Dodgy roofer

[Ghulk81]

Hello,

Homeowner here with a mortgage.

I had an issue with a roofing company after developing a small leak.

short time line:

1. Noticed staining on the ceiling, went under the roof, the felt is perishing (about which I have been told in December by a surveyor)
2. Contacted several companies. But being weekend one one replied back.
3. I accepted that they have a look (no fee)
4. They went up and under the roof, showed me photo evidence that the tiles need repointing. they have me an offer.£4500 I accepted it. We signed a waiver, about the 14days cancellation period. So they can start working on roof straight away.
5. They turned up, started the repointing but declared that the felt needs to be replaced. And the wood underneath. The timber is okay. They said they gonna leave the ridge alone, it’s in good condition.
but they give a £18k quote, on which I was surprised.
but they insisted that they took of the tiles, they can’t leave it. They said they are keeping the price down by replacing using my old tiles and not hiring a skip for the rubbish. I agreed.
i told them I don’t have so much money, they advised a loan from a bank. Didn’t tell me to take time to think or get second opinion from someone else.
6. I paid a deposit of £6500,
they commenced the work.
7. They did in total 1.5 half days the job.
8. They installed new ridge, dry wedge system, replaced. Replaced a few tiles with new ones.
9. A day later, there small condensation under the felt due the old tiles. This was confirmed by a independent roofer.
the job is okay.
10. I have raised this issue with them, asking for refund.
the flat refused it. They wanted to give a handwritten paper as warranty, and they said my invoice is the paper which more like a quotation paperwork but no details of the cost involved.

I couldn’t or eat for 2 night, about the stress and money worries.
don’t judge me but I’m inexperienced with this kind of matters. Is a contract so binding?

what are my right in this case? Can I ask for a refund?
do I have any legs to stand on? I have been advised to take them to the court…

[Ghulk81]

Planning to send out a claim paper for archiving a settlement or take it to the court….it would go out tomorrow morning.

[Ghulk81]

so again, I have a pre-settlement letter drafted up by one of my friends. Offering 2 options: a) refund of £10k plus the interest on the loan or b) reinstate the roof like for like before repair and refund the full amount. Sorry for posting so much but couldn’t see where to edit the already posted comments (threads)

[Frank1]

This roofer sounds a right cowboy. His prices are exorbitant and changing the content of the work after starting the job.
When he inspected the felt from the loft and seen that it was defective and needed replacing the existing roof tiles would have to be removed and stacked and new felt and timber battens fixed before relaying the tiles. Unless you live in a mansion £18k is far too much.
Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations Act 2008, if a trader pressurises a consumer into agreeing an excessive price or misleads the consumer about the cost, the consumer may unwind the contract or claim a discount.
An example of pressuring you would be when you told him money was tight and he then told you to get a bank loan.
If you are unable to reach an agreement with the trader and want to start a court claim you should gather up all evidence, estimates, photos and make notes of verbal quotes.
You should be aware that court claims are costly and time consuming and there is no guarantee that if your claim is successful you will actually receive any money back from the defendant.

[Ghulk81]

Okay. Thank you for your reply.