What to do if your roof is leaking?

• In the event of a roof leak, first locate the source, contain the water, and remove excess water to prevent further damage. Avoid using electrical items in damp areas.
• Use plastic sheets or waterproof materials to protect furniture, and puncture bulges in ceilings to release trapped water if safe.
• Contact a professional roofing contractor immediately for repairs and inform your insurance company, documenting the damage with photos and reports.
• Seek advice from professionals on preventing future leaks and avoid attempting repairs yourself unless you have the necessary skills and equipment. Safety should always come first.

Nothing seems more stressful than your roof springing a leak – and it’s vital you know the key steps to take in the event of this emergency so you can protect your property from further damage.

If your roof is leaking, you should first contain the water and remove any excess, if that is safe for you to do, before working on fixing the leak with professional help. Let’s examine these steps in more detail.

How to stop a roof leaking

Locate the problem

Establish exactly where the leak is coming from as best you can.

Don’t leave even minor leaks to chance – get them fixed immediately! Signs of a leak include the appearance of dripping or leaking water, bubbling in the walls or ceiling, damp and stained areas, sagging in the ceiling and warped or damage or disturbances on the roof surface.

Contain the water

Your first response will be to contain the water by placing containers or buckets below the water flow.

Sometimes you may spot a bulge forming in your ceiling or wall to relieve pressure and allow the water to flow more smoothly – puncture this  bulge by making a small hole with a screwdriver or similar item, if you can, taking best care and watch out for hidden electrical wiring .

If you have plastic sheets to hand, place them over anything that is susceptible to damage, such as furniture,

If you don’t have any plastic sheets available, be innovative and use waterproof clothes, plastic bags or car covers instead.

Do not touch or use electrical items in areas of leaks and dampness.

Remove the excess water

Next, it’s time to mop up excess water that’s pooling. Dry out any areas you can with mops or old rags/clothing or towels.

If the carpet is soaked through, you may have to pull it up and have it replaced later.

Some wet carpets often give off a horrible smell for quite a long time after they have been saturated with flood water.

When you call a professional skilled roofing specilists, they should be able to advise you on the extent of damage caused, any further repairs needed and the next steps you need to take in order to remove any trapped water, also the best way to dry out any wet dampness from inside the building.

Contact any insurers and your responsibilities

Depending on the severity of the damage, you may wish to contact your insurance company to tell them about the leaks into your home and any other damage that may have happened.

In an emergency situation you have the responsibility of calling a professional roofing specialist to deal with urgent emergency works to help stop leaks also to help prevent further damages or accidents happening. Take photos of the damages that you see, write down the date, time and weather conditions before and during the leaks.

Ask for a written report from your roofing contractor describing the damages found, the condition of the roof and area of the building where leaks happened.  This information is important and you should pass it on to your insurers if you are going to make an insurance claim.

Your insurance usually do not take responsibility for old age deterioration, lack of good repair or neglect of the property.

It is not unusual for insurance people to try and dismiss genuine insurance claims and it is for this reason you should not give answers you are not sure are correct when reporting the problems/accident/leaks etc.

In an urgent emergency situation you can ask your insurance provider for permission to have emergency works carried out, to protect your family, yourself and the property from further damages or accidents happening also to help keep repair costs down, after you have received  permission contact a skilled and professional roofing company and ask for urgent and immediate help.

In urgent situations you can arrange for emergency help without contacting your insurance provider immediately, later when you have time, report and explain the situation to the insurance company.  For safety reasons do not try out carry out roofing repairs if you do not have the necessary skills and safety equipment needed as you may slip and have a serious accident or cause further damages. The safety of your family and yourself is the most important, followed by the safety of your home.

Call a professional to fix the roof

You should get on the phone to a roofing professional at the earliest opportunity.

Leaving the problem will only worsen the situation and add to repair cost.

The moment you tell a roofing company my roof is leaking and describe the severity of the problem, this should be enough information to prompt immediate attention. Experts such as TCK Roofing have an emergency call-out service, making sure they get to your property, fast, to minimise damage.

Seek advice from professionals to prevent future problems

Once your chosen roofing contractor has made your roof safe, it’s worthwhile asking them for advice on how to prevent problems in the future.

A skilled and professional roofing company should be able to offer guidance on how to minimise the chances of this happening again.

With over 50 years as roofing professionals, TCK Roofing can resolve a variety of roofing and related building issues – we even offer a  emergency call-out service for those unexpected leaks, flooding, accident or fire damages.

TCK Roofing & Building is a third-generation family-run roofing business, with over 55 years of experience. That offers a range of roofing services including; copper & lead roofing, green roofing, conservation roofing, emergency roof repairs, chimney repairs and restorations, new roof installations, guttering cleaning, roof inspections and surveys, fascia​s​, soffits & cladding, velux & skylight installation.

To customers in Watford, Rickmansworth, Potters Bar, St Albans, Edgware, Harrow, Northwood, Pinner, Barnet, Finchley, Golders Green, Hampstead and beyond.

Why not contact TCK Roofing & Building for a free quote today, quality skilled tradesmen at unbeatable prices!