Current Events > New roof leaked and now I have interior damage. Should roofers cover this?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Got a new roof, less than 2 months ago. It leaked pretty badly today (literal bubbled up paint, which I popped, and streams of water came down continuously), and now I have interior damage (ceiling and drywall).

Roofing company came out, and verbally determined that the roof installers didn't install the metal flashing properly, and they need to re-do that. I asked about the interior damage, and he said no promises.

Roofers are coming back on Wednesday to repair the roof. Now my question is, should they cover the damage to my ceiling and walls? I mean if the roof was old (like several years or older), I would say they're off the hook, but literally a couple months old? I think they should absolutely cover this. If not, I'm considering a small claims court...

*EDIT*: Since 2 months ago, today was the first large rain storm in the area, by the way. I've had light rain before, and no visible leaks (probably were leaks into the attic though).

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IdiotMachine posted...

I think they should absolutely cover this. If not, I'm considering a small claims court...

i would base this at the time of the roof repair (if it was supposed to be 100% effective). it shouldn't of leaked.

that's on them. they need to cover the costs of the fuck-up.
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kingdrake2 posted...

i would base this at the time of the roof repair (if it was supposed to be 100% effective). it shouldn't of leaked.

that's on them. they need to cover the costs of the fuck-up.

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Either them or hone insurance(Or both) definitely need to cover this.

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pikachupwnage posted...

Either them or hone insurance(Or both) definitely need to cover this.

I'm not going through homeowners insurance for their fuck up on a brand new roof. I don't want my policy to go up in price!

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Most offer a warranty

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sabrestorm posted...

Most offer a warranty

Warranty explicitly states they won't cover interior damage, which I'm calling BS on, since this is the case of improper installation / negligence, and not of wear and tear that warranty normally covers.

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time for small claims court. take pictures of the damage that the improperly installed roof has done.
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kingdrake2 posted...

time for small claims court. take pictures of the damage that the improperly installed roof has done.

I can't get on there (very steep), so going to bring my drone out tomorrow to take pictures for sure. I'm taking records of all my messages and e-mails I sent to the roofing company. Unfortunately, I don't have the roofing inspector telling me that it's their fault (for not installing the flashing properly) on tape or anything...

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Interior crocodile alligator

kingdrake2 posted...

i would base this at the time of the roof repair (if it was supposed to be 100% effective). it shouldn't of leaked.

that's on them. they need to cover the costs of the fuck-up.

So to clarify, this wasn't a roof repair, but an entire roof replacement, along with skylights and all penetrations (roofing vents, air vents, etc.).

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Found this court case:
https://bit.ly/3kyLiiL

If we end up in small claims, I guess Ill use this for precedence, even though I live in PA lol

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https://i.imgur.com/LlSJLPx.jpg

There's a drone picture of the area where it's leaking.

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Humidity shot up to 97

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Another rain storm today:
https://imgur.com/iuKDDLM

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ClunkerSlim posted...

Fuck yeah they should cover it. Are you kidding me? Go get a fucking lawyer and an estimate to fix the damage. NOW.

They said they're coming Wednesday to repair the roof and take a look inside. If they flat out say they won't fix it, I'm going to go get estimates from restoration companies, then send that to them for them to pay. If they don't pay or don't fix it, I'm going to pay to fix it myself, then go to small claims court.

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New roof leaked, when the album drop?

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ServiceMaster and ServPro are coming to provide quotes of repair this week. I called another roofing company, and paying them $550 for a full written roof inspection. Hopefully they can write up that it was negligence / improper installation of the flashing to result in this leak.

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IdiotMachine posted...

I called another roofing company, and paying them $550 for a full written roof inspection. Hopefully they can write up that it was negligence / improper installation of the flashing to result in this leak.

They retracted, and said they won't do this for the purpose of using their report against another contractor. So I called 6 different roofing contractors and was upfront on why I want to have a written report, and none of them said they'll do it. One said I should contact a Haag inspector...

So I searched up Haag inspectors, and called 4 of them, and none of them said they work with clients directly, but that I should call insurance.

Then I called insurance, and they said I have to file a claim, get an adjuster out, then the adjuster will determine whether or not to get a Haag inspector. I asked if this will affect my insurability and my premiums, and they said it might...

Ugh.

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Finally found an independent Hagg inspector who's willing to write up a report, and for me to use that report in a lawsuit (in the event it goes that far). He's charging $150/hr, including travel time.

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They are definitely liable for the damage caused by their error, and should have insurance that would cover the damages. I'd recommend reaching out to your homeowners insurance as they might be willing to cover the immediate repairs and then subrogate on your behalf.

Oh looks like you already contacted them. I doubt this event should increase your rates as long as the roofing company's error is the cause of the damage. They just can't say definitively up front what the conclusion will be.

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MC_BatCommander posted...

They are definitely liable for the damage caused by their error, and should have insurance that would cover the damages. I'd recommend reaching out to your homeowners insurance as they might be willing to cover the immediate repairs and then subrogate on your behalf.

Oh looks like you already contacted them. I doubt this event should increase your rates as long as the roofing company's error is the cause of the damage. They just can't say definitively up front what the conclusion will be.

Yup... now that I have the Hagg inspector secured for tomorrow (probably will cost like $300-$450), I think I'm set for whatever might happen.

If Wednesday, roofer comes back and rejects repairing the interior damages (i.e., only will fix the roof), I'll send them a demand letter showing quotes from ServiceMaster and ServPro, and 15 days to respond. If they do not respond, or continues to reject interior repair, I'll sue them. There's no way I'm losing this lawsuit, since I have the inspection report from a non-biased 3rd party, and a reasonable person will believe a 2-month old roof should not leak.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

Well that sounds like a rip off.

I agree, but don't really have a choice right now. Need an inspector to write up the report by end of tomorrow (before roofers come to repair on Wednesday), and I literally spent the entire morning (~5 hours so far) calling every single roofer and Hagg inspector around, and (a) no one's willing to sign up to a report that might be used in a lawsuit (I guess roofers protect each other? LOL) or (b) no inspector works directly with the client or (c) cannot support to come out tomorrow.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

Im not sure you need someone to actually write something up that says the roof is defective. The water didnt magically appear. Obviously something is wrong. Id get a contractor out to estimate the wall repairs and give a copy to the roofing guys. If they dont pay then go to court. Might want to let them fix the roof before you hand them the bill though.

Oh hell yea, I'm going to wait until after they fix the roof lol.

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Also, I am pretty set on getting an inspection report to blame the roof because the contract I signed with the roofer, that comes with a 25-year material and workmanship warranty, explicitly states:

"Even if your GAF Products were not properly installed according to GAF's application instructions or to standard good roofing practices, this limited warranty remains in effect. However, GAF will NOT be liable for and this warranty does NOT apply to: (1) Damage resulting from anything other than GAF Products, such as structural damage, buildings, walls, foundation, or the roof base over which the shingles or accessories were applied."

So they could claim contract law = they only have to repair the roof and not the interior damage (which is where it looks like it's heading), whereas I'm trying to say it's negligence of install that caused the damage since it's only 2 months old and this happened.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Oh really? Hmm...

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I work for our family-owned biz that does home repairs and have seen many situations like this.

That spot where it's leaking is a very, very bad spot. Very bad. It's like a pool for water to sit and lowly leak down. It doesn't matter if you completely water-proof it with patching, it will leak again; sooner rather than later. Technically the blame should go to the architect that designed the house, it's a horrible oversight.

Regardless It's still the fault of the roofers obviously. They didn't have the intelligence to realize that you can't just patch a spot like that and call it done. Or they just rushed it and didn't care.

That particular spot will have to be raised with new framing and new shingles, so the water runs off to each side. Luckily on your part it's not a huge job, and could be done by someone competent in 4 hours or less. Make sure you find someone that has enough common sense and education in science to understand how gravity and water work though. They're out there.

Hope you get significant compensation because they screwed big time calling that a done job.

Demon1050 posted...

I work for our family-owned biz that does home repairs and have seen many situations like this.

That spot where it's leaking is a very, very bad spot. Very bad. It's like a pool for water to sit and lowly leak down. It doesn't matter if you completely water-proof it with patching, it will leak again; sooner rather than later. Technically the blame should go to the architect that designed the house, it's a horrible oversight.

Regardless It's still the fault of the roofers obviously. They didn't have the intelligence to realize that you can't just patch a spot like that and call it done. Or they just rushed it and didn't care.

That particular spot will have to be raised with new framing and new shingles, so the water runs off to each side. Luckily on your part it's not a huge job, and could be done by someone competent in 4 hours or less. Make sure you find someone that has enough common sense and education in science to understand how gravity and water work though. They're out there.

Hope you get significant compensation because they screwed big time calling that a done job.

Thanks for your feedback. The past 4 years I lived here (and with the older roof), it never leaked there. It's only now with this new roof... so hopefully the roofer, when they come back on Wednesday, can repair this for good. I also hope they will cover the interior damages as well... if not, well that's what lawsuits are for.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

I asked my friend, who's a patent lawyer, for advice. He gave me a number to his friend who's a contract lawyer, and I have a voicemail with him lol.

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IdiotMachine posted...

I asked my friend, who's a patent lawyer, for advice. He gave me a number to his friend who's a contract lawyer, and I have a voicemail with him lol.

Contract lawyer called me back. He said in an ideal scenario, I should:
1) Assess the damage with a restoration company to determine how much damage there is, especially damage that you cannot see.
2) Based on the assessment, get a written inspection prior to repair of the roof.

But since I'm on a time crunch, he recommended I go ahead and pay the inspector $150/hr prior to the roof inspection. Bah...

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One of the roofing companys manager called and said hes coming now if its okay with me, to assess the damage inside and out, prior to Wednesday.

This is a sudden change I wonder if the barrage of roofing calls I made this morning affected that (i.e., the other roofers tipped my roofer off).

Based on what this manager says, I wonder if I should cancel the inspection tomorrow (even if I can, since now its late), or go with my lawyer said (just get the inspection done so we have something in case its a huge issue).

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Manager came out with the field project manager that did the job. The manager said theyll take care of all the interior damage. The field project manager is now up on the roof to attempt a bandaid for now, until Wednesday when the crew is to come out to repair in full.

I bet these roofing companies watch each others backs why else would they change the tune like this so quickly?

Oh and I cancelled the inspector for tomorrow.

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Manager left. Project manager is still here doing something on the roof I saw him carry up a leaf blower and also use it >__>.

After he comes down for the final time, Im going to ask what he did, and ask for any photos or what not. If no photos, going to fly my drone later and take more photos.

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IdiotMachine posted...

Manager came out with the field project manager that did the job. The manager said theyll take care of all the interior damage. The field project manager is now up on the roof to attempt a bandaid for now, until Wednesday when the crew is to come out to repair in full.

I bet these roofing companies watch each others backs why else would they change the tune like this so quickly?

Oh and I cancelled the inspector for tomorrow.

Yeah that's really odd they don't inspect each other's work. I guess it's a you scratch my back I scratch yours kind of situation. Pretty lame honestly.

I have to say even from your picture that looks like a shitty spot to fix. It looks like water just pools in that area and that's where you get your water damage coming from.

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Project manager finished up and left. That metal flashing was not replaced from the old roof, because they did not want to rip it out under the wood panels. Because they reused those flashings, hes pretty sure the leaks are from the holes of the nails that the old shingles were attached to on that flashing. He said he caulked up the area like crazy, and it shouldnt leak until Wednesday when they come out.

I asked about the interior damage, and he said his manager (who left earlier) should have someone call me by end of this week about it.

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ClunkerSlim posted...

How bad is the interior damage?

IdiotMachine posted...

Another rain storm today:
https://imgur.com/iuKDDLM

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ClunkerSlim posted...

How bad is the interior damage?

Pretty much what you can see here:
IdiotMachine posted...

Another rain storm today:
https://imgur.com/iuKDDLM

I assume the insulation is saturated and needs to be replaced. The drywall around that entire beam probably needs to be replaced. Will find out when ServPro / ServiceMaster comes with their moisture meter and assess if its beyond that area.

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They are simply pioneers in their industry, taking advantage of planned obsolescence the way other areas of the economy have been doing for years.

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Yes, they should pay for it. My parents went through hell to force a company to pay. If you have a lawyer, you might have him/her send a threatening letter.

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I work in home insurance in the building sector (in Australia, so it may be different if you are not in Australia), feel free to PM me, but in short:

You should lodge a claim with your home insurance. Your insurer should cover the faulty workmanship , given that you took precautions to maintain your property (ie putting a goddamn new roof on the place). They will definitely cover the resultant damage from the storm event. Your insurer, if they're any good, should just cover you, and then they would seek recovery from the roofing contractor. Removes your stress for chasing the roofing contractors for anything.

You may even be able to get out of paying an excess/deductible given that the whilst the proximate cause of internal damage was the storm event, it wouldn't have occurred if the roofing works were completed correctly. You were trying to maintain your property to prevent having to make a claim, and this has caused you to make a claim.

I can help you word it to your insurer, if you like.

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IdiotMachine posted...

https://i.imgur.com/LlSJLPx.jpg

There's a drone picture of the area where it's leaking.

Ngl, that roof design to begin with isn't doing your house any favors.

But, yeah. I'd fight this since it's still very early on in their warranty.

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I just saw the roofers are repairing the roof for you at no cost which is good. But yeah, the internal damage would probably need to go through insurance. However with regards to premium/excess, I would definitely fight the insurer if they say they'll go up because it's through no fault of yours that the damage has occurred.

Also, damn that was a LOT of water in the bulkhead.

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TreyFlowers posted...

I work in home insurance in the building sector (in Australia, so it may be different if you are not in Australia), feel free to PM me, but in short:

You should lodge a claim with your home insurance. Your insurer should cover the faulty workmanship , given that you took precautions to maintain your property (ie putting a goddamn new roof on the place). They will definitely cover the resultant damage from the storm event. Your insurer, if they're any good, should just cover you, and then they would seek recovery from the roofing contractor. Removes your stress for chasing the roofing contractors for anything.

You may even be able to get out of paying an excess/deductible given that the whilst the proximate cause of internal damage was the storm event, it wouldn't have occurred if the roofing works were completed correctly. You were trying to maintain your property to prevent having to make a claim, and this has caused you to make a claim.

I can help you word it to your insurer, if you like.

Im just worried that my rates will go up if this happens

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