LIMERICK homeowners are urged to be vigilant when employing or contracting work for repairs to their property. The Limerick Post was contacted by a retired couple from the city centre who, on the strength of a flyer put through their letterbox, engaged workmen to clean their roof tiles and remove moss.
A rate of €350 was sought, but a fee of €300 was later agreed and the work was to commence the next day.
However, the couple received a call on each of the next three mornings postponing the job.
The following Monday, work began and three individuals arrived and the couple said they “had their concerns”.
Fears increased when work stopped just a short time later when one of the workmen arrived to the front door holding the ridge tiles from the roof.
The couple were told that the tiles were ready to fall off and that there was a safety issue.
Concerned, but still somewhat dubious, the couple were advised to have the tiles repaired, at a charge of €450.
Nearing completion of the ridge tile repair, the homeowners were told that “their chimney was about to fall and that this had become a safety and insurance issue,” and that work could not continue as it was unsafe.
A charge of €600 was set to fix the chimney. Access to the roof to complete the repairs was refused.
“We were shocked at this happening and could not believe that these repairs were necessary.
“The moss is all we wanted removed from the roof and all these other jobs just kept popping up. Everything seemed up front with their flyer when the first man called, but we were somewhat sceptical when they eventually came to start the job. Our worst fears came through when we got a reputable roof and chimney man in to survey the roof. He told us that the chimney had been freshly hit several times with a lump hammer. You could see it was about to fall over”.
