How Can You Stop a Roof Leak From Inside?

Catch the water

Put a bucket, tub or washing-up bowl under the drip. Lay a folded towel in the bottom so drops do not splash, or float a piece of wood or a sponge in the water to cut the noise. If the drip lands in a different place each time, move the container to follow it. Empty it often, because a full bucket overflows. Cover the floor and furniture with sheeting, and take up rugs, which can stain and rot.

Protect what matters

Move furniture, bedding, clothes and electrical items out of the wet area. Lift books and papers off low shelves. Take pictures of the stain and the water before you clean up. Open the windows if the weather is dry, to get air moving. A dehumidifier in the room helps with drying once the leak is stopped.

Deal with a bulging ceiling

If the ceiling is sagging with water, do not stand underneath. A controlled release, through a small hole at the lowest point over a bucket, stops the board giving way all at once. The steps are set out on the page about a bulging ceiling full of water. If the ceiling is cracked, flaking or hanging low, keep out of the room and leave it for a professional.

Check for electrics

Look for water near light fittings, sockets, fans and the consumer unit. If you see any, switch off the circuit at the consumer unit with dry hands, without standing in water, and leave the fitting alone. See the guide to a roof leak near lights or electrics for the full steps.

What you can do in the loft

If the loft hatch is safe to get to, you may be able to see where the water enters. Take a torch, and keep your weight on the joists or on boards, never on the ceiling between them. Look for a drip on a rafter, a wet patch on the felt, or a stain on the insulation. Put a tray or a sheet of plastic under the drip, with a bucket to catch it, so the water does not soak the ceiling below. You can move wet insulation away from the ceiling board to let it drain, but wear gloves and a mask, since loft insulation irritates skin and lungs. Mark the spot, take a photograph, and measure to a fixed point such as a chimney, so you can tell the roofer where to look.

What not to do

• Do not go onto the roof to patch it, particularly in wet or windy weather.
• Do not plug the hole in the ceiling with filler or sealant, because that traps water behind the board.
• Do not use a heater or a hairdryer close to wet fittings.
• Do not ignore a leak because the dripping has stopped. Water can sit in insulation and timber.

Sealants and tapes applied from outside are another trap, as our page on whether roof leak sealants work explains.

Keeping a record as you go

Write down when the leak began, how often you empty the bucket and which rooms are affected. Photograph the stain at the same time each day, so you can show whether it is growing. This helps a roofer find the cause, since the rate of the drip and the weather it follows point to the kind of fault, and it helps an insurer to see what you did to limit the damage. Keep receipts for buckets, sheeting and drying equipment, and note any belongings that were damaged before you moved them.

Why the roofer still has to go outside

The fault is above the ceiling, so the lasting fix is outside: a replacement tile, a new flashing, a patched flat roof or a cleared gutter. Until that is done, the roof will leak again in the next rain, and the damp will spread. If the weather is bad, the roofer may fit a temporary cover first, as described in temporary roof repairs and tarpaulins.

Getting it fixed

Ring 01256 213956 or send photographs of the stain and the loft by WhatsApp. We will tell you what we think the fault is and when we can see it. After that comes the survey, with photographs and a price in writing. The range of jobs is described under emergency and general roof repairs.