Emergency Roof Repairs in Cambridge

How we handle emergency roof repairs

When your roof needs attention now

A roof that is actively letting in water, has tiles missing after a storm, or has a lifted ridge tile is not a problem to leave. Water finds its way through small gaps, and what starts as a damp patch on a ceiling can go on to damage timbers, insulation and plasterwork. This page covers the most common urgent roof faults, how to keep safe and limit the damage, and what the repair work itself involves.

We cover Cambridge and the surrounding villages.

How to tell whether a leak is urgent

Not every drip is an emergency, but some situations need a roofer out as soon as possible. If you can see daylight through a ceiling, if water is running rather than dripping, or if a ceiling is sagging or bulging, treat it as urgent.

Missing or visibly displaced tiles after a storm, a ridge tile that has shifted, or a flat roof membrane that has split or lifted are all faults that leave the roof open to further rain. Rain getting through a gap reaches the battens and underlay together, and not all older roofs have underlay. The sooner the fault is made safe, the less likely it is that water reaches the timbers.

Keeping safe and limiting the damage

The most important rule is not to go on the roof yourself. Even a shallow pitch is dangerous without the right equipment and training, and a wet roof is more dangerous still. Everything listed below can be done from inside the property or from the ground.

• Place buckets or towels to contain dripping water and move belongings, furniture and electricals away from the wet area.
• Take photographs of the damage inside and outside as soon as it is safe to do so. Photographs with a date and time stamp are important if you need to make an insurance claim.
• If water is near light fittings, sockets or switches, do not touch them. Do not touch the fuse board or any switch if it is wet or if water is running close to it. Only turn off the main switch at the consumer unit if the consumer unit itself is dry and you can reach it without going near the water. If there is any doubt, call a qualified electrician.
• If water is pooling on a flat roof visible from the ground, check whether the outlet or drain appears blocked. Do not go onto the flat roof to check.
• Check gutters and downpipes from the ground. If a downpipe is blocked at ground level and you can reach it safely, clearing it may ease the overflow.

Sagging or bulging ceilings

A ceiling that is visibly bowing downward has been holding water for some time. The weight of water in a plasterboard ceiling is enough to bring it down, and a lath-and-plaster ceiling can give way with very little warning. Keep the room clear and do not stand beneath it. Do not poke, prod or pierce the ceiling, however small the bulge.

Make-safe work versus permanent repair

On an emergency visit, the first job is often a temporary make-safe rather than a full repair. This might mean laying a tarpaulin or temporary sheeting over the affected area to stop further water getting in while materials are sourced or while a more thorough assessment is carried out. Temporary sheeting is not a finished job but it does limit further damage.

What can be done on the first visit, and when a permanent repair can follow, depends on several practical factors. Access is one of the biggest. A slipped tile on a lower-pitch roof may be reachable with roof ladders. Larger areas, steeper pitches, high gable ends and valley repairs often need scaffolding. Erecting scaffolding takes time to arrange and affects the overall cost. The extent of the damage matters too - a single cracked slate is a different job from a section of ridge that has lifted and taken mortar with it.

The cost of emergency roofing work depends on access requirements (including whether scaffolding is needed), the extent of the fault, the roofing material involved, and whether temporary or permanent work is being done. We do not publish fixed prices for emergency work because no two situations are the same.

Common emergency faults by roof type

Slated roofs: Slates slip when the nails holding them fail, a problem known as nail sickness. Slates have no nibs and rely entirely on their nails, so nail sickness often causes multiple slates to slip at once rather than one at a time. A slipped slate can usually be refixed with a small clip that holds it in place.

Plain clay and concrete tile roofs: Plain clay tiles, like slates, are double-lapped, meaning one missing tile does not leave an unprotected gap straight through to the inside. Interlocking concrete tiles are single-lapped and do leave a more direct opening when one is missing. Tiles can crack from frost or impact, and plain tiles can slip when the nibs that hang them on the battens break.

Ridge tiles: On older roofs ridge tiles are mortar-bedded, and the mortar can crack, shrink and eventually let the ridge tile shift or lift. Newer roofs often use a dry-fix ridge system with a mechanical fixing rather than mortar. A lifted ridge tile can expose the top of the roof to wind-driven rain and should be made safe before the next bout of wet weather.

Flashings: Lead flashing seals the join between the roof and a chimney, dormer, parapet wall or roof window. Lifted lead can often be dressed back into place. Cracked or split lead needs to be cut out and replaced. Failed flashing is one of the most common causes of a leak near a chimney breast inside the property.

Flat roofs: A split or lifted felt membrane lets water through directly. Standing water on a flat roof usually means a blocked outlet or a roof with insufficient fall. Both need a roofer to assess - do not go onto a flat roof to investigate. EPDM rubber membranes can also split or lift at seams and joints.

Blocked gutters, valleys and downpipes: Gutters that overflow push water back under the first course of tiles at the eaves. Lead-lined valleys can hold debris, and when they block, water backs up and finds its way under the tiles at the sides. These are worth checking from the ground, but leave any clearing above ground level to a roofer.

After the visible fault is fixed

A good repair does not stop at the obvious damage. After a leak, the underlay, battens and roof timbers in the affected area should be checked as well. Wet timbers can develop rot if they are not allowed to dry out, and battens that have been wet repeatedly may have softened. Spotting this during the repair visit saves a more expensive problem later.

Storm damage and buildings insurance

Storm damage to a roof is often covered by a standard buildings insurance policy, but the detail matters. Keep your dated photographs and all receipts for any emergency work carried out. Where possible, speak to your insurer before authorising repairs beyond the basic make-safe, as some policies require the insurer to approve work in advance.

Insurers commonly decline storm damage claims where they decide the storm only exposed existing wear and tear rather than causing new damage. Each policy has its own definition of what counts as a storm, and insurers often look at recorded local wind speed or rainfall data when assessing a claim. If a claim is refused, the policyholder can go through the insurer's formal complaints process and, if still unhappy, refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

What happens when you call

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.

When our roofer rings back, they will ask about the fault, the property type and access so they can bring the right materials and equipment.

For emergency roof problems in Cambridge and the surrounding villages, call us.