Roof between terrace houses - Responsibility?

[richardson45]

Please can someone advise. The house next door to us has been tenanted for a number of years, but the landlord has now sold the property and the tenants have moved out. We have lived here for 10 years and the roof on this adjoining property has always been in a poor state, as the landlord has never maintained the exterior of the property. I think there are even missing slates, as one looks like it is in the properties guttering just by our front door and we are always worried it will drop on our heads.

Obviously there is a central line between the roofs, as on any terraced houses, the tiles in this area (they like edging tiles) fall on the other house side and have been deteriorating over the years and seem to have slipped out in places. We did check with a roofer about these tiles, when we had some storm damage repaired on our roof a couple of years ago to get advice on replacing them and he told us they were on the tenanted properties roof and therefore it was for them to resolve. But, the landlord is saying that it is a joint responsibility. However, I don't believe it is, because they are raised up from our roof and our roof is in a decent condition as we have maintained it.

Who is right, any ideas? I've looked on the internet and can't find anything really that answers it. I would be inclined to agree it was joint if the tiles of both roofs butted against each other. But this is a raised up edge line on their property side.

I don't want to shirk responsibility, but I also don't have the money to pay for something that potentially isn't for me to be paying.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

One way to look at it might be 'what is the effect on my house if those slates aren't there?'

You say his roofline is higher than yours. Do you know if you share the gable end at that side or does your house have its own gable end wall (butted up to his ). If your purlins are set in 'his' wall then to my mind there'll be a joint responsibility- if his slates weren't there then rain will rot your timbers as well as his.

If however your purlins are set in your wall which is topped by your slates which are flashed/pointed in to his wall then I'd say it was his problem to deal with (since if his slates weren't there his roof timbers would get wet but yours wouldn't)

I'm no lawyer- stuff like this is always best sorted between neighbours- but that would be my starting point.

 

[ree]

OP, are both houses in a terrace of houses? Do you have neighbours on both sides?

Are you saying that you have slates on both roofs at the front elevation, and tiles on both roofs at the rear elevation? What kind of tiles?

Could you stand below the imaginary centre line between the houses and take pics at front and rear, and then post the pics on here?