Roofers flooded my home then poisoned us with gas.

[FloodandPoison]

I think I need legal advice so I’m hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
was given new flat roof by government grant, to be more energy efficient,
Im a tenant, same rental for many years, original roof was fine.
roofers came to put new roof, next day had water leaking through ceiling in bedroom.
same day came home from work and boiler wasn’t working,
ROOFERS HAD COVERED BOILER FLUE with plastic sheets and bathroom window which is also on roof; co2 alarm is sounding, I alert next door neighbour who has also been flooded and fire brigade come and turn gas off.
roof is finished and gas back on, original company want to send same people, ie roofer’s who cannot roof, to fix damage to bedroom ceiling and living room paint.
I Kkow the roofers should be facing prosecution, I’ve found similar cases online,
landlady doesn’t want to
go through her insurance but I feel
i should be compensated for the fact we could have been killed with gas and all the time it will take to fix.
do I stop paying rent and let landlord claim on insurance?
I really do
not want the same incompetence muppets in my home trying to fix something that should never have happened,
anyone who can advice would be appreciated,

You can’t withhold your rent.

Report yourself to Mumsnet and adk them to transfer your thread to legal for appropriate answers.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/legal_matters

Ask them.

Speak to your local environmental health team at your local council.

In terms of any claims, you have a legal duty to prove you have suffered loss and substantiate it. When the roof leaked, were any of your belongings (clothes, bedding, furniture etc) water damaged? Can they be cleaned or are they damaged beyond use? Carpets/flooring - was this installed by the landlord or by you? Is this stained/water damaged?

in terms of damage caused to the building itself (ceiling, floorboards in the loft etc) this is for you landlord to sort. Similarly flooring in the bedroom if this was installed and paid for by them.

You can’t claim for the chance you might have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. If you want to pursue this you would need to provide medical evidence of injury directly arising from this exposure. This would not stand up as a heads of claim.

Equally, for claims relating to negligence which this would be, distress and inconvenience are not usually awarded as it is considered that the reaction to the incident is a natural human emotion to loss which would not attract compensation in most circumstances. Even where awards are made they are usually for token amounts.

What both you and your landlord should do is begin separate claims directly against the roofer. They will have public liability insurance (or should do if they are a legit firm) that will deal with this. Your landlord also has the option of claiming under their own home insurance, who will then make a subrogated claim to reclaim any repair costs they incurred back from the company/their insurance company.

if you have a tenants insurance policy then you may also be able to follow that route too for any of your losses.

The landlady is being helpful but agreeing to have the same incompetent idiots back to fix the damage they have caused.
I 100% do not want them painting and decorating when that is not their job role or area of expertise.
luckily none of my belongings other than a gaming keyboard were damaged beyond repair but obviously this has caused a lot of stress and anxiety and I’m not going to be using my days off so I can be in to give access to repair men,
its this time I want compensating for.

Unless you can demonstrate a loss of income as you’ve had to stay in to provide access for their repairs, you can’t claim for that.

You could send them a letter requesting compensation for the inconvenience but if they say no, there isn’t really any avenue for you to take it further, as per above.

You are absolutely entitled to claim for your keyboard to be replaced.

The landlady is being helpful but agreeing to have the same incompetent idiots back to fix the damage they have caused
Happens in social housing all the time
We get "they are the ones with the contract so you have to let them back in"

Then when SH tenants post on here about it we get "what are you complaining about , its free. Private tenents dont get that on here.

@FloodandPoison i wouldnt be putting up with it either and it shouldnt matter whether its social or private rent.

The contractor has to have the opportunity to put it right. Ll cannot just ask another first. Sounds as if ll is acting correctly and you have no reason to withhold rent.

I won’t withhold rent, I am just so pissed off and upset by the whole ordeal.
No point taking it out on the wrong person.
I might give the roofers some ideas about compensating me by reminding them they could be prosecuted, and that I will be leaving bad reviews everywhere I can find online and writing to my council, MP, environmental health and anyone else I can think of including the press if needs be.
They are a danger to life, it’s a wonder they haven’t killed somebody already.
I think I should be able to request painter/decorator to fix the paint rather than roofers?
Would you hire a decorator to fix your roof?
To be fair to most decorators they would be better at roofs than this bunch of clowns.

Speak to Shelter but I fear your rights may be limited regarding choice of contractor and compensation as you are not their client.