Completely random Q… But I’ve had some good luck from fellow riders on this forum with completely random Q’s before so why not try?

I’m in the process of buying a top floor leasehold flat. Few months into the process I get one legal document which to my mind has some worrying information in it:

“The roof at xxxxxx court was built at the wrong angle of elevation. As a result certain ventilation slates allowed water ingress……. “

Now, the estate agents have told me changing the ventilation slates fixes the problem, end of. However, (a) I don’t trust them. (b) I wouldn’t trust my internet research on this either. So, if there are any kind riders on the forum who are actually in the know on this topic what I would like to know is:

a) If the roof is built at the wrong pitch can changing a few tiles really fix the problem?
b) The flat I am buying is supposedly not one of those that is affected, are there any tell tale signs I should be looking for (I have requested to go around again) that would indicate the start of a water ingress problem?

Cheers in advance,
Adam

If they really are slates they can go to quite a low pitch but it depends on the overlap. If the pitch is too low the roof won’t necessarily leak if the sarking felt underneath is OK but you shouldn’t be relying on that. It may fail eventually. It would need a proper expert look to be sure.

Difficult to say exactly what you should look for underneath but the most likely sign is some stains on the top floor ceiling, particularly near the external walls.

It’ll be a big issue if it’s the wrong angle for all the tiles which is quite possible. Roof tiles have a minimum pitch. If it’s just the wrong angle for the vent tiles then it’s a fairly easy fix.

As for signs then damp patches on the ceiling or tops or walls which will look like tide marks or just be slightly darker or actually be damp/mouldy.

As it is leasehold and a shared property you might find yourself with a hefty bill to fix it even if it has no impact on your flat. One of those thongs that could be nothing but could be a big issue. How long has it been like it?

Tiles or slate?

pics? link?

Well he’s not on about actual roof slates or so I can gather. Are you on about ventilation slates as in for extract purposes? These do have variable pitch limits. Main problem would be water running back inside into ducting which would subsequently damage any extract fans etc.

Cheers all, I did have a suspicion this place might come up trumps.

All I currently have to go on is the paragraph quoted in the OP. From which I deduce that the roof has not been built at the correct pitch all over but it is the ventilation tiles that are causing the problem. There is a document detailing the work in more detail which I am hassling for but it is not being easily forthcoming.

As for pictures, This is my first attempt at linking pics so lets see how this goes.. its a flat in this complex (built 2007):

Tiles or slate do make a difference as to overlap allowed.

Yeah but for the numpty “surveyor” to say this

The roof at xxxxxx court was built at the wrong angle of elevation. As a result certain ventilation slates allowed water ingress

this is quite a statement.

Has he checked against the planning application and building warrant. I doubt it very much.

I used to fit ubbink roof vents in a previous life minimum pitch was 25 deg.

This isn’t from the surveyor – I asked for details of any recent expenditure on the property from the management company and this came up. The issue was initially discovered by 3 flats having water ingress problems, the pitch of the roof being incorrect is stated as the issue and the change in ventilation tiles as the fix from the insurer.

Cheers again.

So it wasn’t built to plan then? and it got a completion cert. Hmmm

Maybe being a bit dim here, but its not my area of expertise hence the q’s… Bruneep, can errors like that not be noticed when getting certificated or is that pretty much unheard of?

I’d be wanting to look up in the roof space, not just at the ceiling.

Difficult to be sure from a photo I know, but that does look to be a very shallow pitch.

The pitch is perfectly acceptable on such a design, the vent tiles and it looks like there is one to the left of the flue on the rhs of the building may be what is at fault as I said before. We’ve recently fitted some on a renovation and I did question their suitability on our roof for the same reason.
Stripping them out and changing is not a simple job if it’s a slate or fake slate roof as it will require secondary works to secure the slates around the replaced vents.