How long does it take to fix a roof?
 

We have been going since January the 1st with a leak in our roof that resulted in black mold in our bedroom. Once we noticed it, it meant we had to get rid of the furniture that was touching the wall since it also had the wet and mold and also had to replace our carpet.

At first, I was happy that the company that own our places (we rent) sent somebody out right away to look at my complaint. In the period since, they have taken down our bedroom walls to the brick and rebuilt them. That meant that we were without a bedroom for nearly three months while that happened.

We were back in our bedroom one night before it rained and there was water coming down the walls again. So, I had to go slightly mental with them over it (not in my nature) and ever since it has been a series of guys going up to 'take a look'. They keep sending people up on the roof who then tell me it is fixed only to have the water coming in again.

Right now, I have some guy that just showed up to go have a look at it but told me he doesn't really know why he was sent out. I told them it is a good thing that I work from home so that they can just drop by without actually telling me.

We still are living out of suitcases as we aren't going to re-buy any of the bedroom furniture until there isn't water coming down the stupid walls.

Am I wrong to think this is a tad too long a period to spend fixing this problem?

from 1 to few days

You will need to run a hose on the roof to find the leak. your repair people dont want to go through the trouble.

They have been up to 'flood the roof' twice now. When they do that we don't get water coming through so they think they have fixed it. Then they go away and that night we have water dripping. Which, makes us think it is a problem with sitting water somewhere.

Flat roof then? Maybe a clogged drain and seal around drain leaks into your wall

that sucks. the only other way is to re-open the wall & follow the water to the source. Might be time to find a new pad.

Part of it yes and where the leak is located is part of that area. We have had some of the workmen say it gutters need to be re-directed but the company that owns the place is fighting it.

Hope not..I have lived here 14 years and don't want to leave. I just want my walls not to have water coming down them.

lawyer up

thank god you dont have used bongs laying around needed to be picked up before you open the door

True and especially as we live in not the best off area of London.

an issue like this can go on forever. Landlords dont want to spend money. theres no way around it. all you can do is document the leaking, talk to an attorney about the laws involved if the landlord wont do anything else. Moving sucks but you should weigh that option if you don't get satisfaction.

Yeah, think lawyers are going to have to be called soon.

Sarah
I have no idea about the roof lol but I just sent you an email
holla

I don't know how aggressive you are being with them, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Call them 3 times a day for updates until it's fixed and every single time you talk to them, insist that it MUST be fixed immediately or you will be forced to stop paying rent. Tell them you don't want excuses and ask for deadlines in writing. It may or may not work, but it's worth a shot and cheaper than a lawyer.

IMO bad idea. She needs their help & going asshole can easily make things worse. I know from my last job when people were pricks we didnt give a shit about their problems. keep following up but keep it polite.

It is possible to be firm yet polite. She also has the law on her side. Saying "I will have no other legal recourse but to stop paying rent if you can't provide me with a habitable living place" is different than "Fuck you, fix my shit or I'm not paying!"

Maybe it's driving rain coming in slanted against the exterior wall. Hard to know, but clearly if they're flooding the roof to test, and it's not leaking, then it's somewhere else.

I am going with firm but polite at the moment. I don't want them to not want to help me but I also really need this to be fixed. Not being able to sleep in your own bed in your own house wears thin after so long.

Well there are only three possibilites.

1. Hole in the membrane or at a seam. I'm sure they would have seen this though.

2. The water is entering around the perimiter and flowing under the roof.

3. Something sticking out of the roof like a vent or skylight needs to be re-tarred or calked. There could also be an issue with the vent or skylight itself leaking.

Do you have access to the underside of the roof? When it rains you could look to see where the water is coming from. It could be several feet away from the room's drip spot.

Depends on:
1) How badly the roof is damaged
2) The labour force you hire to fix it

fourty two

Usually I agree. Although in this situation it's quite apparent nobody gives a shit about their problems anyway. I would move, it's not going to get any better and it's the only way they will ever fix anything. Why would a landlord in "a bad part of town" care about "doing right" for someone? They wouldn't, until it starts hitting their pocket.

Three months is far beyond unacceptable. I rent out a place... we recently replaced the bathroom and it took about three weeks, the tenants got half off the rent.

I really don't want to...super cheap rent for London and the only home I have known in this country. The main problem is that there are a massive number of homes that this company controls. In my area alone it is in the very high hundreds if not higher. It isn't a person that runs these places but a company. So, they also don't see us as people but as money and cost out every single thing. I haven't had any real problems with them until now and now they are driving me nuts.

Apparently somebody is suppose to come out tomorrow to start moving the drains. I will believe it when I see it and if not lawyers are being contacted.

I don't think we do. They have had scaffolding up for months now and my husband keeps wanting to go up but we are very high up (we have super strange houses) and that would be enough to give me a heart attack.

if they own many homes, ask them to move you to one of their other properties and keep you as tenants