Roof Leaking? Find Where It Gets In

• Put a bucket under the drip and a towel in it to stop the splash.
• If a ceiling bulges with water, keep people out from under it. Don't poke it unless you know what you're doing.
• Switch off lights and sockets near the wet area at the fuse board.
• Go into the attic with a torch if it's safe: you may see where the water comes in, or daylight.
• Take photos and video of the damage before you clean up.

Flashing round chimneys, walls and roof windows: the commonest leak on older houses. See chimney and flashing leaks.

Valleys, where two roof slopes meet: they carry a lot of water, and a blocked or cracked valley overflows under the slates.

Slipped or cracked slates and tiles: see slipped slates.

The ridge: cracked mortar or missing ridge tiles let rain in at the very top.

Felt under the slates, torn or perished on old roofs, so wind-driven rain that gets past the slates isn't stopped.

Gutters: a blocked gutter can overflow back into the wall or soffit and look exactly like a roof leak. See gutters.

Flat roofs: lifted felt at the edges or joints, or water ponding where the roof has sagged.

What helps the roofer on the phone

• Where the damp shows inside, and which side of the house.
• Whether it leaks every time it rains or only in wind from one direction.
• What's above: a chimney, a roof window, a valley, an extension roof, a flat roof.
• Roughly how old the roof is, and slate, tile or flat.

A leak only in driving rain from the east, on the east side, points to flashing or the verge. A leak in any rain points to a gap.