My flat needs roof repairs, shared with downstairs neighbour. I got an eyebal and a quote both for £3K. Downstair’s late father was a builder so she wanted to ask someone she knew. He is now quoting £5K.

I’ve not spoken to him yet but I am concerned this might be a ruse to get me to pay £2,500 of £3K – but can I ever find out? I think he’s a sole trader and isn’t VAT registered. I don’t know downstairs much, I wouldn’t say I don’t trust them, but they are quite self centred and inconsiderate.

What would stw do?

I’m not sure what your compelling reason is for taking a 5K quote over a £3K one. If your neighbour’s dad’s friend wants the work he needs to be more competitive. Tell them you’re happy to contribute 1,500 to whoever she wants to employ.

Personally, I’d probably get a third roofer in for a quote to check the sense of the first one.

Who is the factor / overseeing company for this? They should have policy on what happens.

Three quotes needed.

I don’t understand the predicament?

You have two quotes for £3k?
They have one quote for £5k?

Unless there is some compelling argument for using her guy then it would seem you use one of yours? There may of course be a reason (like lead time, reputation, warranty, fixed quote v’s estimate etc). Now if I was in your shoes and someone was very keen to use “their builder” and you have a quote that is cheaper I’d be saying – “I’m happy to pay half of £3k (£1500), if you would rather use a different supplier, that’s OK if you organise it and pay the difference”…

Many ways to skin a flat roofed cat. Are the jobs being quoted equal.

Ask for a written quote with a specification of what work & materials are included for both contractors. Then compare the two prices. It’s not questioning their integrity and everything is above board.

Surely your neighbours friends quote is redundant as its £2,000 more than the next nearest one?

Personally, I’d probably get a third roofer in for a quote to check the sense of the first one.

This. Then there’s less argument about it.

Thanks all. She wants to use someone she trusts, which I get, but not to the tune of £1K.

3rd quote it is.

I’d get a quote yourself and see how it compares.
Price of roofing materials has risen lately – especially tiles. An, ahem, big (can’t do maths) rise seems a lot but still.
Don’t know what your wait time is either but if this guy can do it sooner rather than later that’s got to be worth something.
I have been booked in since April to get my roof repaired. Work was going to be done in Sept but moved back to Dec now. I’d go to the back of the queue with any new roofer and anyone with availability… well you’ve got to ask why. I also have neighbours who won’t even cooperate with getting work done even if I pay but that’s another story…

Edit: I read it as you lived in a flat. I guess you won’t be using tiles on a flat roof!

Thanks all. She wants to use someone she trusts, which I get,

Yep, me too. Which, given that this bloke is trying to fleece her for an extra 2 grand, ain’t him.

She wants to use someone she trusts

But you have no reason to trust him so why should you pay an extra £1,000 for the work?

Thanks all. She wants to use someone she trusts, which I get, but not to the tune of £1K.

3rd quote it is.

Fair enough, but I’d be pointing out that she’s paying the extra £2k

We waited a year to get our roof done, roofer was good and worth waiting for. Wood has doubled in price so he was requoting. His advice was only get a roofer who just does roofs, the other chap did driveways too.

The roof now looks brilliant, his attention to detail on the lead work was excellent, like extra protection on the water run offs.

Is disappointed. Would at least expect an attempt at DIY repair in your bedroom Al. Slacker… 🙃

Who owns the freehold of your flat ?
Have you checked your lease to see who is responsible for repairs. It may have a bearing on who appoints the roofer.

I’d ask to see the quote and then assess it against the previous quote, it’s all down to that, if he’s charging 2k more, then the invoice will show it, if there is no invoice with specifics then avoid like the plague, as you then have a 5k price that’s more than likely moveable!

If it’s a basic job then get firm quotes, when you say roof repairs how much work is it, putting that type of detail up can then give you the ballpark and work out if the first quote is an under priced job that might increase, or if that 5k quote is just way out of it.

I would say the friend of a friend route and a 5k quote without any breakdown of costs would set alarm bells going for me, especially if not VAT registered, that would put them under the limit and more often than not in the realms of homer style jobs with wiggle room to provide a false quote to get you paying their share as well!

I have seen some of this in the past, its all good for their side, they get the work done cheaper and their mate gets work, funnily enough it was a roof repair i saw it happen on last time, with my mum and her old neighbour

Alarm bells for me aswell.

Well 3 weeks on and all local builders now seem too busy to get a quote, and neighbours builder can fit us in soon, or not for some months thereafter.

Neighbour is amenable to another quote and is saying the right things re my concerns.

Apparently the £3K quotes were for felt when it actually needs zinc.

I wouldn’t mind paying the £5K for good work but I have no way of knowing it is really costing that amount. I thought of escrow but I am not sure that would do it?

Ask for a written quote with a specification of what work & materials are included for both contractors. Then compare the two prices. It’s not questioning their integrity and everything is above board.

This. And get at least one more quote. And even though it might seem that some quotes include work another doesn’t, that might just mean the other firm have missed something that might need doing. The best way is to get up on the roof itself, and have the roofers go through what works need doing, let them show you why.

Apparently the £3K quotes were for felt when it actually needs zinc.

Zinc and felt are materials used for very different reasons on a roof. They do different jobs. This is why you need to get up there and have them explain it to you.

And btw; £3-5k for fixing a roof is small change…

Well 3 weeks on and all local builders now seem too busy to get a quote, and neighbours builder can fit us in soon, or not for some months thereafter.

If it’s not urgent, then hold off until the spring. This is not a good time of year to be having works done to your roof…

Talking of scheduling work, this is our neighbour’s roof 🙂

Think they are building an open air swimming pool, not sure it was their original plan though 🙂

(not a £5k job)

I wouldn’t mind paying the £5K for good work but I have no way of knowing it is really costing that amount.

Does it not say on the quote? Get it written down. If he’s a friend of hers, what’s to say he’s not charging you £2.5k and her nothing?

Though playing devil’s advocate, what would you do if she said “I don’t care, get it fixed it yourself”? If it rains in, you’re the one that’s going to be getting wet.

Though playing devil’s advocate, what would you do if she said “I don’t care, get it fixed it yourself”? If it rains in, you’re the one that’s going to be getting wet.

Obvious. Get the 3K chap in, get him to invoice for 5K and send her a bill for her share. 🙂

Seriously though, I wouldn’t be rushed into plumping for a more expensive quote because ‘he’s only available now’. I’d be a bit suspicious of any roofer who had that kind of availability in October/November, but that’s just my own personal paranoia.

Persevere in getting another quote, talk though the zinc/felt thing with that one.

The leak wasn’t too bad for me but tenants claim it is Niagara falls in there (I will inspect tomorrow).

Getting a quote is the problem, and yes it seems urgent.

Getting a tradesman of any flavour from all accounts is near on impossible as so much work is going on. If a tradesman claimed to be available immediately and has been available for work for the last three weeks since you started this thread, alarm bells would be going off for me!

neighbours builder can fit us in soon, or not for some months thereafter.

Now that’s a surprise. Agree with the others, see if you can chat through a quote breakdown and the felt/zinc matter

Oh, wait, so the downstairs resident is your tenant? You own both flats?

OP Clarify?
I think you own the freehold so tenant below is leaseholder, and your flat is leasehold too.
Repairs shared amongst leaseholders so normally means you need to agree on who you use?
However I think you are Scotland so I don’t know leasehold rules there.
We have a very similar situatiuon where we own the freehold and leasehold on one flat the other leasholder has another flat, and its 60/40 us/them so whilst they have to pay 40% we can effectivly decide who to use.

I would as a policy not use friends or relatives, crazy move.

I am also suprised Tenant is pushing her relative. Here in the south, Crawley and Reigate where we operate, there is a huge shortage of quality tradesmen and I have to beg roofers to come and quote. So as Scruff said, if the relative is any good you would think they have loads of work.
Stick to well known and recommneded trades. Anyone who is not independent of you and T will always lead to issues.

Had similar with the neighbor at our last house. Shared pitched roof was leaking into our house, previous owners of our house had had a new roof, neighbors was original skate and pretty disheveled.

Anyway, neighbouring property was let out and so landlord had a maintenance guy. I got a quote off another neighbor down the road who was a roofer.

My quote £700

Maintenance guy put his quote to the landlord through our letterbox £650. He called around to say he’d made a mistake and gave us the proper quote. Handily this was now £1200.

Landlord was adamant her guy hadn’t just doubled the quote so we paid it all and that she trusted him. However she did agree to use our quote very easily.

Shared pitched roof was leaking into our house, previous owners of our house had had a new roof, neighbors was original skate and pretty disheveled.

I see your problem there. Roofs made out of fish don’t weather very well.

“ I see your problem there. Roofs made out of fish don’t weather very well.”

Yes if you do that it’ll soon be piscine it down inside your house.

Thanks guys. It’s Scotland, we are both owners and liability is 50/50.

The builder is a friend/work contact of neighbours late father. He’s not been available for the last 3 weeks but yes the story is convenient. I’ve talked to him but he was pretty vague and said it would be “obvious” once I’d seen the damage – which is a bit of a joke.

Neighbour is being a bit of an arse about it, I’ve called about 15 people and she has done **** all, putting the onus on me.

All smells a bit.

Yes if you do that it’ll soon be piscine it down inside your house.

That deserved more love.

All smells a bit.

We’ve had similar with our old BTL – I had Mexican stand off over getting a proper quote done with a second company that others in the building weren’t related too.

Our quote (and consent that did the work) reduced cost from £800 to £300….

What’s the actual damage, and if the other builders have stated it needs zinc instead of felt (is this roofing, cladding or flashing?) then does her builder state the same, last thing you want is him to charge more and do a crap job!

Well I gave the neighbour some subtle but relentless what for re using someone independent and she is either on board or knows she’s been rumbled as we have had 3 more builders look at, only 1 quote so far and in the middle price wise of the first two.

Thanks for all the advice.