Can a neighbour’s plants damage your roof?

The landlord of a top-floor property got a surprise call to say that blocked gutters and drains had been a factor in the flooding of the ground-floor flat during a heavy rainstorm. 

Closer inspection revealed that vines from a neighbouring house had crawled over the property divide and invaded the roof and gutter of the landlord’s flat. 

Water had built up on the roof and then come cascading down onto the lower flat’s courtyard, flooding the carpeting in the process. Water was also dribbling down the sides of the property, potentially damaging the brick-work. 

Making matters worse, old wooden debris had fallen onto the roof some time ago and gone unnoticed.

Calling in the professionals

The landlord’s tenants were young busy people with their own lives to lead and so it was understandable that they didn’t notice the build-up of the unwanted vegetation.

Given that the property was of considerable height – built over four floors – it was time to call in the professionals.

This is where a first rate cleaning service like Improve A Roof’s Roof Cleaning Wash and Refurb comes into its own.

Professionals have the know-how to clear vegetation, moss and debris from roofs. They have the right equipment – not least being ladders and safety gear for working high off the ground.

And they can apply a protective coating to the roof afterwards to prolong the service.

Fixing the problem

The first step in the operation was for the landlord to have a quiet world with the neighbours and kindly ask them to keep their vines in check for the future.

This can be a fraught business and tact is essential here – fortunately, the neighbours were happy to come on board.

With neighbourly negotiations satisfactorily concluded, it was onto the roof to clear the attached gutters and give the roof a thorough clean, removing any moss and lichen build-up.

A microbiological treatment was applied to the roof slates to prevent future germination of the micro spoors that sit on the slates waiting to reactivate after more rainfall. 

This was followed by a general clean of the gutters, windows, fascia and soffits. Once the garden waste was tidied away the team packed up it was job well done. 

The landlord and the tenants were both happy with the outcome. And the neighbours probably had a healthier vine too, now that it was not wandering across the rooftops of adjacent properties.

Give us a call

We provide roof cleaning services in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, North Wales, Derbyshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.

Improve a Roof also offers additional, complimentary services to enhance your home further.

Contact us on: 0800 046 9686