Active leaks, storm damage, slipped tiles, lifted ridge tiles and failed flashings need attention before water gets further into the roof structure. Serving Diss and the surrounding villages.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A roof problem that is letting water in is not something to leave. Water that gets through a gap in the tiles, a failed flashing or a split flat-roof membrane can reach timbers, ceilings and electrics within hours. This page explains what counts as a genuine roof emergency, what you can safely do before a roofer has been out, and what happens when you call us from Diss or the surrounding villages.
Not every roof fault needs the same level of urgency. These situations should be treated as emergencies:
A missing tile on a pitched roof does not always mean water is pouring straight through into the property. Most pitched roofs have a felt underlay beneath the tiles, and the battens sit on top of that underlay. A missing tile exposes the underlay and battens to rain, and over time the underlay can degrade or tear at that point. Plain clay tiles and slates are double-lapped, which means one missing piece does not leave a clear path straight through, but the underlay is now exposed and the roof should be inspected. Some older roofs have no underlay at all, which makes a missing tile more serious still.
Interlocking concrete tiles are single-lapped, so a slipped or missing tile on that type of roof leaves a wider exposed area and is more likely to let water through to the roof space below.
The most important rule: do not go on the roof yourself. A wet roof is dangerous even for people who are used to working at height, and without the right equipment the risk of a serious fall is high. There is no safe DIY access to a pitched roof in an emergency.
Inside the property, contain the water. Place buckets or bowls under drips and lay down towels. Move furniture, rugs, electronics and anything of value out of the affected area. Take photographs of the damage - the water coming in, the ceiling, any damaged belongings - and note the date and time. This matters if you intend to make a buildings insurance claim.
Electrics: if water is near a light fitting, socket, switch or any part of the electrical system, do not touch it. Do not touch a wet fuse board. If the consumer unit (fuse box) is dry and you can reach it without going near the water, turn off the main switch. If there is any doubt, leave the electrics alone and call a qualified electrician.
From the ground only, check whether a blocked gutter, downpipe or valley is causing water to spill back against the fascia, soffit or into the roof space. Overflowing water from a blocked outlet can look like a roof leak when the tiles themselves are sound. Do not climb a ladder to check or unblock a gutter.
A ceiling holding water can come down with little warning. Keep everyone out of that room. The weight of water held in the plasterboard or plaster can cause a sudden collapse. Keep the room closed and do not poke, prod or pierce the ceiling.
When a roofer visits after an emergency call, the first job is usually to make the roof watertight to stop further damage. This often means securing a heavy-duty tarpaulin or temporary sheeting over the affected area rather than carrying out the full repair on the same visit. Temporary sheeting buys time for materials to be sourced, for scaffolding to be erected where that is needed, and for the full extent of the damage to be properly assessed.
Whether a roofer can reach the problem with roof ladders or needs scaffolding depends on the height and pitch of the roof, the location of the damage and how steep the roof is. A slipped tile low on a single-storey extension may be reachable from a roof ladder. A ridge tile or a fault at the apex of a tall Victorian terrace will almost certainly need scaffolding, and arranging that takes time and affects cost. Safe access is not optional - it is a legal requirement for work at height.
Once the roof is temporarily safe, a proper inspection follows. A roofer will look at not just the visible fault but also the underlay, battens and roof timbers beneath and around the damage. Water spreads further than the entry point, and a repair that only addresses the obvious tile or flashing without checking the structure underneath may miss rot or damage that will cause problems later.
Pitched roofs with clay tiles: plain clay tiles hang on the battens by small nibs, and they can crack under frost or impact, or slip when a nib or fixing nail fails. Ridge tiles on older properties are mortar-bedded; that mortar dries out and cracks over years, and a storm can dislodge a ridge tile that has been sitting loose for some time. Newer roofs often use dry-fix ridge systems that are mechanically fixed rather than bedded in mortar.
Pitched roofs with natural slate: slates do not have nibs and are fixed with nails. When the nails corrode and fail - a condition known as nail sickness - the slates begin to slip and eventually fall. A single slipped slate in a storm is often the first visible sign that the nails on a whole roof section are nearing the end of their life.
Lead flashings: the lead where a roof meets a chimney, dormer, parapet or wall is a common failure point. Lifted lead can sometimes be dressed back into place. Lead that has cracked, split or corroded through needs to be replaced rather than patched. Failed flashing should not be left, because water that tracks behind a chimney can run down inside a wall for a long time before it becomes visible.
Flat roofs: a split or lifted flat-roof membrane lets water in directly. Standing water on a flat roof usually means a blocked outlet or a roof that has too little fall to drain properly. Both need attention; standing water adds load to the structure and accelerates membrane failure.
Storm damage is often covered under a standard buildings insurance policy, but there are important limitations to be aware of. Insurers commonly decline claims where they decide the storm only exposed existing wear and tear rather than causing new damage. Each policy defines what counts as a storm differently - some use recorded wind speed data, others use rainfall figures - so check your specific policy wording.
If you intend to make a claim, photograph the damage before any temporary work is done, keep all receipts for emergency work, and notify your insurer as early as possible. Where it is safe to wait a short time before carrying out temporary repairs, speaking to the insurer first can help avoid a dispute about costs. A refused claim can go through the insurer's internal complaints process and, if that does not resolve it, to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
No two emergency jobs are the same, and costs vary depending on several factors. The main ones are: the type and extent of the damage; whether the repair can be reached safely with a roof ladder or whether scaffolding is required; whether temporary sheeting is needed in addition to the permanent repair; the materials involved (lead, slate, clay tile, flat-roof membrane); and the condition of the underlay, battens and timbers once the outer covering is lifted. Emergency call-outs that require scaffolding will cost more than a straightforward tile repair on a low-pitched roof. A roofer can only give a reliable figure once the damage has been assessed in person.
Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers, who ring you back to talk through what has happened and arrange a visit. It helps to have a description of the problem ready when you call. We cover Diss and the surrounding villages.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
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