Flat roof house, mortages and insurance- anyone???

[BikeTart2]

I posted a few days ago about my house/location dilemma.

And now I found out that the right house, which I made an offer on, (as opposed to the right house in the wrong location) has a flat roof. It's Victorian terrace and one of three which have flat roofs and either side of these have the usual roof you'd expect. There was absolutley no sign of leak/water damage/damp to any upstairs ceilings or walls when I viewed and the house has been rented out and used as holiday lets for some time. It really does look in good repair all round.

Friend of mine sends me links to specialsit motgage website which tells of the problems i.e. pooling/ponding/high insurance and difficulty getting mortgages on flat roof houses.

I haven't ordered the survey yet. My mortgage will be £30,000 so a miniscule amount of the agreed sale price. Zoopla says the house last sold in 2003 - friend says that tells me exactly nothing. I thought I might expect to see it having sold frequently but what do I know?

I've emailed the estate agent with questions for the sellers about the roof as what they tell me will help me decide what to do next.

But what is your experience if any?

I live on an estate with 100s of houses with flat roof. They sell well so should be no problem for getting a mortgage. The only thing I would say is to check your buildings insurance documents on renewal . A couple of times they have put pitch instead of flat roof in error. We have ours checked every 5 years and have only had it replaced once in 40 years.

@FLOrenze are you in the UK?
I ask because I am and i think it's not the norm. Thank you for replying though.

Just ask your insurers, I’ve never had a problem getting insurance with a flat roof. They will ask you if you have one and you just say yes. The cost doesn’t seem any higher than when we didn’t, and didn’t need specialist insurance.
You may need to read your policy and check if they specify if it needs to be inspected but that’s the same for pitch roof.
That’s our experience anyway.

Well, I'm pinning some hope on your experience @cubed123 !

we have a flat roof and had to go to a specialist insurance place (ie. the websites like comparethemarket can't do it). but we got insurance with no trouble and everything is fine.

I bought a flat as a share of freehold with part of the building as a flat roof

No issues at all, either with mortgage or insurance. The only place it’s noted in the survey which was a score of 2 as a possible risk.

Yes we are in East London, just outside Ilford

thank you, I'm going to proceed and assume there's no issue unless/until there is one.

I have a flat roof. Absolutely no issue whatsoever, I got a mortgage and it’s insured, £9 per month. Go for it.

I would also pay for an independent roof survey so that someone can go up there and make sure there are no cracks. A flat roof is relatively cheap to replace or repair compared to pitch roof. This will give you peace of mind as to when you are likely to incur costs

@FLOrenze separate to s homebuyer survey or part of a structural survey?

We have a Victorian house which has a large area, over 50%, of flat roof (modern loft extension). Despite the area never flooding, the postcode is officially classed as a low flood risk by the environment agency.

The combination of the two makes it hard to find companies who'll insure it. Not impossible, but I have to go to brokers rather than do a normal search online. So just need to plan longer to shop around for quotes.

No issue at all with getting a mortgage though.

Part of the structural survey. The homebuyers surveyor won’t go up on the roof. You will have to pay someone for that. It will save you money in the long run as you may get it for a reduced price if the roof needs replacing. Get your sols to find out if they have ever had it replaced and when and what with. Ours was a new build (Council house) and the Asphalt lasted 20 years. We had different stuff, but I cannot remember what it was. When we had it done and it had a 15 year guarantee, but the guys said it would last 25 years. Also get some photos of the roof if there are any cracks or weak spots.

Do dummy insurance quotes for Joe blogs 1 Jan 1970 on the property - our house had apx 70% flat roof following a loft extension and that plus proximity to a burn means insurance is tricky. It's principally the flat roof that's to blame (we have done a dummy search against our neighbour's non-extended house and it was less than half price). The first couple of years our buildings insurance was over £550 it's now dropped down to under £300 thankfully. Possibly because of Flood Re. (house has never flooded and is victorian but bloody flood maps put it at risk)

Just because somewhere hasn’t flooded doesn’t mean it won’t flood if next to a water course. The land and rainfall patterns can change. Not that this is anything to do with a flat roof!

In general, they are bad news. Few last as long as a well designed standard sloping roof and ponding water and poor drainage are your enemies. Also a finish that is disintegrating, and at worst, letting water into the joists.

Therefore get a structural survey. The best “flat” roofs have a slope on them and will drain efficiently so there is never any standing water. Many barely last 20 years and will start to disintegrate before that. Check any flashing where the roof meets existing brickwork and assume you will have maintenance costs. If it’s new, great. If it’s 20 years old, start saving.

Purchased a 100% flat roofed house last year. Went through a specialist insurance broker but cost wasn't unreasonable.

Be aware that flat roofs last 15-30 years for felt. Cost for replacement can be from £8000-£20,000+ depending on size and the material you decide on.

We got an independent roofing company to do a survey of the roof prior to purchase to ensure that it was in reasonable nick and the boards underneath weren't rotten.

@K4fkaesque

Roughly what size roof is yours? Mine is a very small Victorian terrace. I was a bit 😮 at the price range, £8000 Is more than it cost to re roof my current 3 bedroomed house!