Damaged harling

[workingonadream]

Hey folks,

I currently live in a flat of which the a patch of harling has came of the building most likely due to age and bad winters and looks very unatractive.

The council wont touch it as they building has a mix of home owners and council tennants so unless everyone commits to paying they wont act which i think is outrageous as I think its deemed hazardous and unsafe.

I do however have home insurance and my policy states that it Covers the structure of your home, roofs, walls, fences, gates and outbuildings, plus permanent fixtures like kitchens, bathrooms and fitted wardrobes.

Im wondering before i phone the insurance comapny if anyone has had similar problems or would know how the insurance comapny will respond to the claim.

Its getting really annoying cause I want to try and sell within the next 2 years and this will hold me back and could get worse in the meantime.

any feedback is appreciated folks,

Many thanks.

[boxtops]

Forgive my ignorance - what's Harling, I don't know the term?

[workingonadream]

Its the outside of the building which covers the bricks. Ive maby spelt it wrong too

[Canary42]

Harling: The lime coating known as harling or wet dash is the most commonly applied external finish to be found on vernacular architecture in Ireland. The harling material is a combination of aggregates and lime, mixed into a slurry consistency and applied in a fluid state. Historically the harling was applied directly onto the masonry walls which had previously been evened out by pointing the wall flush and filling small holes with stone pinning's and mortar. Towards the end of the nineteenth century it became commonplace to apply one or two toweled undercoats to flatten the background before casting on the lime harling.
An extension of this practice became known as dry dashing or pebble dashing, where dry shingle is cast into a wet adhesive coat. However, in traditional harling the finish coat is applied directly to the masonry background.

[JackDanielsU]

You say its come off due to age and bad weather - ie its wear and tear. This is usually an automatic decline

The homeowner is expected to maintain things like the roof etc. Here though as you state its a mixture of council and private its obviously complex - I would have thought being in a block of flats youd be paying some sort of fee to keep the grounds, buildings maintained??

[twix123]

Your insurance will not cover wear and tear. If you have a Management Committee, they may be obliged to arrange the necessary repair although the cost would have to be shared amongst all the owners/tenants.