Question answered
Who is the best person to fix a leaking roof?
The short answer
The best person to fix a leaking roof is a roofer, because the leak starts in the covering, flashings, gutters or valleys, and tracing it is roofing work. A plumber is right only when the water comes from pipes or a tank. A builder helps with damage indoors. If you are claiming, check your policy before choosing, since some insurers expect their own repairer.
For water coming through a ceiling, ring a roofer. Plumbers, builders and insurers all have a part to play, but the fault is in the roof, and tracing it is a roofing skill.
Roofer first when the water comes from above
If the stain appears after rain, and gets worse in wind, the water is almost certainly getting in through the roof. That makes the roofer the right first call. They work at height, they know how the layers of a roof fit together, and they can follow water from a ceiling mark back to the real opening.
That last step matters. Water rarely drips where it enters. It runs along rafters, across the top of the underlay and down timber before it finds a gap, so a patch of damp in one bedroom can start at a flashing or valley some distance away. We trace the fault from inside and out, then recommend the leanest repair that really deals with the cause. That might be a single flashing or a handful of tiles, and only occasionally anything larger.
The emergency roof repairs page lists the faults we deal with most often, and urgent cases are prioritised.
When a plumber is the better call
Not every ceiling stain is a roof leak. Pipes, a header tank, a radiator valve or an overflow can all bring water through a ceiling, and the mark looks the same. Two clues help. A roof leak tends to follow the weather, showing during or just after rain. A plumbing leak carries on in dry weather and may come and go with the heating or the taps.
If the water is clean and constant, or the loft tank is wet, ring a plumber. If you are unsure, say so when you telephone either trade and describe exactly when the water shows. A good roofer will tell you plainly if the symptoms do not sound like a roof, rather than climbing up for nothing.
Shower trays, bath seals and condensation in a poorly ventilated loft can also mimic a leak, which is another reason to study the pattern before paying for a call-out.
Builders, carpenters and decorators come later
A general builder is useful once the roof is dry. Wet plasterboard, soaked insulation, rotten rafter ends and stained decoration are their territory. A carpenter may need to replace timber if the leak has run for a long time. A decorator comes last, after everything has dried out.
The mistake is to start with a builder who has to guess at the roof. Without a roofer's diagnosis the work may go to the wrong place, and the next storm brings the water back. If a builder does the roof work, ask who will actually be on the slope and what experience they have with your type of covering.
Drying matters too. Our guide to drying out after a roof leak explains how long to leave things before any redecorating starts.
Your insurer's network and your own choice
If the damage is covered, your policy may say how repairs are arranged. Some insurers send their own contractors, some ask for estimates, and some accept your own roofer's invoice. The Financial Ombudsman Service stresses that the policy wording and the cause of the damage decide the outcome, so read the section on repairs and ring the claims line before you commission permanent work.
Keep every receipt for emergency work, and take pictures of the roof both before and after the first visit, since an insurer cannot judge what it has not seen. The page on what counts as a storm for insurance explains how a claim is judged.
A roofer can make the roof safe and give you a written survey with photographs, which is the kind of evidence an insurer will ask to see. Whether a claim is paid is entirely the insurer's decision, and the Ombudsman's free service is there if you disagree with the outcome.
Checking whoever you ring
After a storm, strangers knock on doors offering to mend roofs. Be wary of anyone who turns up unasked, asks for payment up front, or will not put the price in writing. A genuine contractor can tell you what they found, show you pictures and send a written price for the whole job before work begins.
Check that VAT and any scaffold sit inside the figure, and find out what the written guarantee actually covers. Find out who will be on site, and when they could start. A tradesperson who cannot answer those questions simply and in writing is not the one to hire. Be cautious of anyone who insists the entire roof is finished without showing you why.
When tiles have come off in the wind, roof tiles blown off sets out the first steps, and putting a tarpaulin on a roof explains why even temporary cover is a roofer's task. The roof leak checklist is a good place to start.
Choosing who to ring
Should I phone the council about a leaking roof?
Only if you rent, or if the roof belongs to a shared or council-owned building. If you rent, report the leak to your landlord in writing, and Adur & Worthing Councils can inspect the home if nothing is done. Owner-occupiers deal with a roofer and, where covered, their insurer.
Can the person who fixes the roof also deal with the ceiling damage?
Sometimes, but the two jobs are different trades. A roofer stops the water. Replastering, replacing wet insulation and redecorating follow once the structure is dry, and are usually done by a builder and decorator. Ask any roofer which parts of the job they cover before you agree.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.