Raining on my life.

It's raining in my house! All of the extreme weather over the last 2 months, high winds & torrential rain, has revealed that once again my vendor was economical with the truth about the house. He assured me that the damp patch in the study, (which he painted over), was the result of a leak from the shower in a room on the top floor & had been fixed. Definitely not so according to a roofer & a maintenance man. It's coming from the flat roofed patio area above.

So, I had a sodden carpet which alerted me to the problem & now have a bucket catching the drips when it rains. I'm not sure exactly when it happened - who looks up at the ceiling when you are going through a door? It was the wet carpet that made me look up.

The thing is it's not straightforward, certainly not for someone like me who knows nothing whatsoever about roofs. Is it a faulty Sarnafil membrane & how long is the guarantee on the product?- Is it a bodged roofing job by the main contractor? (The roofer showed me where there should be lead flashing & someone has made a bit of a hash of putting some sort of silicone sealant on. So the vendor must have known there was a problem). Did the main contractor do the work, or did he sub' the work out? If so, who to?

The house was completed in December 2006, how long is the build guaranteed for? I would expect a roof to last longer than 7 years. Surely even if builders don't have NHBC guarantees, they have to insure a new build for a reasonable length of time? What is a reasonable length of time for a new house to last? At least 10 years seems reasonable in my opinion.

I have tried contacting the main contractor, he washes his hands metaphorically. I have also tried the award winning local architects, several times, they don't respond at all. The manufacturer of the roofing membrane has responded, but not answered all my questions. Why am I not surprised? I didn't used to be so cynical.

Fortunately my buildings insurers are sending a loss adjuster out because the leak is caused by extreme weather - storms. So I'm hoping he will get something authorised temporarily & then a permanent repair. I wouldn't know where to start or who to employ. I will lose part of my 30% no claims bonus though & have to pay the excess of £150.

I feel as if it's been raining on my life for the last 4 months. On the bright side, I have learned not to panic, but take things one step at a time & find a solution. On the other hand I feel really let down that someone else's lack of conscience or any sense of obligation to honor a contract has landed me with all the problems.

I do believe in Karma though. "What goes around comes around." "Do unto others....."