Just accepted offer on house - now roof is leaking.

[EIEIohmygod]

Victorian two bed terrace. We've always had a problem with damp. When we moved in it was black and bubbling in corners of the rooms. Had mortar re-pointed, house re-rendered, plaster replaced, damp proof paint on the bad bits etc. But mysterious patches still recur. The house doesn't smell damp or anything but it's still depressing and looks ugly.

We recently put our house on the market after a spell of hot dry weather so the damp was minimal, almost invisible. Accepted an offer from FTBs. Now the bloody weather has been awful, all the damp has reappeared and to top it off the roof in the second bedroom is leaking. A slow drip.

I'm just so stressed about it. We're having a roofer round tomorrow. I'm just dreading it. If he says we need the whole roof replacing what should we do? Should we just temporarily fix the leak and trust the buyers get a decent survey? Should we contact them directly and offer money off to the tune of replacing the roof? Even once the leak has been fixed I'm so worried they'll pull out of the sale once they see what the house is really like when it rains, the patches everywhere. Damp is so depressing.

What did your survey say when you brought it?

I feel for you. When i moved in to my current home the previous owners were several attempts in to trying to fix a leak. They showed receipts so I could see they were actively trying to sort it out, I didn't feel they were trying to keep anything from me. They weren't able to sort it out by the time we exchanged but they had paid the builder in advance of another two appointments that occurred shortly after we moved in. It was an unspoken agreement that we would not chase the previous owners for anything further after this. Luckily for us the last of these appointments did sort the problem. Could you do something? Let the purchasers know there's a leak and that you have appointments booked to remedy it?

Thanks @dudsville, that's a good idea. I want to be as upfront and honest with them as possible. Apparently they fell in love with the house and I hate the thought of them moving in and feeling like we'd misled them.

@BluebellsGreenbells My dad in law bought the house and passed it on to us, rather than leaving the money to us in his will, iyswim - and he didn't have a survey done.

Definitely be open with them. Re-roofing a small house shouldn’t be wildly expensive - worth getting a couple of quotes to negotiate around.

(Also look at any chimney stacks, both sides. We had our Victorian house re-roofed a few years ago - attic ceiling nice & dry, & thick insulation made whole house warmer too. But then driving rain from the S hit next door’s chimney stack and we have damp stains in attic ceiling, above the stairs where it’s awkward to get at )

We've just moved in to a Victorian house and on viewing noticed a damp/water mark near the hall velux window. We questioned it and were told by the sellers it was historic. No mention in our survey. A week after moving in, driving rain and a leak from the window! We felt completely deceived and just wish the sellers had been honest about it when we asked. It wouldn't have put us off buying the house because it's our forever house and we loved it but at least we'd have come in eyes open and have taken steps to fix it straight away.

We've had a few people out to check it and they've said it looks like it's just a few missing slates and something to do with flashing near the velux. Quotes are in the region of £300 to fix the issue - massive relief. It might be as simple as that to fix so worth taking steps to check now. A small amount to give you and the buyers piece of mind and hopefully avoid delays in the sale.

We bought an old house so we know this patch repair is just a short term fix and that we'll need to replace the whole roof eventually so wouldn't have expected the seller to replace it in its entirety. We'd have been happy with the small fix to see us through the first winter or, at the very least, honesty and a heads up that we'd need to deal with it asap on moving in.

The roofers have warned us it's an old roof and we can expect things like this to happen year to year until replaced completely so we'll plan for that down the line.

Just to mention, we've really struggled to get roofers to come out. Most we've contacted are so busy they're not taking on new business or it's a four week wait just for a first check and quote - not ideal when you have water coming in. If you're going to look in to the cause of the leak, I'd probably do it sooner rather than later.

Have they had their survey yet ?

And also, what does your building insurance say about all this? Presumably you have some - did you just inherit the policy from your FIL? It sounds as though he has left you with a bit of a dud I’m afraid.

We moved in here and discovered the previous owners had attempted but failed to fix a leaking garage roof. We had to replace it in the end.

If I were you I’d try and fix it but the I wouldn’t mention it and hope the survey doesn’t pick it up.

Buyer beware and all that.

Just do a patch repair, as if their survey says you need a new roof they will ASK for the money - it may not be v expensive to sort the leak

I think the damp is more of an issue: is there anything that will fix it?

@YouCrackMeUp

Just do a patch repair, as if their survey says you need a new roof they will ASK for the money - it may not be v expensive to sort the leak

I think the damp is more of an issue: is there anything that will fix it?

Btw, I bought a place that needed a new roof: price reflected the work to do which was also confirmed by my survey, I was happy to do the work (an overhaul not reroof) and 10 years later it’s going strong

We just pulled out of a purchase because the vendors failed to mention that the roof needed replacing (the house was immaculate looking so it was a shock, even the surveyor was a bit WTF about it). They offered to replace it because they didn't want to lose their purchase but we didn't trust them not to cheap out and we were worried about what else they might have been skimping on.

@QueenStromba

We just pulled out of a purchase because the vendors failed to mention that the roof needed replacing (the house was immaculate looking so it was a shock, even the surveyor was a bit WTF about it). They offered to replace it because they didn't want to lose their purchase but we didn't trust them not to cheap out and we were worried about what else they might have been skimping on.

@QueenStromba - why didn’t you just ask for the money off and have the work done?

Because we didn't want to do that level of work and we didn't trust that the vendors weren't trying to hide something even worse that the surveyor couldn't see.