Roof leaking right now? Do these four things first
- Catch the water. Buckets and towels under the drip; move furniture and electronics out of the way. Stay out from under a ceiling that is bulging or sagging.
- Keep away from wet electrics. If water is near a light fitting or socket, don't touch it. Electrical Safety First advises switching off at the consumer unit only if it is safe to do so, and calling a registered electrician if water has reached the consumer unit.
- Don't go on the roof. The Met Office advises against going outside to repair damage while a storm is in progress. Wet tiles and ladders in wind are how people get hurt.
- Photograph it, then call. Photos of the ceiling and, from the ground, the roof. Then call with your postcode.
My roof is leaking in heavy rain: what do I do first?
Contain the water inside, keep away from any wet electrics, and stay off the roof until the weather has passed. Then get a roofer to find where the water is getting in, because the stain is usually some way from the actual gap.
Water runs down the felt or along a rafter before it reaches the ceiling. On the tiled roofs that cover most Crawley houses, it usually gets in at one of these points:
- Slipped, cracked or missing tiles. Nails and battens corrode with age, and one loose tile lets rain onto the felt beneath.
- Ridge and hip tiles. Traditional mortar-bedded ridges crack and loosen over time; wind then lifts them.
- Flashing where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or a dormer: lead that has split, slipped or lost its mortar seal.
- Valleys, where two slopes meet and moss or leaves dam the water.
- Blocked gutters sending water back under the bottom row of tiles — see guttering.
Finding that entry point is most of the job for a roofer in Crawley, and it is why a quick look from the ground is rarely enough.
How much does a roof repair cost?
Small repairs are usually priced per square metre or per metre of ridge or flashing, and the covering makes a big difference: slate costs more to repair than concrete tiles. The figures below are general ranges, not quotes, from Checkatrade's roof repair cost guide (updated October 2026).
| Repair | General range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete plain tiles | £90–£120 | per m² |
| Clay plain tiles | £110–£160 | per m² |
| Natural slate | £150–£220 | per m² |
| Dry ridge | £50–£70 | per metre |
| Lead flashing replaced | £50–£70 | per metre |
Those rates are for areas up to about 3m², exclude VAT, and don't include scaffolding or other access, which can be a large part of a small job. Your roofer prices the work after seeing it, so get the quote in writing before anything starts.
Can slipped tiles wait?
Not for long. A single slipped tile might not leak straight away, but it leaves the felt or bare battens exposed, and the next wind can take the tiles around it.
If tiles have come down, keep people away from the area below in case more follow. A roofer can usually refix or replace a handful of tiles in one visit; if many are slipping across the roof, the cause is often corroded nails or rotten battens, and they'll tell you whether a bigger repair makes more sense.
Is it an emergency roof repair?
Treat it as urgent if water is coming through a ceiling, tiles or ridge tiles have fallen, or something has hit the roof. A damp patch that only appears in driving rain is still worth sorting soon, but it can usually wait for a dry day.
No one can promise when a roofer will arrive: it depends on the weather and how many calls local roofers have, especially after a storm. When you call, the roofer will tell you honestly when they can come and whether a temporary cover makes sense first.
Storm damage: what should I do, and who do I call?
Wait for the wind to drop, then check from the ground and photograph any damage before calling a roofer and, if you plan to claim, your insurer. Gales are, according to the Met Office, the most common cause of damage and disruption in the UK.
The south-east has had serious ones: Storm Eunice in February 2022 brought the first red wind warning ever covering south-east England, with most stations south of London gusting over 69mph. Keep receipts for any temporary repair. Whether your insurer pays is down to your policy, not the roofer.
Does my roof need listed building consent?
Only if the house is listed, or in some cases in a conservation area. Historic England says to check with your council's conservation officer first, and warns that unauthorised works to a listed building are a criminal offence. That matters for older stone and clay roofs in towns like Horsham and East Grinstead.
Related work
Leaks on extensions and garages are usually a flat roof problem, and a damp patch on a chimney breast points to chimney flashing or the stack itself. For anything else, start with the main Crawley roofing page.