Roofing renewals

Before we can begin works to the roof at your home, we need to ensure that our contractors are working in a safe environment and that you and your belongings are protected.

Please ensure that:

• The outside perimeter of your home is clear from belongings that may cause an obstruction or hamper the safe erection of scaffolding. This may include plant pots, garden furniture, ornaments, garden play items or storage
• Clearing up any animal waste in these areas
• Where loft insulation is required a top up, we would require you to remove all items from the loft, whilst we complete the works. This work can take between one-two days to complete
• Please ensure pets are kept away from work areas, to protect your animals from any hazards or materials in those areas.

If you are unable to move items as stated above, please contact us and we can discuss ways in which Westward and our contractors can support you.

What we expect our contractors to do?

• Move any aerials or satellite dishes to the scaffolding to ensure you TV signal is not impacted
• Control dust as best as possible
• Clear rubbish as soon as possible
• Communicate with you throughout the process
• No radios
• They are not permitted to use the toilet at your home unless you explicitly give them permission.

If you have any queries relating to preparing for a roof renewal, please contact us using this form. 

• Do I have to agree to improvement work being completed?

The following planned works are considered mandatory as they impact on the building and present increased risks if not completed:

·       External decorations and repairs

·       Roofing replacement works

·       Window replacements

·       Fire Door replacements

The following works can be refused but only if the condition of the item planned for replacement is satisfactory or if there isn’t a legal/safety compliance requirement:

·       External Doors

·       Kitchen Replacement

·       Bathroom/Wet room replacement

·       Heating replacements.

• Will I get the same improvements as my neighbour?

We will try and complete the following works areas on a scheme-wide basis:

·       External Decorations

·       Pitched roof replacements

·       Window replacements

This means we will aim to complete one or more of the above on all Westward homes on that street.

Improvements such as kitchens, bathrooms, heating, external doors and other smaller replacement items are replaced based on the specific age or condition of the improvement and done so on a property-by-property basis.

This means we may not do the above improvements to all homes on a street as a number of the improvements may be varying cycles or in varying condition.

• What if my home is not included in planned works programmes but I think work needs doing?

If your home is not on our programme and feel that it should be, please contact us.

We aim to undertake improvements to our homes as per our Westward Standard. If your home isn’t due for replacement due to age, we may still need to complete the improvement due to condition.

If you believe any part of your home requires replacement due to condition you need to report this as a repair. Our repairs team will then review this requirement to understand whether a reasonable repair can take place. If this isn’t a feasible option, it will be referred for early replacement due to condition.

• Will I be charged for any improvement works?

Whether an improvement is chargeable to you, is dependent on your legal agreement with Westward and dependent on the circumstances that the improvement is required.

Charge guide

Home owners/shared owners	Typically responsible for the management of works in their homes and for paying for these works.
Leaseholders	Typically responsible for paying a contribution towards the costs of works. This depends on the details set within their specific lease agreement.
Tenants	Westward are responsible for the management and costs relating to improvements. The exception to this is where works are paid for from service charge provisions which are a separate arrangement.

• Who will be doing the work on my home?

The contractors undertaking works will be dependent on the location you are in and the works being undertaken.

Contractor guide

Area	Contractor
North Devon and Bude	Westward Property Services (WPS)
South Devon	Westward Property Services (WPS) or Westcountry Maintenance Services (WMS)
Cornwall	Westcountry Maintenance Services (WMS)

• Will the work be disruptive?

Our contractors will work to minimise disruption as best as possible but planned works can be noisy and messy at times. Our contractors are expected to keep their work area as tidy as possible, but there may be periods where mess is inevitable.

If you are concerned about this, please let us know or discuss with our contractors at their initial survey of your home.

• Do I have to be present during the works?

All works that involve entry within your home will require you to be present to allow access.

External works do not need your attendance at all times. If you have a side gate to allow rear access, we urge you to leave this unlocked during any external works. This will allow our contractors to complete their work without delay.

• Will my property be protected from damage i.e. carpets/flooring?

Yes – It is expected that our contractor will lay protective coverings to hallways or rooms that run from the entry point of your home to the bathroom area.

• I have had a letter from Westward but not heard from a contractor yet?

If you have received a letter from Westward regarding a planned improvement at your home, typically this means your home is on our programme for the current financial year which runs from April to the following March. Our contractors are required to complete the entire programme within this time period.

If you haven’t heard from our contractor yet, do not worry. It is likely that your home is planned later in the year. Typically, our contractors will commence communication with you a few months before works would be planned, sometimes sooner.

If you have a specific time of the year that you are unable to have the works completed, please contact us and we may be able to discuss this with our contractor to ensure that this period of the year is avoided.

Similarly, if you believe that your improvement is more urgent, please let us know and we can assess it for prompter action on the programme.

• My loft is full of belongings and I can’t move them before the loft insulation is upgraded. What do I do?

If you are unable to move items stored in your loft, please contact us and/or our contractors so we can offer you some support or to make minor adjustments to assist where possible.

It is important that we upgrade your loft insulation as this is a requirement under the building regulations. The Energy Saving Trust estimate that 25% of a buildings heat loss is through the roof/loft, so loft insulation is incredibly important to keep your home warm and save you money on your heating bills.

Another reason why we need to ensure your loft insulation is up to standard, and more important laid appropriately, is to ensure that condensation formed at ceiling level internally due to lack of or poorly laid insulation is completely avoided.

• I believe that there is asbestos on my roof, should I be worried about it?

If you believe that your roof contains asbestos there is no need to worry. Prior to works to any roof, we would need to have completed an appropriate asbestos survey to understand if there are any asbestos containing materials within the roof construction prior to works commencement.

If there is asbestos, our contractors will then follow the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) guidance and regulations around its removal depending on the type of the material found.

Any removals will be conducted under controlled conditions using the competently trained contractors as is required under the regulations.

If you have any questions on the removal processes, please let us know and or discuss with our contractors when at your home.

• I still use my chimney; will it be removed when the roof works are done?

If your chimney is still in use by you, we would need to undertake an assessment of the appliance connected to it to ensure that it is still compliant to the required regulations.

If the appliance and the chimney are compliant, we will retain the chimney. If your chimney is shared with a non-Westward owned property, we will communicate with your neighbour to discuss whether this is still in use.

Where possible, we will always seek to remove a chimney during roof replacement works.

• I don’t use the chimney; will it be removed during the works?

Where possible, we will always seek to remove a chimney during roof replacement works. If your chimney is shared with a non-Westward owned property, we will communicate with your neighbour to discuss whether this is still in use. If the chimney is in use by the non-Westward owned property, we will need to retain the chimney.

• The contractor wants to put a skip outside my home during the works, are they allowed?

Yes, they are allowed to do this and it is vital to ensure the works are completed in a timely manner.

We would expect our contractors to inform you of the location that a skip will be positioned in advance. The position of any skips or materials needs to be done in a way that doesn’t limit access to your home or that creates additional risks.

If you have any concerns about this, please contact us.

• I am worried the scaffolding will restrict access to my home, should I be?

Scaffolding is of course a mandatory requirement for all roofing works due to the need to provide contractors with a safe platform to work from.

Our contractors and their scaffolders should design scaffolding so that doors and pathways are not restricted in anyway. Scaffolding should also be designed to ensure windows are still able to be opened.

In rare circumstances, this may be unavoidable. In this instance, our contractor will inform you and seek to have the scaffolding up for the minimum amount of time possible to limit the impact on you.

• I have a flat roof at the property, will this be done at the same time?

Typically, we will look to include flat roofs at high level during the pitched roof replacement if of age and in poor condition. If we have needed to replace a flat roof in the past individually, then we wouldn’t replace the flat roof.

Flat roofs on outbuildings or ground floor structures may not be included if the age and condition of the flat roof is deemed to be appropriate.