rain leaking through roof around join of neighbour's dormer

[tiddlywinks]

We have rain coming through our roof which started when next door converted their loft and built a dormer window. As you can see in photo, neighbour's dormer comes over the boundary so the join of dormer and roof is on our side.

We mentioned it to our neighbour who thinks its just down to our roof being in poor condition (it's not great admittedly - there is a rip in roof felt, so water coming through bathroom ceiling).

1) I've had quotes starting at £1400 to fix the hole so not happy. Does this seem like a reasonable quote, given that scaffolding will be needed?

2) There is no flashing visible around the join - is this legal? Obviously we have a lot of rain now hitting the side of the dormer and running down our side, and there is no channel or flashing for it to run down.

Currently we have a bucket catching the water in the roof, but wooden rafter is wet and we're worried about potential long term damage.

At the moment we have a good relationship with our neighbour so not sure how to proceed. Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Chukka63]

cant see a pic.

that price seems steep to me cos id probably do a small roof repair off a ridge ladder or just walk up the roof,sldiing up tiles to get a footing on the battens.

 

[tiddlywinks]

Hi Chukka
Thanks for the reply. If you click on my username at top left of my message you can see the photo.

View media item 20067

 

[datarebal]

So what exactly have you been quoted for?

The slate hanging on the dormer is not very neat at the corners.. in fact crap.
Just because you cannot see any flashings does not mean it is not there.
legal does not come into it.
It's a slate roof so it should have soakers which would not be visable once the roof is finished.
seeing as there are soakers fitted at the vertical corners I doubt they have been left out on the dormer to roof junction.

You mention a hole in your felt? hole or not you should not get water in.

A bit more info pics from the ground etc would be good

 

[Chukka63]

i would think there water shouldnt run onto your property.
is the boundary in the centre of the ridge line???

 

[noseall]

If the centre of the ridge line is the boundary then they are trespassing upon your property.

They will need to remove all the overlapping structure and re-build it within their own boundary.


It is impossible to carry out any of these works without them coming onto your property so a p.w.a. may need to be envoked.

 

[noseall]

Also, the flashings on your side of the property (at the rise abutment) are wazz.

 

[tiddlywinks]

Thanks folks for your comments. The centre of the ridge is indeed the boundary so they have come over our side with their dormer

As we didn't have a leak before this, the problem could be either:

A) The timing is just a coincidence and our roof would have leaked anyway.
B) There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of rain hitting the corner where the dormer joins the roof, and our roof can no longer cope.
C) Neighbour damaged our roof when they put the dormer in and/or didn't adequately waterproof the join. Would be good to know if this is the case because then they would be liable for the repair, not us!

Can't really get any better photos for logistical reasons! I guess the only way to really find out is to get someone up on the roof to inspect. Can anyone advise me how much this might cost?
Thanks again, really appreciate you taking the time to look at my problem!

 

[tiddlywinks]

Hi, me again.
The quotes we have had are for lead flashing and renewing felt on 3 ft section from roof to gutter and then putting the tiles back on (may need a few new ones). Thanks!

 

[joe-90]

If the centre of the ridge line is the boundary then they are trespassing upon your property.

They will need to remove all the overlapping structure and re-build it within their own boundary.


It is impossible to carry out any of these works without them coming onto your property so a p.w.a. may need to be envoked.

This is the post you should be looking at. They've devalued your property and couldn't give a damn. They are not good neighbours. Tell them to shift it.

 

[Alastairreid]

At the moment we have a good relationship with our neighbour so not sure how to proceed. Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance.

You will need to have a serious word with your neighbour, ask him why his dormer has encroached onto your roof.

 

[Nige F]

And indeed, who was the architect who designed it`s position and the Building Control Officer who signed it, and all the associated internal fire regs. work

 

[Chukka63]

glad i sorted that one out,lol.
i would down the council offices at 9am prompt if my neighbour had done that.

 

[Alastairreid]

And indeed, who was the architect who designed it`s position and the Building Control Officer who signed it, and all the associated internal fire regs. work

looks to me the builder has put the goalposts bang on the ridge line/ partywall then went over the line with his framework. Has it been signed off ?

 

[tiddlywinks]

Thanks all for your comments and suggestions.

The dormer has been in place for over 18 mths so I assume it would have been "signed off". Is it the Building Control Officer in the council that I should approach regarding the encroachment? Was it their responsibility to check this at the time?

Presumably the encroachment could cause us problems when we want to convert our own loft.

To be honest we didn't realise that they'd encroached until we photographed the roof to show people quoting for the repair. My worry is that we'll spend a small fortune repairing our roof, then find that it doesn't stop the water coming in.

Will roofers normally be able to go up and have a look without scaffolding, or is this too dangerous? We really need to establish the cause of the leak before paying out any money ourselves.

Thanks again.