Question answered
Birds nesting in the roof: can a roofer remove them?
The short answer
Intentionally removing or damaging a wild bird's nest that is being built or used is an offence, and the rules give no licence for building work, so a roofer cannot clear an active nest. If birds are in the roof, the repair waits until the nest is finished with, unless the roof can be made safe without touching it. An empty nest can be cleared once the birds have gone.
Birds nesting under roof tiles or in the eaves turn a routine repair into a question of timing. An active nest is protected, so when the work happens matters as much as how it is done.
What the law says about a nest in use
GOV.UK guidance on wild birds makes it an offence to intentionally damage or destroy a nest while a bird is building or using it. The same guidance adds that there is no licence available for development or construction, so a roofing job is not an exception to the rule.
The protection attaches to a nest that is being built or is in use. A nest left empty after the young have flown is no longer in use, but nobody can tell that from the ground at a glance. So the nest itself, not the calendar, decides when the work can start, and we treat every nest as active until we have watched it long enough to be sure it is finished with.
The current wording is on the GOV.UK wild birds page. If you are unsure about a particular nest at your house, read that before anyone touches it, and keep the work on hold until you know.
Telling a nest in use from an empty one
Most of this can be judged from the garden. Look for birds flying to and from the same gap, often at the eaves, under a verge or at the end of a ridge, with grass or food in their beaks. Listen for scratching and chirping in the loft or behind the soffit early in the morning. Twigs, straw and droppings below a gap, or nest material hanging from the gutter, show where the traffic is.
Nobody should push a hand or a pole into the gap to check. A bird disturbed mid-nest can abandon it, and the offence covers damage as well as removal. We watch from a ladder or a tower at a distance, for long enough to see whether adults are still coming and going.
An old nest that has sat untouched for weeks is probably finished with, but the look of a nest can fool you. Fresh droppings and fresh material are the signs we give most weight to, and when in doubt we leave it alone and come back to it.
Timing the repair around the nest
Many roof faults can wait until the birds have gone. A slipped tile, a loose verge or a tired flashing near the nest can usually be dealt with later in the year without much added risk. The survey photographs record exactly where the nest sits, so nobody lifts the wrong tile when the day comes.
Leaks are different, because rain does not wait for fledglings. Leaks and storm damage come first on our list, and a leaking roof is made safe before anything else. That can mean sheeting an area well away from the nest, working on the other slopes, or protecting the room below, while the nest and its entrance stay untouched. The lasting repair around it follows once the birds have moved on.
Staging a job like this can mean a second visit, which is one of the reasons two roofers may quote differently for the same leak; why roof repair quotes vary sets out the others. What you receive is a written quote, one total price, once the survey is done.
Closing the gaps once the birds have left
Birds use faults that were already there. A slipped tile, a hole under the verge, crumbling mortar at an end ridge and a gap where the eaves meet the wall are the usual doors. Closing the gap without asking why it opened only moves the problem along, so the repair goes to the cause.
Under BS 5534 a ridge is not left to its mortar alone; clips or screws hold it too. Eaves are closed with a comb or guard that keeps birds out and still lets the roof space breathe, because blocking all ventilation trades one problem for another. Crumbling joints at a wall are rebuilt, and mortar fillet repair shows what that involves.
Nest material is a cause of leaks in its own right when it fills a gutter or valley, covered in roof leak causes. A nest can also fill the open top of a vent pipe, which links to the seals discussed under leaks around the soil vent pipe. The whole range of work is on our roof repairs page.
Bats, and what the survey records
Bats and their roosts are also protected by law, which is one more reason we look carefully at a roof before anything is lifted.
The survey notes any nest or bird activity next to the fault and photographs it from a safe distance. Copies are sent with the written quote, which lets you check what we noticed and why the repair has been phased. If the nest sits close to the leak, the quote says what is done now and what waits for later.
Do not try to block the entrance yourself while you wait. Netting, foam or filler pushed into a gap can trap birds inside, and it can also hide a hole that is letting rain into the roof space, so the damp carries on unseen. Leave the gap as it is and tell us where it is, and we will plan around it.
Once the birds have left, ask us to look at the gap for the fault that let them in. That is usually a quick job compared with a leak that has spread.
Old nests, gutters and gaps
Can I clear an old nest out of my gutter myself?
Only once you are sure it is finished with, and only if you can reach the gutter safely from the ground or a proper platform. Check for adults and chicks first, wear gloves and bag the material. If the gutter is high or the birds are still about, leave it and let a roofer look.
Does a nest mean my roof is damaged?
Not always, because birds sometimes use a gap that has always been there. But a gap big enough for a bird can let wind-driven rain in as well, so it is worth finding out why it exists. We look at the tiles, verge and eaves around the nest as part of the survey.
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.