What a day!

After the bad snow & ice in the winter of 2010/11 we noticed that we had a bit of water coming in to the kitchen. But after a couple of days it dried up & there wasn't a problem.

Well, about 3 months ago I noticed it again. The kitchen has a flat roof (part of an extension built about 20 years ago) which has never been re-felted. I think it's in need of doing again. So, as the property is rented I phoned the agents & told them. They said they'd get someone round to have a look.

Nothing.

So 2 weeks ago I emailed them & said that the water was still coming in after heavy rain & the plasterboard was starting to sag a bit. They said they'd get someone round to have a look.

About a week ago I noticed that there was a tiny crack beginning to show on the plasterboard just wher it meets the wall, so I phoned the agents again. They said they'd get someone round to have a look.

This morning I'd just got in the shower when I heard an almighty crash! Yep, the ceiling (well, part of it) had come down! The mess was horrendous & poor Dempsey was cowering by the front door as he'd been in the kitchen when it went! It took me 3 hours to clean it up & I'm left with a gaping hole in the ceiling with insulation sagging through it!

God knows when they're going to get the repairs done. I've had someone roubd to look at the inside repairs & someone else to look at the outside, but they've both got to submit a quote to the agents before they can even get started. In the maentime, if it rains again we're going to have real problems.

what i nightmare

I knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of when.

Luckily it wasn't the whole ceiling - just a section about 4' by 6' in the corner. But even that made a helluva mess. There were bits of plasterboard all over the place & plaster dust coating everything.

I don't know how, but there was only one thing broken & that was a cheap glass tumbler.

that good then... when do you think they coming around?

It depends when/whether the agents accept their quotes. They both say it should be quite a simple job, but the quotes probably won't go in till thursday & then they have to be accepted. If they're accepted then they'll phone me to arrange a suitable time for work to start, but if the quotes aren't accepted..........who knows?

what a pain

Caryll I can feel your pain. Are you able to take photos or video of what has happened. Send these to the landlord telling them you are about to write to Watchdog.

Can you find out what professional body the agent belongs to (they usually advertise this) telephone the agent and ask them, and tell the agent that they either get it sorted or you will make a formal complaint against them. The agent is in effect your landlord.

kathytake2 wrote:Caryll I can feel your pain. Are you able to take photos or video of what has happened. Send these to the landlord telling them you are about to write to Watchdog.

Can you find out what professional body the agent belongs to (they usually advertise this) telephone the agent and ask them, and tell the agent that they either get it sorted or you will make a formal complaint against them. The agent is in effect your landlord.

If they don't buck up & start to get the repairs done withing 72 hours I will - the landlord's actually pretty good about things, it's the agents that drag their heels all the time. The very least I want within the next 24 hours is some sort of temporary cover on the flat roof to stop any more rain coming in. The rest of the work can then follow at a time convenient to everyone. I just don't want any more rain coming in.

you can also get free legal advice from your local housing options center, and they can act on your behalf if needs be

omg what a nightmare! Lucky you weren't in there at the time, poor Dempsey. I hope they don't drag their heels over getting it fixed for you. You'd think they would think to get it covered at least right away

Wow that's really terrible. Hopefully they will at least get a temporary fix done soon.

OMG thats awful caryll, glad no one was hurt

A couple of pics of the damage & the amount of plasterboard I had to clear up - it doesn't look much, but it's dripping water everywhere now!

OMG, has it been fixed yet?

Nope. As the property's rented the roofers have to get the quote approved by the landlord first. I'm hoping it'll be done sometime next week.

thats disgraceful the should be in there right away! glad no one got hurt and poor dempsey

Gee's have you had the same rain we've had here ie constant? How is it still standing

omg that looks bad. The landlord should have approved it right away, especially with the weather the way it's been.

Oh no!!! Thats awful. Sorry