Gap in tile side overlap

[MJNewton]

I haven't been on the site for a while - I hope everyone is well. Apologies that it's a problem that brought me back...

 

Our semi-detached neighbours have just had done some roofing work done to fix a leak around their dormer. This required the removal of quite a few tiles, including the whole bottom row (on their side).

 

Looking out of our dormer window, and which the photo below shows, I've noticed there's now a bit of a gap in the side overlap where their tiles meet ours:

 

 

I got my ladders out at the weekend (my most feared tool - not a great fan of heights!) to take a closer look and was expecting (hoping!) that it'd just be a case of jiggling the tiles into place if they hadn't quite been seated properly...

 

 

However, this wasn't the case. No amount of jiggling was going to make a difference and so I gave up.

 

What I didn't spot whilst up there though, but which I can now see quite clearly in the first photo and from ground level too, is that their whole row of bottom tiles sits higher than ours. I actually think theirs are *too* high and it would not surprise me if in heavy rain they may find water overshooting over the gutter! That's not my concern though; I'm just worried about the gap we've end up with where our bottom rows join. Specifically, wind-driven rain (although I expect the felt would safely carry it into the gutter?) or even birds nesting?

 

With this situation in mind, what possible remedies might the roofer have to resolve this, other than removing and relaying with a batten (or whatever sits underneath) of matching thickness? Would any other remedy be considered something of a bodge? For example, how about a wedge of mortar in the gap similar to how the tiles running up the edge of the roof have in them?

 

Edited 5 hours ago by MJNewton

[Nickfromwales]

Knock next door and state your concerns. Ask what work was done and show them the pics. 
 

The roofer should have replaced like-for-like, as these are clearly historic installations which when new worked perfectly well.

 

They may have added a tray and / or changed to a bigger batten (or doubled up) vs just renewing like for like at the last course, which was likely a knee jerk from doing new roofs in isolation vs retrospective repairs.

 

Needs correcting as heavy / driven rain is defo going to get in there and the felt is not meant to deal with that. Snow (melting) will likely be way more of a concern. 

[MJNewton]

Thanks Nick. Yeah, I do intend to speak to the neighbours. Whilst we're not close, mostly due to being like ships in the night really, the relationship is fine and so I don't anticipate any problems other than awkwardness of what to say and be asking for!

 

In terms of remedy, do you think it would be unreasonable/unrealistic for them to be relaying the last row such that it sits flush? I wouldn't be surprised if the roofer might think that's too much effort and opt to do something else like lift my tile slightly to make up most of the gap, then the next one slightly less and so on until the gap is absorbed across a series of tiles!