Is Rain a Good Time to Inspect a Roof?

What rain reveals from inside

A leak is easiest to trace while it is happening. Stand in the loft with a torch during or soon after heavy rain and look for drips, wet patches, shining timbers and running water on the underlay. Follow any trail upwards, because water often travels along a rafter or a batten before it drips, and the entry point can be a metre or more from the stain.

Look at the ceilings and walls as well. A patch that darkens in rain and dries out later points to a live leak. Note the wind direction too. A leak that only appears when rain comes from the south-west suggests a gap on that side, such as a flashing, a verge or a chimney.

Gutters are worth a look from the ground in a downpour, as overflows and leaks at the joints become obvious. Water cascading over the edge shows a blocked outlet or a misaligned run.

Condensation can fool you. On a cold, damp day, water forms on the underside of the roof even without rain. If beads appear on nails and the underlay on a dry, still day, you are looking at condensation, which has a different cure to a leak. The distinction is worth making before any work is booked.

Why the roof itself should wait

Wet roofs are slippery. Moss and algae make it worse, and a wet slate or tile gives almost no grip. Ladders sit poorly on wet ground and slip on wet gutters. Wind often accompanies rain, adding to the danger. No roofer should be sent up in those conditions, and neither should you.

Rain also hides things. Surface water makes cracks and gaps hard to see, and a camera lens spotted with water gives poor pictures. A drone does not fly well in heavy rain either. The best light for a close inspection is a dry, bright day, when shadows show every line.

A moisture meter helps after the rain. Reading the ceiling and the timbers a day or two later shows whether damp is still present, and how widely. Readings taken at the same points over several days show if the damp is drying out or spreading.

Heavy rain can also mislead. Water running down a slope in a sheet can carry over a defect, while a modest shower may drip through the same fault. The best evidence comes from watching more than one rainfall.

A sensible plan that uses both

Make notes during the rain: where water appeared, how heavy the rain was and which way the wind was blowing. Take photographs and videos of any drips. Put a bowl under a leak and mark the ceiling stain with a pencil line and the date, so you can see if it spreads.

Then arrange a survey for the first dry day. With your notes and the stain locations, we know where to start looking, and the cause is found faster. Our page on roof damp and condensation surveys explains how a leak is told apart from condensation, which can look similar. You can also see roof inspection after a storm for the post-storm check.

A video of a drip is more useful than a description. It shows the rate, the position and the timing, and a roofer can match it to the roof. Send the clip along with the time and the weather conditions when you book.

Do not be tempted to go on the roof between showers. A dry-looking tile can still be slick, and a quick gust can catch you off balance.

When a leak cannot wait

If water is coming in steadily, the priority is to limit the damage. Move belongings, catch the drips, protect electrics and, if a ceiling is bulging with water, pierce it carefully to release it into a bucket. Then call for help. Emergency calls come first with us, and a leaking roof is made safe before anything else.

Once the weather is dry, we survey, photograph the cause and put the repair price to you as a fixed written quote. Where a temporary cover is needed, we say so and explain it. If you want to understand more of our approach, see the page on roof inspections in Basingstoke.

Where the weather forces a delay, we can fit a temporary cover or tarp to protect the house while the forecast improves. That is a short-term measure, and we agree it with you first.