Emergency roof repairs in Leeds and Yorkshire

What counts as a roofing emergency

Anything that's letting water in now, or could fall and hurt someone. For example:

• Water coming through a ceiling, or running down a wall or chimney breast
• Tiles, slates or ridge tiles blown off or hanging loose
• A chimney pot or part of the stack damaged in a storm
• Flashing torn away where the roof meets a wall or chimney
• A flat roof that has split or lifted

If you're not sure whether it's urgent, call and describe what you can see. I'll tell you honestly how urgent I think it is.

What to do while you wait

• Move furniture and belongings away from the leak, and catch the water in a bucket or bowl.
• If water is near light fittings, switches or sockets, turn the electricity off at the fuse box and keep clear.
• If a ceiling is bulging with water, keep everyone out of that room.
• Don't go up on the roof or a ladder yourself, especially in wind or rain.
• If tiles or slates have come down, keep people away from that side of the house.
• Take photos of the damage, inside and from the ground outside, and keep any tiles or slates that come down. Both help if you claim on your insurance.

Making the roof safe first

In bad weather, a proper repair isn't always possible straight away. A wet, windy roof is dangerous to work on, and mortar and most flat roof coverings shouldn't be laid in the rain. So the first job is usually a temporary make-safe:

• Securing or taking off tiles, slates or ridge tiles that could fall
• Covering the damaged area to keep the rain out
• Clearing anything that's stopping water draining away, such as debris in a valley or gutter

A make-safe stops the damage getting worse until the permanent repair can be done. Once I've seen the roof, you'll know what's wrong and what the proper repair involves, and you'll get a written quote for it, with the price fixed before that work starts.

Storm damage

High winds catch the edges of tiles and slates and lift them. Ridge tiles held on by old, cracked mortar are often the first to go, which is why ridge tile repointing is worth doing before they come off.

Once one tile has gone, the wind can get under the next, so a small gap can get bigger quickly. Even one or two missing tiles can let in enough water to soak the battens and the ceiling below.

After a storm, I check the whole roof, not just the obvious gap. Chimneys take a lot of the wind, and a loose pot or lifted flashing can be dangerous. There's more on that under chimney repairs.

Sudden leaks

A leak that appears overnight usually has a simple cause: a cracked or slipped tile, a slate that has lost its nail, flashing that has come away, or a gutter or valley that's blocked and overflowing. The water often shows some distance from where it gets in, because it runs along the timbers before it drips.

Flat roofs are different. Water can get under a failed covering and travel a long way before it shows. If it's a flat roof that's leaking, see flat roofing.

Once the roof is safe, most of these are ordinary roof repairs, quoted in writing like any other job.

Claiming on your insurance

If the damage was caused by a storm, you may be able to claim on your home insurance. Policies usually cover sudden damage, such as a storm, but not wear and tear that has built up over time, and insurers look at whether the storm caused the damage or just showed up a problem that was already there. Tell your insurer as soon as you can, and check your policy before arranging anything beyond making the roof safe.

If you're making a claim, tell me when you get in touch. You'll get a free written quote, the same as any other job.

How quickly I can get to you

I reply to every enquiry within 1 hour, 7am–7pm. If water is coming in, say so when you call, and I'll come out as quickly as I can. When it's urgent, calling is quicker than the form.

You deal with me from the first call. I look at the roof, explain what I've found and sign the repair off with you when it's done.