House with flat roof: get a quote or don’t prod the bear?

[runningmom]

Survey back on house I’m 3-4 moths into purchasing. Nothing of huge concern. But then I email surveyor and he mentions I should get a roofer to check out the flat roof which covers whole house (1970s 3 storey terrace) to see if needs replacing. There’s no sign of leaks just a couple of small stains on landing ceiling.
my query is, do I get a roofer to look (it would have to be drone shot), and quote and present to vendor? I suspect no wiggle room on price (offer accepted was 10k under asking and I’m on tight budget). It may not have leaked or need repair or could be fine then leak in five years time!
Im 3-4 months into the purchase (chain of fox which took forever to close hence why surveys done later), and I definitely want the house; big move for me as I’m divorcing and this is best house for me and kids on my budget. I will hold back some equity but I need to spend that on carpet and flooring.
Your thought are welcome. Photo to help.

I would follow the surveyor's advice. Better to know now.

Very difficult to tell, however the two middle roofs seem to have been replaced, the either end ones look similar and older. Would indicate your roof will be coming up for replacement ‘presently’.
You could just ring the bells of the middle houses and ask them. I wouldn’t ignore it, as it’s an expensive operation. You should at least be aware of the possible cost.

Flat roofs have a limited lifespan so I would budget for a replacement

flat roofing has moved on massively used to be the equivalent of shed roof felt and bitumen
now you have rubber ,fibreglass and felt that is far superior from what’s on now

Has the vendor said when it was last replaced?

I would get a survey. I have a large % flat roof and I have to go via a broker to a specialist insurer. I also have to commit to having a survey done every 5 years of the roof to ensure it is still good condition.

Surveyors always say people should check the roof, it doesn’t mean every roof needs replacing but they are covering themselves for the fact that some will do. They can’t tell which ones without going up to the roof & examining it which they don’t do ( though some full surveys will give buyers the option of paying extra to send a drone up there).

My opinion would be - if you don’t think the sellers will shift on price and you want the house - why bother upsetting them by getting a drone report at this stage? You can do that once you are the legal owner of the property. You know a flat roof isn’t ideal but presumably that is all taken into account when the property was valued. You could ask your solicitor to ask the question of when it was last replaced and that will give you an idea of when it may need replacing again.

Personally I’d walk away.
Never buy a property with a flat roof.
Why?
Difficultly insuring property;
often leak (you stated that there are 2 stains on the ceiling)
expensive to replace.
I’d pull out now and find another property. OR see if Vendors are willing to reduce asking price to allow for replacement roof. Point out stains on ceiling to Vendors/Estate Agent

No issues insuring it. I’ve had quotes through with mortgage provider all fine. There are a lot of that style house in the area. I’m not going to walk away at this stage- too much time, money and emotion invested and I need to move by the summer too.
it’s a great house with potential and gives me space I need. My understanding is that it’s not as expensive to replace roof (tar, felt and bitchamen) than it is to do a tiled roof. It’s just a cost I’d hoped I’d avoid.

My opinion would be - if you don’t think the sellers will shift on price and you want the house - why bother upsetting them by getting a drone report at this stage? You can do that once you are the legal owner of the property. You know a flat roof isn’t ideal but presumably that is all taken into account when the property was valued. You could ask your solicitor to ask the question of when it was last replaced and that will give you an idea of when it may need replacing again.

This.

It does look like it will need doing while you own it but if that's not putting you off now and there is no wiggle room with price anyway I'd deal with it later.

Your solicitor should ask for proof of when the guarantee was issued (how old the roof is) and whether it's ever been patched. Flat roofs probably last 15-20 years, on the lower end if south facing (because of summer heat cracking the felt). The guarantee time would tell you how soon you might need to replace it (cheaper than replacing a tiled roof but still an expense you could do without). A weatherproof roof is essential - carpeting/tiling less so IMO.

It wouldn't put me off unless time was running out on the guarantee. Get a quote.

Thank you all: quick quote by roofer who has looked at the aerial shot says yes will need replacing and about £100 per square metre so about £4-5k.
Think I’ll see if vendor will go halves?? Would that be fair?

Scaffolding on a 3 storey house could be alarmist as much as the roof replacement. Ask how much the scaffolding will be.

If there's staining on the landing ceiling, only thing it could be is from damp somewhere, so don't ignore that. It's worth paying for one or two roofers to look at it and if necessary give you a quote. If you can't afford, then I'd go back to vendor and try and renegotiate - they might not want to loose a purchaser this far in and will be well aware if it's come up as an issue on survey for you and builders say it needs doing, then others will have the same problem.

Just seen your latest post, OP. Sounds reasonable to me - just take the attitude if you don't ask, you don't get and you don't get. The vendors will be long gone in a few months and you'll never see them again.

I think £4-5k sounds reasonable and I would definitely ask sellers to go halves. They can only say no but at least you know what you might need to pay out at some point. Hopefully it will last another good few years.

It's definitely reasonable to ask. Whether they agree is another matter but no harm in asking.

I had scaffolding on my 3 storey terrace recently. £800

No harm in asking- although if I was selling I'd probably want more of a robust inspection and quote than someone looking at the aerial photo.

Thanks all. Yes rough estimates are coming in at £5-10k. It’s not ideal. I know the vendor doesn’t have to do anything about it but it’s a grim find.

I'd say I've been told it needs to be re-roofed so I'd like £5k reduction. They can only say no!