Roof, walls & outside
Water coming through the ceiling? Act in this order
Drips from the ceiling, a spreading brown ring, maybe a bulge that looks ready to burst. Do the right five things in the next ten minutes and this stays a repair job instead of a rebuild. Here is the order, and how to work out whether it is the roof or the plumbing.
By the Tickover team · Published 3 June 2026 · 4 min read
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Water indoors never improves on its own. Contain it, make the area safe, then get the source found while the evidence is fresh.
The first ten minutes
Do these, in this order
Catch the water
Bucket, washing-up bowl, towels round the base. A string taped to the ceiling at the drip point will guide water quietly into the bucket instead of splashing.
Puncture the bulge
If the ceiling is ballooning, put one small screwdriver hole at its lowest point and drain it into the bucket. Counterintuitive, but one tidy hole saves the whole ceiling; trapped water brings the lot down.
Kill the electrics in that zone
If water is anywhere near a light fitting, switch that lighting circuit off at the consumer unit. Do not touch wet switches or fittings on the way.
Move what matters, then photograph everything
Furniture out, then photos and video of the drip, the stain, the room and the weather. Dated evidence is what insurance decisions are made from.
Look from the loft, if it is safe
Torch on, stay on the boarded walkway or joists, never on the plasterboard between them. Follow the shine of wet timber uphill; water runs along rafters before it drops.
Roof or plumbing? The weather knows
Before you call anyone, work out which trade you need. The tell is timing. A leak that appears during or shortly after rain, and dries up in fine weather, is the roof. A leak that ignores the forecast is plumbing: a pipe, a tank overflow or a bathroom above. If it is plumbing, switch to the water leak emergency guide and get the stopcock off.
Which trade do you need?
Rain leaks have favourite doorways: a slipped or missing tile, failed flashing where the roof meets a chimney or wall, blocked valleys, and tired coverings on flat roofs and dormers. Wind-driven rain can also force its way in through gaps that normal rain never finds, which is why some leaks only perform in a storm.
After the bucket: getting it fixed
Once the dripping is contained, the panic is over; roofs rarely fail twice as fast the next day. Get a roofer to inspect from proper access and show you photos of what they find. Small repairs are small money, and even the average UK roof repair comes in around £530 as a guide. The outside survival guide covers how to compare quotes when access, not damage, is what separates them.
Common rain-leak repairs
Replace 1–5 tiles
Chimney flashing repair
Typical UK ranges, mid-2026, as a guide only. Your home, your area and the job itself all move the number — always compare real quotes.
For insurance, the distinction that matters is storm damage versus wear and tear. A gale that stripped tiles is claimable; a roof that has been quietly failing for a decade usually is not. Your dated photos, the weather record for that day, and the roofer’s report are the three documents that decide it. Let the ceiling dry fully (weeks, not days) before repainting, and treat any stain that keeps growing in dry weather as a plumbing lead.
Need someone to do the work?
Find someone shows local trades Tickover has already scored, so you skip hunting through reviews. You contact them yourself.
Quick answers
Will a water-filled ceiling collapse?
Plasterboard holds a surprising amount of water before it fails, which is exactly why you drain a bulge early with one small hole at its lowest point. If a large area is sagging, cracking or dropping debris, stay out of the room, keep children and pets away, and get an emergency trade in rather than standing under it.
Should I go into the loft during a leak?
Only if you can do it safely: dry hands, a good torch, and your weight on the boarded walkway or the timber joists, never the plasterboard between them, which will not hold you. Look for the glisten of wet timber and follow it uphill to the entry point. If anything feels unsafe, leave it for the roofer.
Why does my roof only leak in heavy rain?
Because most roof defects are partial. Light rain runs off before it finds the gap; heavy or wind-driven rain overwhelms flashings, valleys and small holes, and gets forced under tiles at angles normal weather never reaches. That pattern, dry for weeks then a drip in every storm, is a classic sign of flashing or a slipped tile.
Can I put a tarpaulin over the leak myself?
No. Fixing a tarpaulin means working on the roof, usually in exactly the wet, windy conditions that caused the leak, and that is how people get seriously hurt. Roofers do emergency sheeting with proper access equipment. Your job is indoors: contain the water, protect the room, photograph everything and make the calls.
This guide is general information for UK homes, not advice about your specific property. Anything involving gas must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and notifiable electrical work by a qualified electrician. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. If you’re ever unsure, stop and get a professional in — that’s exactly what Tickover is for.
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