1. Keep safe
- Keep water away from electrics. If water is near a light fitting, ceiling rose or sockets, do not touch them. Turn off the power to that area at the fuse box if it is safe to do so, and call an electrician if you are worried.
- Watch the ceiling. A plaster ceiling that is bulging or sagging with water can come down. Keep people out from underneath it.
- Do not go on the roof. Leave that to a roofer.
2. Limit the damage
- Catch the water. Buckets, bowls and old towels under the drip.
- Move belongings and furniture out of the way, and cover what cannot be moved.
- Check the loft, if it is safe to get into. If you can see where water is coming in, a bucket or tray there stops it reaching the ceiling.
- Clear what you safely can. If a downpipe or gutter at ground level is blocked and overflowing, clearing it may help.
3. Record it
- Take photos and videos of the damage inside and of the roof from the ground.
- Note when it started, and whether it only leaks in heavy rain, in wind, or all the time. That helps narrow down the cause.
- Contact your insurer. Many home insurance policies cover sudden storm damage but not wear and tear, so check yours.
4. Call a roofer
UK Rhino Roofing is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Call Jon on 07405 848277. He will tell you straight away whether he can get to you, and if not, what you can do to limit the damage until he can.
It helps if you can tell him:
- where in the house the water is showing
- what kind of roof it is, if you know (tiles, slate, flat roof)
- whether there is a chimney, roof window or extension near the leak
- any photos you have taken
Where leaks usually come from
Most leaks start at a join: flashings round chimneys and walls, valleys between two slopes, roof windows, or flat roofs on extensions. Slipped tiles after high winds and blocked gutters are common too. See leak repairs for how Jon finds and fixes the cause.
