Cracked Tile who is to pay ? .

[fast_muchly]

Hi
Went up yesterday on a customers who i have been doing years its a tiled lower roof on a add on extension .She was married to a roofer who by the looks of his work is a bit iffy .This roof has had the cement drying and breaking away on it for years .It does look poor quality work if i am being honest . The tiles are a rough course look . Like the old fashioned council house slapped on stone cladding look . Well i trod on the ridge tile yesterday and it seemed soft as i trod on it it then just collapsed .

To me it looks like it didnt either have enough cement underneath it or it has dried up like the rest of it and shrunk away but anyway it means i have broke her tile .But if you look at the rest of the roof you can tell its pretty poor and getting worse . I have not said anything yet as i dont really feel this is 100% my fault . Want an honest opinion what would most do in this situation as i am 55 and i HONESTLY was about to pack this house in and 4 more near it as im trying to offload ladder work as i add more bungalows with semi retirement in mind .

I know im sounding a bit dishonest here but im a bit irritated i could get billed here if im totally honest and get into a hornets nest as i look at it its not all my fault .

1. They did agree to me going up on this roof .
2. The roof on the ridge tiles that join the 2 apexs together looks to have had cement just slapped on and its definitly weathered in time and its breaking away on it own .
3. Yes i did stupidly walk on this tile not thinking .

What im worried about is if dont say anything is there a damn good chance that when it rains heavy there going to get a very damp patch on the ceiling inside then look at it turns into an even bigger expense . Surely there is waterproof sheeting under this tile to stop that .

 

[Part Timer]

In my opinion if you didn't have an agreement, in writing, that you weren't liable for any damage done whilst you were on the roof cleaning windows you are liable.
Personally would explain the tiles condition and make a goodwill gesture to pay half of the repair cost and hope they accept.

 

[ched999uk]

While they did give permission to go on the roof it was your foot that actually broke the ridge tile. As your images show the ridge tile mortar is in poor condition but they did have a watertight roof now they don't. I recently replaced a few ridge tiles on our bungalow and they were not filled with mortar just bedded in on all the edges. It was a very easy diy job.

I would be tempted to replace the tile myself but then if it leaked would you get the blame?
As @Part Timer suggested I would be inclined to confess but offer to pay half the cost of replacing just that tile as a goodwill gesture.

 

[fast_muchly]

How much should something like this cost to repair ? . I was thinking of offering a couple of free window cleans as i do it for £15 a clean .

 

[Part Timer]

How much should something like this cost to repair ? . I was thinking of offering a couple of free window cleans as i do it for £15 a clean .

I can get it done where I live for around £50, but that's cheap and it would depend on the cost of a new ridge tile.

 

[Dave B]

That’s why I don’t go roof walking anymore
The ridge tile is not supposed to be so packed with cement it will take your weight (I grew up working on roofs with mums 2nd husband)
Legally if you fall off a roof the customer is liable as they should have signed off to say they agree to you being up there etc and the same with working practices but in reality you have broken the ridge tile no matter how good a roofer her husband was
Own up and fix it
A bag of cement and a tile and job done in 10 minutes

 

[Dave B]

4 quid from b&q for a tile and a bag of cement for a few squid

 

[Pjj]

Personally wouldn’t go on a roof , I agree about the state of the roof but you did break the tile this would also be part of any risk assessment and if it looked iffy that’s another reason not to go on it . It’s a difficult one I would mention it to her and see what she has to say she might accept it’s knackered and pay for it herself .

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Hi
Went up yesterday on a customers who i have been doing years its a tiled lower roof on a add on extension .She was married to a roofer who by the looks of his work is a bit iffy .This roof has had the cement drying and breaking away on it for years .It does look poor quality work if i am being honest . The tiles are a rough course look . Like the old fashioned council house slapped on stone cladding look . Well i trod on the ridge tile yesterday and it seemed soft as i trod on it it then just collapsed .

To me it looks like it didnt either have enough cement underneath it or it has dried up like the rest of it and shrunk away but anyway it means i have broke her tile .But if you look at the rest of the roof you can tell its pretty poor and getting worse . I have not said anything yet as i dont really feel this is 100% my fault . Want an honest opinion what would most do in this situation as i am 55 and i HONESTLY was about to pack this house in and 4 more near it as im trying to offload ladder work as i add more bungalows with semi retirement in mind .

I know im sounding a bit dishonest here but im a bit irritated i could get billed here if im totally honest and get into a hornets nest as i look at it its not all my fault .

1. They did agree to me going up on this roof .
2. The roof on the ridge tiles that join the 2 apexs together looks to have had cement just slapped on and its definitly weathered in time and its breaking away on it own .
3. Yes i did stupidly walk on this tile not thinking .

What im worried about is if dont say anything is there a damn good chance that when it rains heavy there going to get a very damp patch on the ceiling inside then look at it turns into an even bigger expense . Surely there is waterproof sheeting under this tile to stop that .View attachment 26779View attachment 26780View attachment 26781

You don't want to go on a roof if its over 30 years old because the tiles are fragile. You end up breaking more tiles than the ones you are trying to fix. When you do go on the roof and break things then the customer expects it fixed for free. Only experience will make you savvy regarding old roofs.

 

[Yogi1872]

Broke 2 tiles last week and replaced them. Imo you broke it so you should be paying for it, going forward you could say to her either that window doesn't get done or if you want it done then your not going to pay to replace it next time.

Think of the worst case scenario here, you have admitted you broke it but refuse to get it replaced so they end up getting someone else. Neighbours talk and eventually someone will say I see its not the usual window cleaner. When the person explains you cased damage to the property and acknowledged it was caused by yourself but refused to pay the costs of it then you don't come out of that looking good at all.

 

[Iron Giant]

4 quid from b&q for a tile and a bag of cement for a few squid

4 quid at B&Q they don't sell things that cheap do they, ?but as you said before an easy enough fix it's a ridge tile on a low roof even I could manage that.

 

[Dave B]

They are on offer lol
Usually about £8

 

[Iron Giant]

They are on offer lol
Usually about £8

Wrong colour or one of us is colour blind

Sand faced ridge tiles can be bought on Ebay, just had a quick shufty £5 but depends if they are selling locally, might sell them on FB marketplace as well

 

[fast_muchly]

Thx folks you know what i think i will fix it myself all i need is a bucket some cement and a tile job done .

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Broke 2 tiles last week and replaced them. Imo you broke it so you should be paying for it, going forward you could say to her either that window doesn't get done or if you want it done then your not going to pay to replace it next time.

Think of the worst case scenario here, you have admitted you broke it but refuse to get it replaced so they end up getting someone else. Neighbours talk and eventually someone will say I see its not the usual window cleaner. When the person explains you cased damage to the property and acknowledged it was caused by yourself but refused to pay the costs of it then you don't come out of that looking good at all.

Exactly. Customers are sick and tired of broken gutters, brackets, damaging their fascia, damaging their roof tiles and missing windows above connys. That's what I'm hearing when they swap to me when they see me with the wfp.