It turns out that roof #2 was laid over insulation that never dried after snow melted through roof #1. The two disaster recovery companies out here today were mumbling about having to tear out all the walls and the cathedral ceiling in the open floor plan that contains our living room, dining area, and kitchen.
When I asked the property manager what we were supposed to do while all that was going on, she blithely answered, "You'll either have to find another place to live (i.e., move out permanently) or live in a hotel until the repairs are done." She didn't offer to foot the hotel bill, incidentally.
And on a further note: This is going to sound sexist, but it was difficult to take the representative from the second disaster recovery company seriously. She showed up wearing tight jeans and high heels, did not bring a ladder to inspect the ceiling (she had to borrow ours), and had only a tiny (but oh so cute) red flashlight for inspecting the attic, which does not have electricity.
2 comments:
Oh Kate, that all sounds SO WRONG! Surely the building must be insured against this kind of damage and the company would pay for you to stay somewhere. They in turn would collect from the roofing company. Don't they have a landlord-tenant association where you live?
Of course given the management company you have been dealing with, moving might well be preferable. This hasn't been your year, has it? May you have a much better 2010: a dry house, a papillon and the job you deserve!
Roofing does not equal rocket science but it definitely is a skill. Good roofers are worth their weight in gold and will probably tell you that roofing in the winter never works well. There must be a legal recourse here. I'm sure you can put the rent in escrow and start some sort of arbitration process. Mention this to the property management company and see what they say.
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