Roof repair cost in 2026: what common repairs really cost

Roof repair cost by job

Repairs are priced by the job, not the hour, and the figures depend on access. These are the published 2026 ranges for the repairs we are asked about most. Checkatrade's figures exclude VAT, and none of this is a Doyle Homes price list.

The spread inside each range is the real message. The low end is a ladder job on an easy roof with a common tile. The high end is a scaffold job on a tall house with a tile that is hard to match. Where your repair lands depends on access and materials far more than on the roofer's hourly rate, so ask any roofer to explain which end of the range your roof sits at, and why.

Lead flashing cost

Lead flashing is the commonest leak point on older roofs, because it sits at every chimney, wall and valley. Checkatrade lists standard lead flashing at £50 to £70 per metre and stepped flashing at £80 to £120 per metre. Rated People gives £220 to £280 for a typical flashing repair.

Chimneys are where lead and scaffold collide, and the total depends on whether a ladder reaches the stack or a scaffold has to go up.

Chimney repair cost

A chimney that leaks needs its pointing, flaunching or flashing looked at, and the price follows the stack's height and position. MyBuilder prices repointing by house type, and Checkatrade lists £300 to £1,000 for the same job depending on scaffold over the ridge.

A full stack rebuild is a different job. MyBuilder lists £2,000 to £10,000 and more, which is why catching a crumbling stack early matters. Read more on our chimney repairs page.

What decides your roof repair cost

Scaffold and access

This is the line that turns a £250 job into an £800 job. Checkatrade lists a single scaffold up to 10 metres high at around £625 a week, and £500 to £820 a week for high-level chimney scaffolding. A fault a ladder can reach is cheap. A fault over a conservatory or at ridge height is not.

The materials

Checkatrade lists replacing slipped tiles at £90 to £120 per m² in concrete, £110 to £160 in clay and £150 to £220 in natural slate. Matching old clay or slate costs more than matching a common concrete tile, because the tiles are dearer and the work is slower.

How far the damage runs

A roofer who lifts one tile and finds rotten felt and battens beneath has found a bigger job. Checkatrade lists £25 to £40 per metre for rafter and purlin repairs, and Rated People lists £1,000 to £2,000 for additional joists. A survey that checks the timbers prices that in before you agree.

Urgency

Checkatrade lists urgency as a cost factor, because an emergency callout in a storm costs more than a planned visit. Booking a repair while the roof is only damp and not pouring keeps the bill down. Our emergency roof repairs page explains when to ring straight away.

Call-out, waste and VAT

Skip hire is £125 to £320 and day rates run £280 to £360 per roofer. Ask whether VAT is in the figure, since several guides publish prices without it.

Gutters, fascias and the leaks that start at the roofline

Water that overflows a blocked gutter runs down the wall and looks like a roof leak, and fixing the gutter is far cheaper than chasing a leak that is not there. Which? Trusted Traders lists gutter cleaning at £75 to £350, Rated People at £40 to £100, and MyBuilder lists £400 to £700 for gutter installation or repair.

Rotten fascias and soffits are dearer. Rated People gives about £2,100 to replace them on a three bed bungalow, with a range of £1,350 to £2,450. Our fascias and soffits cost guide breaks that down by house type.

When roof repair cost tips into a replacement

A repair is the right spend while the felt, battens and most of the tiles are sound. Once repairs are being done on three slopes, or the same area has been fixed twice, the roof repair cost across a few years can overtake the price of a new covering.

Compare the repair quote with the replacement quote on the same survey. Our new roof cost guide lists the market ranges for replacement, and our flat roof cost guide does the same for flat roofs.

Why a temporary patch is not a repair

Sealant, a tarpaulin or a bucket in the loft buys a few days. None of them replaces the cracked tile or the failed flashing that let the water in. If water is coming through a ceiling, make the room safe, ring a roofer and ask for a proper repair before the next wet week.

We cover storm damage and active leaks as emergency callouts, make the roof safe first, and then carry out the lasting repair at the price in your written quote.

Questions to ask before you accept a repair quote

• What exactly is wrong, and can you show me photographs of it?
• Is scaffold in the price, or is it an extra?
• Are the felt and battens checked as well as the tiles?
• What happens if you find more damage once the tiles are off?
• Is the guarantee in writing, and how long does it run?

How Doyle Homes quotes a repair

We survey for free, find where the water is getting in, and write a detailed quote that separates materials from labour, with no hidden costs. You see photographs of the fault, and photographs of the finished repair.

If you hold a written quote from another roofer, send it to us. We promise to beat any written quote. All work is backed with a 20 year written guarantee, repairs included, we are fully insured, and Doyle Homes is a family business with over 25 years' experience. See our full roof repairs service, ask for a free quote, or read about roof repairs in Luton, St Albans and Watford.