30 June 2026

Roof leak: trace it yourself or call a roofer right away?

From the attic and from the ground you can get surprisingly far. What you can safely investigate yourself — and where the line is.

Start indoors, while it rains. Go to the attic with a torch and follow the water trail upwards: water runs off at an angle along beams, roof boarding and underlay, so the hole in the roof is rarely directly above the damp patch on the ceiling. Mark with a pencil where you see the water highest — that note saves the roofer search time later.

Then look outside, from the ground. With binoculars you can often spot askew or missing tiles, a loose ridge tile or a sagging gutter just fine. Watch the pattern too: if it only leaks during rain with wind from one direction, that points to a junction (dormer, roof window, chimney). Drips under a roof window in cold, dry weather are usually condensation, not a leak.

The line is the roof itself: don't climb it without fall protection or scaffolding, and stay away from torch, lead and zinc work. If you can't find the source, professional detection (€ 90-250) is the logical next step — many companies offset that fee against the repair. A found cause, such as shifted tiles, then becomes a manageable repair of € 125-350.

One more warning: after a storm, rogue roofers ring doorbells uninvited with 'we noticed something on your roof'. Never agree on the spot. Limit the consequential damage first, take photos, then calmly compare responses from vetted companies — what the jobs should cost is in the price index.