Uninsured owners face repair costs after roof panel hits house

Owners of units in an industrial building in Siglufjörður face repair costs after a large roof panel blew off in last week’s storm and struck a nearby house, mbl.is reports. One of the owners was not insured for the damage.

No businesses are operating in the building, and nobody was inside when the storm hit. The panel also struck a car parked nearby.

Halldór Bogi Sigurðsson bought his unit four months ago and uses it to store family belongings. The owners of the neighbouring unit bought it two months ago and had fitted it out as a band rehearsal space.

The owner of the building’s largest unit has building insurance, Halldór Bogi said, but the owners of the other units do not, apart from fire insurance. “It all falls on us,” he said, adding that he did not know how the damage would be covered and did not expect the Natural Disaster Insurance of Iceland or other insurance to pay.

Halldór Bogi said the storm was far more severe than residents had expected and that there was little they could have done to prevent the damage. The roof had been replaced five years ago. He said he was grateful that nobody was injured.

The opening in the roof was covered with tarpaulins after the storm to keep out the rain. The next step is to properly seal the roof before winter.