Buying house with a flat roof

[BetterToLaugh]

We are buying our first house and have seen one that we really like, the downside is that it has a flat roof. It's a 60's/70'a brick town house.

The location is lovely and everything else at the property is fine, it's just people have been putting me off regarding the roof. Apparently the flat roof might make it harder/expensive to insure, problems with rainfall and drainage etc.

Would a flat roof put you off buying a house? Or has anyone got experience of insuring a flat roof property?

Thanks

No, I had a house with a flat roof, it was fine, insuring was never an issue. You can get special resin coverings instead of the traditional felt-type that are much more waterproof (although a bit pricy to install) and are insured against leaks for 20 years or more.

I would be asking for information about the roof, when it was done, by whom, what type of roofing was used, what is the camber on the roof etc.

If it is 100% flat then you may have issues with the mortgage company, some (not all) don't like 100% flat roofs.

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to walk the dog that way later and have a look from the outside again, then go armed with a list of questions when we go to have another look.

I went to view a 1960s flat roofed bungalow... It had damp coming through the dining room in the middle of house, and seriously bad damp in 3 corners and down the east-facing wall. I'm sure there are things the owners could have done to prevent the damp getting so bad, but I think a flat roof needs care and constant attention, in a way a normal roof just doesn't.

Thanks flow that's my worry, that it needs constant monitoring/attention. It's such a shame as the house itself and garden are so low maintenance, I guess there's always a rub.

Could you find out if it is possible to replace the flat roof with a standard roof and how much it would cost?

Hi Chottie. I'm not sure, its in the middle of a row of 5 so don't know how it would work. I clearly need to think this through a bit more and do some research.

I have a house with a flat roof. It's never caused me any trouble or maintenance issues. I didn't have any problems getting a mortgage, but I did had to ring a few places to get buildings insurance. Any type of roof may leak, and all roves need replacing eventually, so a newer flat roof may be better than a older pitched roof.

My house is on the market at the moment and we've had lots of interest, so it doesn't seem to be difficult to sell. It's cheaper than the same sized pitched roof house, but that was the case when we bought it as well. It would be nice to have a loft though!

Thanks Hobbes, that's good to hear

Also, all flats have flat roofs, no insurance issues

My neighbour has a flat roof, they have had one problem after another with it. The guy who worked on my guttering tried to tell next door that it had not be done properly in the first place, neighbour was too busy shouting at me for guttering guy for daring to look through the ceiling light at his 18 year old daughter cooking in the kitchen. The guttering guy said he was looking at the bad job the builders had made of the roof.

I wouldn't touch a flat roof personally.

I think that's the problem, whether it was done properly in the first place. My Dad spoke to one of our neighbours last night who is a retired master builder.

He said he remembers the row I'm looking at being built and they were bodge jobs. He said somebody he knows looked at one, and it's difficult for one roof to be done without affecting the ones either side, so the neighbours are all holding out to see who goes first, then they can claim for the damage on their roof.

I am going to give up on this one and keep searching!