used a roofer recommended here on AAM (which I mentioned to him) to sort out our problem around a chimney with awkward angles and which was never finished great from day one. (There is at least one other negative post about the same roofer but my experience with him was grand. There are several other threads about roofers and roof repairs that might be worth checking out. Unfortunately I get the impression that roofing jobs other than the most trivial can be costly.
 
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