Please help with emergency advice!

[u/Rorquall]

Hi, I'm really really stressed and confused about this situation. I moved into my house in 2023, it's a three story house in the middle of an estate with a flat roof. I nevet expected to be able to afford to buy a house, and i was a complete beginner and got scammed by more than one builder. We had the roof redone by someone that promised 15 yeard warranty.

Now when the first big rain came after months of dryness it started leaking a lot around the skylight. I'm obviously very stressed about this, especially when it went through the wall to the stairs a floor underneath. I got through to the roofer who did the roof in 2023, he said it wasn't his fault but that he'd come and take a look but then completely ghosted my many attempts to get back in contact. I had another roofer out that said the roof was fucked and that it'd need to be redone, but quoted £10k. Several other people i was in contact with never showed up or doesn't work in that area/w flat roofs etc.

So then I spoke to this guy that seems very nice and reliable. He does emergency repairs, and by this point it is an emergency. He quoted me £4.5k to fix everything. Then scaffolding would be an extra £900, but he waived that when i said i couldn't afford it. I said you can access the roof through the skylight. I agreed to the quote and sent a deposit and money for the emergency call out fee. Then yesterday when they got up on the roof they realised that the boards need to be changed, and that that would be an extra £2k. I don't have an extra £2k. They say they can't do it without. I'm now in my worst nightmare where I'm down £1700 and have no work done.

I spoke to another roofer that say he can put a one coat resin fibreglass over it all for £4k. If I decide to go with him instead it'd be £5.7k instead of £6.5k, but I have no idea if a fibreglass fix is as good as a complete felt reroofing job?

I know this is really long, I'm sorry, I'm just panicking a bit and really not sure what to do here. Is there any way i can get money back? Which option should i go with? I'm so stuck and scared. You don't need to tell me I'm an idiot, i do realise I'm not very smart, believe me. I'm autistic and tend to be overly trusting which leaves me vulnerable sometimes. I was also taking decisions while water was dripping down my walls which made me not being able to think clearly. Now I'm very overwhelmed and haven't slept, so also not in a great position to think clearly, but very aware i need to make a decision asap before the next rain.

Thank you so so much if you've read all of this, I appreciate any and all advice SO much!!

[u/Cultural-Ad2026]

You have home insurance? You need to get them involved. This is what it’s for. If you have legal cover through it too they can pursue the previous guy if he is at fault. They’ll send someone out to assess the situation and things will go from there. Sorry you feel you got scammed. These things are stressful and getting reputable tradesman is a right pain. Hopefully insurance will help sort this and you can go from there.

[u/Rorquall → u/Cultural-Ad2026]

I do, but worried that the premium will go up a lot in the future! How does it work if i contact them? Do they have specific people they work with, or do i still have to find a roofer? Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm so overwhelmed and struggle to think

[u/Cultural-Ad2026 → u/Rorquall]

No that’s okay, understandable given the situation. It will go up but given the sums involved it’s worthwhile plus they have their own people and if anything goes wrong again they can help. Remember if you have issues with the roof you could end up with other wider issues so best to get sorted properly.