Damaged to ceiling during roofing replacement.

[Jaz Luis Duque]

My wife and I currently own (2) 1 bedroom units in the South Florida area. When the last tenent moved out of one of the units we did an inspection of the property. In one of the closets there was mold all over the ceiling.  We assumed it was because the roof was leaking. The association waited more than 40 years to replace the roof. The association was in the process of replacing all of the roofs. There were long delays because they were dealing with issues of replacing the original roofing contractor. We made the complaint to the association and to the building department. They told us that the roof will be replaced and it is the responsiblity of the owner to remove the mold and replace the ceiling in the closet. It made no sense in replacing the ceiling while their were still leaks in the closet. While waiting for them to replace the roof I began to paint, replace outlets, replace fixtures, and repair anything that wasn't working. Just yesterday, During my lunch hour, I came to the property to check on the progress of the roof.  I saw that the roofing felt was installed and I was excited to tell my wife. I walked into the unit and to my surprise, I found yellow stains and a big hole in the ceiling of the living room. I was finished with all my repairs and the replacement of the ceiling in the closet is all I had left. 

It is my understanding when the roofer removes shingles, roofing felt and the substrate. It is the roofing companies responsibility to protect the property underneath. They should have systems in place to prevent any damage during heavy rains. I feel that the roofer is the responsible party. If anyone in the Bigger Pockets community has any similar issues and can lead us in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. 

Regards,

Jaz Duque

 

[Wren Martin]

Jaz,

A good roofing contractor will want to protect the property in the event of a rain.  It's possible that the contractor did apply some tarps but subject to wind they may not have protected the property underneath as well as they might have hoped.  I would contact the contractor and see if they are willing to help you mitigate the damage in your unit.  You might need to contact your local registrar of contractors and see if they can help you get this resolved if the contractor isn't willing to volunteer the repairs to your satisfaction.  Make sure and document the damage to include pictures, names of contacts, and any/all actions you take.  It's possible that you will need to proceed with the repairs on your own as you do not want to absorb the downtime in the unit waiting and hoping the contractor will make you whole.  You do have a responsibility to limit the damage to your unit as much as possible so don't expect a court to grant you lost rent if you don't do everything in your power to get the property repaired and released as quickly as possible.

To your Success!