What To Do When Your Roof Is Damaged

As we’re still in winter and the weather is turning, there’s a chance that you’ll find yourself with a damaged roof. Your roof is vital to keeping your home watertight and protected against the elements.

Damage to your roof could mean missing, broken or loose roof tiles which will cause water damage to your property and could be extremely costly to repair.

Having cover in place before a problem develops is crucial, so you know you’ll be covered in the event of an emergency and with most roofing problems being caused by adverse weather conditions, like heavy rain, hail or even snow, now is an important time to make sure you have insurance in place.

How to find roof damage

A leaking roof isn’t always caused by missing tiles, so there’s not always a visible hole. It could also be down to broken or loose roofing. Finding the source of the problem is easy if water is pouring through your roof, but some leaks are more difficult to spot.

A professional roofer with access to electronic testing equipment may be needed in this case to locate the cause of the leak.

Some of the signs of a leaking roof are:

• A puddle-shaped stain on your ceiling; a small stain doesn’t necessarily mean a small roof leak, so check any signs of water on your ceiling thoroughly

• Moisture dripping on your ceilings or walls

• Mould appearing on the walls of your home

• Water spots where your roof meets your walls, on the outside of your property

How to stop the water leak

If you can safely get into your attic to check the state of your roof, you can try and stop the water coming into your home from doing further damage. Find a container or bucket to put under the areas of the roof that are leaking. If you’re experiencing heavy rain, you may need to empty this frequently.

It’s likely, however, to stop the water leak completely and make your roof watertight, that you’ll need a professional roofer.

If you take out a Complete Home Emergency Cover plan with Home Emergency Assist, you’re covered in the event of an emergency where broken, missing or loose roof tiles cause internal water damage to your home.

How to limit roof damage

Good maintenance is key to protecting your home against the risk of roof damage, water leaks and an expensive repair bill. Get into the habit of checking your roof for missing, broken or loose tiles regularly. It’s worth the effort if you can prevent a potential problem from developing.

To find out more about our Complete Home Emergency plans, boiler and central heating insurance or other types of home care cover plans, such as plumbing and drainage insurance and home appliances cover, contact our friendly team on 0330 09 48 301 or get a quote online.