If rain starts coming through your roof after a storm, protect people first. Keep clear of a sagging ceiling and water near electrical fittings. Move belongings only where it is safe, catch drips with a container, take photographs and contact your insurer and an emergency roofer. Do not climb onto a wet or damaged roof to spread a tarpaulin. The Met Office says not to go outside to repair damage while a storm is in progress.
Hi there, fellow DIYer,
A leak makes you want to act immediately. The safest useful jobs are usually inside the house and on the phone. A roof covering that has lost tiles may also have loose material you cannot see from below. A professional can decide how to access it and what temporary weatherproofing is appropriate.
If water is entering now
- Keep people out of the wet area. Do not stand under a bulging or sagging ceiling, or under a roof section that may have shifted. If the structure looks unstable, leave the room and seek emergency help.
- Treat wet electrics as live. Do not touch water, a switch or a fitting close to the leak. Electrical Safety First advises switching off supply at the consumer unit only if it is safe to do so after water damage. If you cannot safely reach a dry consumer unit, keep away and call a qualified electrician or emergency service.
- Contain water only from a safe position. Put a bucket or waterproof tray under a drip if the ceiling is stable and the route is dry. Move valuables from the area. Do not puncture a sagging ceiling or pull down wet plasterboard yourself.
- Photograph damage. Record affected rooms, water marks, fallen tiles and any visible damage from ground level. Do not climb into an unsafe loft or onto the roof to get a better picture.
- Call the insurer and an emergency roofer. Ask about a 24-hour home-emergency line and what temporary work they authorise. Keep written notes, photographs and itemised receipts.
If you smell gas, see sparking, hear cracking from the structure or cannot keep clear of an immediate danger, leave the property and use the appropriate emergency service. Do not wait to finish a photo record.
Inspect the roof from the ground
After the weather has passed and it is safe to go outside, look from the garden or pavement. A phone zoom or binoculars may show missing tiles, damaged flashing, loose guttering or debris. Stay clear of anything that could fall, including branches, slates and cables. Keep other people away from the area below a damaged edge.
Do not assume a flat garage or shed roof is safe to stand on. The Health and Safety Executive says roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person has confirmed otherwise; rooflights and old sheets are particular hazards. Falls can happen during short repair jobs as well as major work.
An indoor loft inspection may be useful only if the access and structure are safe and there is no water near electrics. Water can travel along a beam before it appears on a ceiling, so a stain does not prove the opening is directly above it. A roofer should diagnose the outside defect.
What the emergency roofer should establish
Give the roofer the address, roof type if known, photographs from the ground, where water is appearing and whether the storm has stopped. Ask how the team will access the roof safely, what temporary measure will prevent further water entry and when a permanent repair can be arranged.
A temporary covering, tile replacement or flashing repair is roof work, with fall and falling-object risks. It may need a platform, scaffold, roof ladder or other engineered protection depending on the roof. Do not specify a universal tarpaulin weight, fastening pattern or maximum number of weeks. Those depend on the roof covering, wind exposure, damage and professional assessment. Loose bricks or slabs are not an acceptable way to hold a sheet on a roof.
| What you can see | Who to involve |
|---|---|
| One or more missing tiles or exposed underlay | Emergency roofer |
| Water near a socket, light or consumer unit | Electrician; isolate only if safe |
| Bulging ceiling or visibly displaced structure | Keep clear; emergency building professional |
| Loose chimney, flashing or gutter above a walkway | Keep people away; roofer |
| Belongings damaged by water | Insurer; record and move only if safe |
Insurance in the UK
The Association of British Insurers advises contacting your insurer as soon as reasonably possible, photographing damage and keeping itemised invoices. It says emergency or temporary repairs should be done only when safe, after speaking to the insurer. Check your own buildings, contents and home-emergency policies: cover, excess, weather definitions and payment for temporary work differ. No Dutch storm threshold or Civil Code rule applies to a UK claim.
If the property is rented, contact the landlord or managing agent promptly about building damage and your contents insurer about personal belongings. If the property cannot be safely occupied, ask the insurer or landlord what accommodation options apply to your circumstances.
After the temporary work
Arrange a permanent inspection and repair rather than treating the first covering as a finished roof. Check for water-damaged insulation, plaster, timber and electrical fittings before restoring normal use. A damp ceiling can look better on the surface while materials above remain wet.
Keep a simple record:
| Time | What happened | Person or company contacted | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example: 16:30 | Leak first seen by upstairs light | Insurer and emergency roofer | Claim and job numbers |
| Your entry |
The order matters: make the indoor area safe, document what you can without climbing, call for suitable access and repair, then follow up on hidden water damage. There is no roof leak worth a fall.
Best wishes from Fred Schouten