An active roof leak during or after a storm is one of the more stressful things a homeowner can face. Water is coming in, you do not know exactly where from, and it is getting worse. The steps below will help you manage the situation calmly, protect your home from further damage, and get the right help as quickly as possible.
Step 1: Contain the Water
Your first priority is preventing water from damaging floors, electrics, and possessions. Place buckets or containers under any drips. Use old towels around the perimeter of pools to direct water away from doorways. If water is pooling in a ceiling and causing it to bow, carefully puncture the lowest point with a screwdriver — this sounds counterintuitive but it is better to let water out in a controlled flow than have the ceiling collapse under the weight.
Step 2: Turn Off Electrics if Necessary
If water is dripping near or onto any electrical fixtures — lights, sockets, fuse boxes — switch off the circuit at your consumer unit immediately. Water and electricity is a genuine safety risk. If you are in any doubt about whether water is near electrical installations, err on the side of caution and isolate the circuit.
Step 3: Document the Damage
Take photographs and short videos of the water entry points, the damage to ceilings and walls, and any visible cause if you can safely see it from inside the loft. This documentation is valuable if you need to make an insurance claim and helps a roofer understand the extent and location of the problem before they arrive.
Step 4: Check Whether It Is an Emergency
- ✓Active water running in during rain: call a roofer for a same-day or next-day emergency visit.
- ✓Large section of roof covering displaced or a chimney stack that has partially collapsed: call immediately — this is a structural safety issue as well as a weather issue.
- ✓A damp patch that appeared during rain but has stopped growing: still needs urgent attention, but you can book a survey rather than an emergency callout.
- ✓Generalised dampness with no obvious source during rain: likely condensation or a slow drip that has tracked — book a survey promptly but this is unlikely to be a genuine emergency.
Do not attempt to get on the roof yourself during or after a storm. Wet roof surfaces, combined with wind and the stress of the situation, create a serious fall risk. A temporary repair from inside the loft (pushing mineral wool insulation into a visible gap, for example) is safer and usually sufficient until a roofer arrives.
Step 5: Call a Roofer
When you call, explain clearly whether there is an active leak in progress, the approximate location on the roof if you can tell, and whether you have been able to get into the loft to see anything. We operate an emergency callout service Monday to Friday, 7:00am–5:00pm, across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex coast. Call us directly on 07740 182032 during these hours and we will give you an honest timeframe based on our current availability. If your leak happens outside these hours, follow the steps above to limit damage and call us first thing the next working day.