Page 5 | AIBU - not paying the roofer?

Adviceisneeded1 · 2023-01-18T19:31:41+00:00

I have a leak coming in through the roof. I called a roofer last Thursday to come and have a look. He said it could be some mortar that needs re-doing or it could be due to a small gap that he found. He decided it was best to start with filling in the small gap to see if that was the issue (using no-nonsense roof silicone, so nothing expensive). We agreed on a price of £100 to be paid via Bank transfer. He sent me his bank details a few hours later, but that same evening, it started raining and the leak was still present. I didn't pay him but messaged him the following morning to let him know that the leak is still present and if I could get a quote for having the mortar re-done in that area, as that was the other thing that the roofer thought might be causing the leak. He said he can re-do the mortar in March, but won't give me a quote for it (or a definite date) and keeps messaging me asking for the £100 for filling in a gap, which didn't even fix the leak! AIBU to not pay him the £100?

yousmellnice · 18/01/2023 21:46

YABU

EphraimMonk · 18/01/2023 21:47

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 20:39

It's hard to find a roofer that even responds to an initial message, never mind someone who will do the above you have mentioned. I live in a main city and it has taken me over 5 months to get to where I am - a silicone repair and a roof that is still leaking!

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And yet you've risked pissing this one off by delaying/not paying him for work already done?

Unbelievable! As many previous posters have stated, roofs are tricky things. Would you rather he quote you thousands from the get go for something that a bit of silicone might actually fix?

And would you climb up a ladder and mess about on a roof for £100? I bloody wouldn't! Not to mention his fuel to get there etc.

Good roofers are like good bin men, you should treasure them.

Fullsomefrenchie · 18/01/2023 21:51

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 20:42

I bet if I had the opposite issue and made a thread asking for advice after paying a roofer to fix a leak, and it was still leaking, everyone would respond telling me how stupid I am for paying him and not waiting for rain first to see if the leak had been fixed!

Absolutely not. He never guaranteed he would fix it with that he just tried the cheapest option first.

you don’t get people to do work then refuse to pay them. That’s awful

Summerfun54321 · 18/01/2023 22:04

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 21:26

Genuine question- how am I supposed to find a qualified roofer/ proper roofing company? I am based in Manchester.

Thank you

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Choose builders that are members of trade associations. That way, if they do a bodge job you can complain to the trade association or ask them for advice. If you find a builder any other way, you have no one to complain to apart from trading standards which is a total waste of time. Either someone like "national federation of roofing contractors" or "federation of master builders". They have members listed on their websites.

ShakespearesBlister · 18/01/2023 22:06

The water might seem to be dripping at the same point but did it not occur to you that it may not be the exact bit he fixed that the water is getting in through? It could be traveling from elsewhere in the roof before dripping through. This is really bad form. It's people like you that make tradesmen feel so demoralised. My son did a job for someone once who waited til he finished then refused to pay him because the last tradesmen they employed didn't finish a job when they paid early. Like it was my son's fault the last person didn't finish a job. It wasn't you was it?

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:07

Summerfun54321 · 18/01/2023 22:04

Choose builders that are members of trade associations. That way, if they do a bodge job you can complain to the trade association or ask them for advice. If you find a builder any other way, you have no one to complain to apart from trading standards which is a total waste of time. Either someone like "national federation of roofing contractors" or "federation of master builders". They have members listed on their websites.

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Thank you for your help - much appreciated

OP posts:

CallTheMobWife · 18/01/2023 22:07

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 19:52

I'm surprised at how many people are calling me a theif?! I called the roofer to fix a leak - he has no call out charge - it was his idea to use silicone to fill in a gap - he said was most likely causing the leak.

I did NOT tell him to do that instead of fixing/ re-doing the mortar - he told me in his professional opinion, the 'small gap' was causing the leak. He told me that he was 90% sure its this 'small gap' causing the leak, and that he would fill it in for £100. He said if that didn't work, he would give me a quote for re-doing the mortar in that area. I have asked him twice now for the quote and he will not provide me with one.

Roofer was found via Google- had decent reviews on Google and yelp.

So he was straight with you that it might not fix the leak, and you asked him to go ahead knowing that. Why do you think he should not be paid for the work he did that you agreed to, on the terms you agreed to?
Pay up

CheesenCrackersmm · 18/01/2023 22:09

You are correct OP. The roofer was out of order for suggesting the cheapest posssible fix. He should have re roofed your house for £10k to guarantee stopping the leak.

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:10

ShakespearesBlister · 18/01/2023 22:06

The water might seem to be dripping at the same point but did it not occur to you that it may not be the exact bit he fixed that the water is getting in through? It could be traveling from elsewhere in the roof before dripping through. This is really bad form. It's people like you that make tradesmen feel so demoralised. My son did a job for someone once who waited til he finished then refused to pay him because the last tradesmen they employed didn't finish a job when they paid early. Like it was my son's fault the last person didn't finish a job. It wasn't you was it?

Oh stop being ridiculous, accusing me of not paying your son! I have no idea who your son is. This is the first time I have had to deal with roof repairs and this is the first roofer I have ever dealt with.

I'm sure your son did a good job for who ever it was he did the job for, but it wasn't for me

OP posts:

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:11

CallTheMobWife · 18/01/2023 22:07

So he was straight with you that it might not fix the leak, and you asked him to go ahead knowing that. Why do you think he should not be paid for the work he did that you agreed to, on the terms you agreed to?
Pay up

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I have paid - like two hours ago now....

OP posts:

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:12

CheesenCrackersmm · 18/01/2023 22:09

You are correct OP. The roofer was out of order for suggesting the cheapest posssible fix. He should have re roofed your house for £10k to guarantee stopping the leak.

👍

OP posts:

GlasgowGal82 · 18/01/2023 22:12

"He told me that he was 90% sure its this 'small gap' causing the leak, and that he would fill it in for £100. He said if that didn't work, he would give me a quote for re-doing the mortar in that area."

He was upfront with you that the quick fix might not work and you agreed to pay £100 on that basis anyway. You need to pay the man. If you'd done so promptly he may have deducted the £100 from the quote, but to be honest after playing silly buggers with him I think you'll be lucky to get a quote now.

SeeYouNextTLol · 18/01/2023 22:15

Well done for paying. You should ignore all posts now except for those that are helping you find a roofer. Good luck with that.

Copperoliverbear · 18/01/2023 22:16

You should pay him, he tried one of two things he said it might be, he spent time and used materials, he deserves payment.
Also don't be surprised if he doesn't want to do the job now you didn't pay.
Also at least he was honest he could have spun you a yarn for thousands how would you have known.

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:17

SeeYouNextTLol · 18/01/2023 22:15

Well done for paying. You should ignore all posts now except for those that are helping you find a roofer. Good luck with that.

Thank you - I just want the leak to be sorted. It's not a major leak but I'm so worried about it causing major damage to the ceiling, dry wall/ plaster/ plasterboard ect..

OP posts:

Copperoliverbear · 18/01/2023 22:18

He won't provide you with a quote because you don't pay.

SaySomethingMan · 18/01/2023 22:22

I’m shocked at the number of people saying you should pay him! He’s not fixed the problem.

He doesn’t sound like a good roofer tbh. He should have better ways of investigating the problem. So now, you should be out of pocket with no improvement at all?

Roofers are hard to come by these days so maybe 50% to cover his materials and then he actually fixes it? Or find someone who can actually fix it

CallTheMobWife · 18/01/2023 22:25

SaySomethingMan · 18/01/2023 22:22

I’m shocked at the number of people saying you should pay him! He’s not fixed the problem.

He doesn’t sound like a good roofer tbh. He should have better ways of investigating the problem. So now, you should be out of pocket with no improvement at all?

Roofers are hard to come by these days so maybe 50% to cover his materials and then he actually fixes it? Or find someone who can actually fix it

He didn't promise to fix the problem, and OP agreed to the job on that basis. She HAS to pay him for what he did.

I wouldn't have agreed to pay for the job on the terms offered, but OP did, and so owes.

WingingItSince1973 · 18/01/2023 22:26

Pay him. My dh is up on a roof this week in freezing conditions! He came and tried to fix it for you on the cheap I would say. So that doesn't work he can quote you for a more substantial fix. Please don't withhold his money.

GodisaBC · 18/01/2023 22:26

He sounds like a cowboy and I wouldn’t have paid him.
£100 to leave you in the state it was before he bodged it.

WeepingSomnambulist · 18/01/2023 22:26

SaySomethingMan · 18/01/2023 22:22

I’m shocked at the number of people saying you should pay him! He’s not fixed the problem.

He doesn’t sound like a good roofer tbh. He should have better ways of investigating the problem. So now, you should be out of pocket with no improvement at all?

Roofers are hard to come by these days so maybe 50% to cover his materials and then he actually fixes it? Or find someone who can actually fix it

That's really not how fixing leaks works.

They can take a lot of investigation and repair, then more investigation when it still leaks and repair. Trial and error.

You need to pay for the work at each stage, even if it still leaks. It is just part of home ownership. A frustrating part but leaks are difficult to find and follow, and you often get areas which could be causing it so they get repaired but then it is obvious that the leak didnt come from there. You still need to pay for their time and the work they did.

Original poster

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:32

CallTheMobWife · 18/01/2023 22:25

He didn't promise to fix the problem, and OP agreed to the job on that basis. She HAS to pay him for what he did.

I wouldn't have agreed to pay for the job on the terms offered, but OP did, and so owes.

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No roofer seems to work on the basis that they won't take payment if the leak hasn't been fixed - they all want paying even if the leak is still present

OP posts:

Kathers92 · 18/01/2023 22:42

@Adviceisneeded1

It's because its not that simple.

For example if you paid for an entire new roof I'm sure the roofer would guarantee it wouldn't leak.

However a roofer can't give a guarantee about a roof that might be 40 years old, where different tradesmen have all done different things, often in ways that are now outdated and are now not to building regs

For example water might be dripping into your living room but may be entering the property 20 feet over above your dinning room but the path that water takes is different to what you think it is.

Your roofer doesn't have expert knowledge of every single roof in the world.

It's like a doctor saying you might have this condition and in fact it's something slightly different.

You still need to pay them for their time.

CheesenCrackersmm · 18/01/2023 22:43

Several ignorant comments above.

Fixing a leak is not an easy job. The size of hole that water can get through is tiny. Water leaking in one location could actually be coming from a location many metres away.

If the source of the leak is not obvious - and often it is not. Any decent roofer will attempt the cheaper options first, this is completely normal.

If you are not happy with this trial error approach then just go nuclear and ask them to completely re roof your property.

NoSquirrels · 18/01/2023 22:52

Adviceisneeded1 · 18/01/2023 22:32

No roofer seems to work on the basis that they won't take payment if the leak hasn't been fixed - they all want paying even if the leak is still present

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People have explained to you why this is. It’s hard to diagnose the exact point of water ingress if there is nothing huge and dramatic to see.

But! Be grateful that there’s nothing huge and dramatic to see. Could be worse!

Property maintenance is shit. Everyone knows it. Be nice to your tradesmen is the very first rule, though.