Roof repairs in London, traced to the cause and guaranteed

Roof repairs in London, roof type by roof type

A London leak is rarely where the stain is. Water runs along a rafter, a batten or a lead upstand before it drops, so the damp patch in the bedroom can be three metres from the failure. We repair from the outside in, find the cause, and fix that, not the ceiling. How we fix it depends on what the roof is made of.

Welsh slate on Victorian and Edwardian terraces

The iron nails holding the slates rust through, so slates slip one at a time. We replace them with new or reclaimed slate on new fixings. The lead is the other half of the job: parallel valley gutters, party-wall flashings and the aprons around chimneys split and lift with age, and a patched valley fails again by the next winter. We renew the lead, not patch it.

Clay plain tile on inter-war and Tudor revival houses

Pre-war clay tiles hang on small nibs that snap, and the mortar under the hips and ridges cracks and falls out. We re-bed or dry-fix the ridge, replace broken tiles with a matching clay and re-seal the hips, so the repair does not show from the road.

Concrete interlocking tile on 1930s to 1960s houses

Broken tiles, open valleys and loose verges are the story on post-war roofs. Where the verge mortar has gone, we fit a dry verge and ridge system, so the edge of the roof is mechanically fixed. If the battens and felt have rotted behind the tiles, we tell you, and you see the photographs.

Valley gutters, parapets and party walls

Terraced streets hide their water in the middle of the roof: the valley between two slopes, the parapet gutter behind a front wall, the abutment where your roof meets the neighbour's. These are lead jobs, and they fail quietly. We open them up, renew the lead to the right falls and dress it properly into the wall.

Flat roofs, bays and dormers

Felt that has split, outlets that have blocked and upstands that have lifted account for most leaks on extensions. We repair or replace, in felt, EPDM or fibreglass. See flat roofing in London for the full job.

Signs you need roof repairs in London before the next rain

Any one of these is cheap to fix today and expensive to fix after a winter. Roof repairs in London cost less when the fault is caught early, and the survey that finds it is free.

• A damp patch or brown ring on a ceiling, or paint blistering near a chimney breast
• Slates or tiles sitting in the gutter, on the path or in the front garden
• Daylight showing through the roof boards from the loft
• A ridge line that dips or a hip tile that has shifted
• Water running down an outside wall from an overflowing gutter
• Moss and ferns growing from a lead flashing or a chimney joint

Chimney repair in London: stacks, flaunching and lead

The chimney is the most common leak point on a London terrace. Shared stacks on a party wall, pots set in cracked flaunching and lead trays that have lifted all let water in. We repoint, re-flaunch, renew the lead and rebuild a leaning stack where the brickwork has failed.

If you need a chimney repair in London, tell us which house type and we price the stack with the rest of the roof. The detail is on our chimney repairs and lead work pages.

Storm damage and emergency roofer calls in London

Gales on the hills of Muswell Hill, Barnet, Harrow and Mill Hill lift ridge tiles and strip flashings. When a roof is open to the weather, you need a roofer who answers, comes quickly and makes it safe. One customer wrote that we attended within 24 hours of contact and had emergency scaffolding in place within a further 48 hours to make the job safe.

We make the roof watertight first, then fix it properly. Tell us what happened by phone or photo. See our emergency roof repairs page for how an emergency job runs.

Repair or re-roof: the honest answer

A repair is the right answer when the damage is local and the battens, felt and rafters behind it are sound. A re-roof is the right answer when the damage is everywhere. We tell you which, with the evidence, and you decide. One customer wrote that we did not push for a decision, and that is how we work.

The roof repair cost guide explains what drives the price, and the new roof cost guide shows the alternative. If a repair would do, we quote the repair.

Why sealant and bitumen paint do not fix London roofs

A tube of sealant or a pot of bitumen paint hides a leak for a few weeks. Lead moves with the sun, tiles shift in the wind and slates flex, so a rigid coating cracks and the water finds the same path. A roof smeared again and again keeps leaking.

A proper repair replaces the failed part: the slate, the tile, the length of lead, the section of felt. It costs a little more on the day and nothing in the following years, and it is the reason we back repairs with the same 20 year written guarantee as a new roof.

How a repair day runs

Everything is planned before the van arrives, so the day runs without surprises and the road stays tidy.

• We confirm the date and the access: where the van, ladder or scaffold goes
• The risk assessment is completed and the area is made safe
• The fault is exposed, photographed and shown to you before it is fixed
• New materials go in like for like, and the repair is tied into the surrounding roof
• We clear the debris, sweep the drive and the gutters, and take the waste away
• You receive the 20 year written guarantee for the work

Scaffold, permits and parking for London repairs

A small repair can be done from a roof ladder or a tower on the drive. A larger job on a terrace needs a scaffold, and a scaffold on the pavement needs a highway licence from the borough. Skips on the road need a permit, and controlled parking zones mean a permit for the van. We check access before we price, and any third party charges are listed in your written quote.

In a conservation area or an Article 4 area, we tell you at the survey whether planning permission applies and we repair like for like. Every job begins with a risk assessment.

Where we carry out roof repairs across London

We repair roofs across North and North West London from the Dunstable office, about 22 to 31 miles away. Choose your area for the housing, the rules and the roofs we see there: Harrow, Barnet, Enfield, Edgware, Wembley, Pinner and Potters Bar. The wider roofers in North London page ties them together.

Written price, written guarantee, no obligation

Landlords and managing agents get what they need to act: photographs of the fault, an itemised written quote, a timetable and a clean handover. Roof repairs in London for a rented house or a block of flats are priced the same way as a homeowner's.

Every repair quote is free, with no obligation. It is in writing, itemised for materials and labour, and we promise to beat any written quote. All work is backed with a 20 year written guarantee, and we are fully insured and a family business with over 25 years' experience. Get your free quote or read our reviews.