What to Do If Your Roof Starts Leaking
Water coming through a ceiling is alarming, but the first hour is mostly about calm, simple steps. Here is the checklist.
1. Protect what is below
Move furniture and electronics clear, put down a container for drips, and add a towel in the bottom so the drip does not splash. If a ceiling is bulging with held water, place a bucket beneath — a small hole made in the centre of the bulge with a screwdriver can release the water in a controlled way rather than letting the whole area come down. Only do this if you can reach safely.
2. Think electrics
If water is anywhere near light fittings or sockets, stop using them. If you can safely isolate the affected lighting circuit at the consumer unit, do so. When in doubt, leave it off and mention it when you call.
3. Stay off the roof
Wet roofs are lethal, and so are ladders in wind and rain. No leak is worth a fall. The temporary fixes worth doing are all inside the house.
4. Document it
Photograph the ceiling, any damaged belongings and — from the ground only — the roof itself. Time-stamped photos help with insurance claims and help a roofer diagnose the problem before arriving.
5. Call a roofer, and describe the symptoms
Where the water shows, when it started, what the weather was doing, anything you can see from the ground. Leaks rarely enter where they appear — diagnosing the true entry point is the roofer’s job, and good symptom information speeds it up. Read more about how we trace and repair leaks.
6. Beware the rush decision
A leak feels like an emergency purchase, and door-knockers and pressure-sellers exploit that. Emergency weatherproofing genuinely is urgent; committing to a full roof replacement is not a decision to make with water dripping in the background. Get the roof made safe, then get a written quotation you can consider calmly.
Leaking now? Call us on 07417 415691 — urgent leaks are prioritised. For storm damage see our emergency roofing service, or request a quote for anything less urgent.