7 On Your Side helps Berkeley resident with leaky roof problem

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A leaky roof may not be a problem during this drought, but what if El Nino really is on the way? That has a Berkeley woman very worried.

She had been trying to fix leaks for the past three years. Finally contractors declared the roof isn't the problem.

Sue Liu recalls the first time it rained after moving into a Berkeley home. "I was standing in the kitchen and all of a sudden my hair got wet," she said.

She contacted Home Depot which had installed the roof 10 years earlier. "Oh, it's still under warranty and we'll send somebody out right away," she said.

The Home Depot contractor said the flashing was too short. "He nailed that short flashing down, then it leaked again," Liu said.

Contractors kept making more repairs, Liu kept getting more leaks. Finally they looked up higher. "They said 'oh the leak is actually coming from the flashing on the third floor roof, not the second floor,"' Liu said.

Liu said contractors never replaced the third floor flashing, but did patch up cracks in an exterior wall.

But Liu kept getting leaks until we went into a drought. However, now forecasters predict big storms on the way.

Liu found her own contractor who said the roof doesn't have the right kind of flashing to divert water away from the walls, causing those cracks. Home Depot said it's the cracks causing the leaks, not the roof. So, the company stopped trying to fix it.

That's when Liu contacted 7 On Your Side. We contacted Home Depot and it reconsidered her case. "They're very apologetic and I'm hoping they will come through," she said.

Home Depot agreed to pay for Liu's contractor to repair the roof saying: "After servicing and testing Ms. Liu's roof we've determined that the ongoing leaking is unrelated to the work completed by Home Depot service providers. Having said that we understand Ms. Liu's frustration and we're glad we could help get it resolved."

"After the fix there will be a big smile on my face if it doesn't leak," Liu said.

Liu's story is a good reminder to make sure your house is ready for the upcoming storms. She plans to have the work completed before the rain hits. We'll see if the new repairs really do protect her home.