Inside the house
- Brown or yellow rings on ceilings, especially upstairs and near chimney breasts
- Paint bubbling or peeling high up on walls
- A musty smell in bedrooms or the loft
- Drips from light fittings or the loft hatch during rain
- Damp patches that grow after storms or wind-driven rain
In the loft
If you can get into your loft safely, take a torch on a rainy day or shortly after. Look along the underside of the roof and the tops of walls.
- Daylight showing through the roof covering
- Dark, wet or stained rafters and battens
- Damp or compressed insulation
- Water tracks running down timbers from a particular point
- Torn, sagging or brittle felt
Outside, from the ground
You don't need to climb anything. Binoculars or a phone zoom from the garden or street are enough to spot many problems.
- Missing, cracked or slipped tiles or slates
- Uneven ridge line or gaps between ridge tiles
- Mortar pieces in gutters or on the ground
- Lead flashing lifted away from chimneys or walls
- Gutters overflowing, sagging or leaking at joints
- Splits, bubbles or standing water on a flat roof
Leak or condensation?
Not every damp patch is a leak. Condensation forms when warm, moist air from the house meets the cold underside of the roof. It's most common in winter and can drip from felt or nails even when it hasn't rained.
Clues it may be condensation: damp appears in cold, dry weather; droplets spread evenly across the underside of the felt; there's mould on timbers but no obvious entry point. Improving loft ventilation often solves it. A leak tends to appear during or after rain, especially wind-driven rain, and in one area.
What to do while you wait for a roofer
- Put a bucket or container under drips and lay towels to protect floors
- Move furniture, valuables and electrical items away from the leak
- If water is near a light fitting or electrics, switch off that circuit at the consumer unit
- If a ceiling is bulging with water, keep clear and call for help
- Note when it leaks and in what weather; this helps us trace it
- Never go onto the roof yourself
When to call it an emergency
If water is coming in quickly, is near electrics, or a ceiling is sagging, treat it as an emergency. Weathershield takes emergency calls 24 hours a day on 07900 397 060. Same-day repairs are subject to availability, safe access, weather and an on-site assessment. A small stain that only appears occasionally can usually be booked in for an inspection.