Roof problems 7-year old house

[desperatedan]

Hi, not sure if in the right forum, so can be moved if necessary.

We have been in a Bungalow, built in Dec 2004, in a small Estate of houses, just 16 houses.

There is a Premier Bond on the houses.

The builder is no longer in the house construction business, in fact I think he is in the UK now.

These have slate roofs, and over the last few years there have been numerous slippages and breaking slates, which we have had replaced and had repaired on an ad-hoc basis.

To be honest, I have not been in a position to check on the roof or other items as I have had to deal with a major illness for the past 2 years. Due to the illness, I was in a position to clear the outstanding mortgage from Specified Illness Insurance, and we have the deeds.

lately, we have noticed that there is a pattern appearing on our ceilings, mainly in the lounge section of the house, which looks like the joists which the ceiling is attached to. You can see clearly the pattern of each ceiling joist coming through the paint.

The paint is not blistering or anything, just looks like a shadow, but definitely it is the outline of the ceiling joists.

I am worried that this is due to ingress of water into the roof space, due to the bad roofing job, which is apparent if you look at the roof, there are a lot of loose, slipping and broken slates.

My questions are:

What is the first step, presumably Structural Engineer Roof Survey? How much would this cost?

Would there be any basis for a claim on Premier Bond, in the event of the Structural Survey showing defects which need attention.

Is the time-lapse critical, as it will be 7 years in December.

Would there be the basis for a claim on our Household Insurance, in the event of PG not coming through?

I do realise that this could be late, but given my illness knocked me back for about 3 years, and still under medical supervision, couldn't be helped.

Hopefully someone on here can give guidance as to the necessary steps to take and the prospects with PG or House Insurance.

Thanks in Advance

 

[lorelai]

As far as I remember the Premier Guarantee Scheme was run by Coyle Hamilton, now Willis.

You should have a copy of the certificate relating to your property, try to find it, if you can't find it then maybe the solicitor you used for the purchase would have a copy.

Contact Willis


Dublin
Grand Mill Quay, Barrow Street, Dublin 4
+ 353 1 661 6211
+ 353 1 661 4369


Cork
89 South Mall, Cork
+ 353 21 420 7700
+ 353 21 420 7701


Limerick
Crescent Court, St. Nessan’s Road, Dooradoyle, Limerick
+ 353 61 218 900
+ 353 61 218 901

The fact that the original builder isn't in business here any longer hopefully won't be an issue, there is something called "run on" (i think) cover which covers the property for the entire 10 years of the gaurantee.

I know it's a worry, but try not to stress too much until you make the call and find out where you stand.

Best of luck, and maybe let us know how you get on.

taken from nca.ie

Premier guarantee​

As already noted, other schemes have entered the Irish market in competition with HomeBond, one
of which is the Premier Guarantee Scheme. Coyle Hamilton insurance brokers launched this scheme
on 23 April 2002 as an “Insurance Policy providing an innovative approach to ten-year Structural
Defects protection for residential properties”. The cover provided under the warranty is now briefly
explained.​

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5​

Premier Guarantee provides a Structural Defects Insurance policy for housing and apartment
developments constructed in Ireland. Premier Guarantee provides a standard limit of €200,000 per
unit, but with unlimited cover for each development (subject to policy conditions). The limit applied
to each separate apartment structure is €2,000,000, but this limit can be increased on request; as can
the sums insured for individual residences. Protection is extended to all parties with a financial
interest in the property and is assignable to future owners. The following protection is automatically
afforded by Premier Guarantee:​

•​

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10 years Structural Defects protection​

•​

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5 years cover for ingress of water, chimneys and flues​

•​

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up to 6 months alternative accommodation costs​

•​

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sums insured increased annually by 5% or the House Building Cost Index, whichever is the lesser,
free of charge​

•​

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​

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insolvency €100,000​

 

[desperatedan]

Thank you so much for your reply, I was indeed beginning to stress out a little, been checking here every day.

I know stress is not good, particularly when having gone through the past 2 years, medically speaking that is......I know it's been a tough 2 years for everyone else for other reasons too.

I will contact them, Willis, ASAP.

I remember something about Coyle Hamilton from a few years ago, when we had a residents Assoc. here.

Alas, that's now gone, lack of interest, few ppl kept it going, so no-one else bothered, you know the story.

Thanks again, lorelai