RoofLeakRepairsinBournemouth&Poole
The wet patch on your ceiling is almost never under the hole. We find where the water is actually getting in, and fix that.
- We trace the leak rather than guessing from the stain
- Photos from the roof, so you can see what we found
- We work in working hours, and we say so upfront
Get a quote
Tell us where the water is showing and when it happens.
- HoursMost repairs, not days
- 15–20 yrGuarantee on roofs we install
- 5.0 ★From 21 Google reviews
- BothOwners on every job
Why finding the leak is most of the job
Water gets in at one point and comes out somewhere else entirely. It runs down the underside of the felt, along a batten, across a rafter, and drips wherever it finds a gap. By the time it reaches your ceiling it can be several metres from where it started, and often on the other side of the room. That is why repairs based on the stain keep failing. Somebody goes up, finds nothing obviously wrong above the damp patch, seals the nearest thing that looks suspect, and it leaks again in the next storm. We have been called out to plenty of those. So we work backwards. Up on the roof and into the loft, following the track the water has taken until we reach the point it actually enters. Then we tell you what we found, show you the photographs, and quote the fix for that. Nine times out of ten it is a detail rather than the covering, which is exactly why so many leaking roofs do not need replacing.
- We go into the loft as well as onto the roof
- Photos of the entry point, not just a verbal explanation
- We tell you honestly how much life the rest of the roof has
Tracing the water back to where it gets in
Step 1We trace it properly
On the roof and in the loft, following the water back to where it actually gets in rather than working from the stain on the ceiling.
Step 2We show you what we found
Photographs from the roof, so you are not taking our word for something you cannot see. It also makes an insurance claim straightforward.
Step 3We fix it and stand behind it
Most repairs are done the same visit or the next. If the roof genuinely needs replacing instead, you will hear that, with the evidence.
Hours
Most repairs, not days
Free
To come and look at it
Photos
Of every fault we find
5
Towns we cover
Where roof leaks actually come from
In our experience it is nearly always one of these four, and only the last one points at the covering itself.
| How common | What it means for you | |
|---|---|---|
| Lead flashing at a chimney or wall | The most common by a distance | A repair. The flashing is replaced without touching the roof either side |
| A valley between two slopes | Common on any roof with a valley | A repair, though a bigger one. Valleys carry water off two slopes at once |
| Ridge or hip mortar | Very common on older roofs | Re-bedding and re-pointing. Straightforward and worth doing before tiles come loose |
| Slipped or cracked tiles | Common after wind | Usually a handful of tiles put back. Only a re-roof if it is happening everywhere |
| The covering itself, across the whole roof | The minority of cases | This is the one that means replacement, and we will show you why |
Swipe to see every column
What happens on every leak call
Whatever the fault turns out to be, this part does not change.
We find the entry point
Not the stain, the entry point. That means getting on the roof and into the loft and following the track the water has taken.
Made safe if it needs it
If something is loose enough to come off in the next bit of wind, that is dealt with first, for your safety and your neighbours.
Photographs of what we found
You see the fault before you agree to anything. It is also exactly what an insurer asks for if the damage turns out to be a claim.
An honest verdict on the whole roof
While we are up there we look at the rest of it. If the covering has years left, we will tell you. If it is nearly done, you will hear that too, without a hard sell.
Insurance work handled
Where the damage is a claim we deal with your insurer directly and provide the evidence they need.
Working hours, and we say so
We do leak repairs and make-safe work during the working day. We do not run a night or weekend call-out service, and we would rather tell you that now than have you waiting.
Straight answer
What a leak repair costs
Priced once we know what is wrong
A leak repair is priced on what the fault turns out to be and how hard it is to reach, not on how bad the damage looks inside. Most are hours of work rather than days. We come and find it first, at no charge, then give you a figure for the actual fix.
- No charge for coming out and finding the fault
- Most repairs are hours rather than days
- If it needs scaffold rather than a roof ladder, you will know before we book it
- If the honest answer is a replacement, we say so and quote that instead
We would rather find the fault and price it properly than quote a number down the phone for a leak neither of us has seen.
How a leak repair runs
Most are sorted in the same visit or the next one.
You tell us what it is doing
Where the water shows, when it started, and whether it happens in every downpour or only in driving rain. That last one narrows it down more than people expect.
We come and find it
On the roof and into the loft, tracing the water back to the entry point rather than working from the stain.
You see the photos and the price
What is wrong, what it needs, and what it costs. Plus an honest word on how much life the rest of the roof has.
We fix it
Most repairs happen there and then or on the next visit. Bigger jobs get booked in and you get a date.
What a finished leak repair looks like
Illustrations of the finished result, so you can see what you are paying for. These are not photographs of our own jobs.
Ask us on a visit and we will show you one we have done.
What customers say
We are a new company and we are building this up honestly. These are the jobs people have been kind enough to comment on.
Sam Young
Southern Counties Roofing completed a full re roof for me. I was very pleased with outcome and there professionalism. Would deffo recommend.
Kris Pass
Great job, thanks guys. Would highly recommend.
Clive Curley
Nice guys to deal with and a good price a1
Our projects
Jobs written up properly. What we found, what we did and how long it took.
Worth knowing before you call
Including the thing most roofing sites will not tell you.
Do you come out at night or at weekends?
No. We do leak repairs and make-safe work during the working day. We would rather be straight about that than have you waiting on someone who is not coming. If water is coming in now, call us and we will get to you as soon as we can in working hours.
What do I do in the meantime?
Get a bucket under it and move anything that matters. If the ceiling is bulging with trapped water, a small hole in the lowest point lets it drain in one place rather than bringing the plaster down.
Will you tell me I need a whole new roof?
Only if you do. Most of the roofs we get called to need a repair, and that is what we quote. If yours genuinely is at the end, we will show you the photographs that prove it.
What your leak is telling you
When it happens is a bigger clue than where it shows. Worth mentioning when you call.
It only leaks in driving rain, not in a downpour
What it actually isWind pushing water uphill, under a tile or behind a flashing, in a way vertical rain never does. That points at a detail rather than a hole, and narrows the search considerably.
What it needs
Damp on the chimney breast rather than the ceiling
What it actually isUsually the flashing around the stack, the flaunching around the pots, or open mortar joints in the brickwork. All repairs, and all cheaper than the ceiling damage they cause.
What it needs
The stain appears hours after the rain stops
What it actually isWater pooling somewhere in the roof space before it finds a way through. It means the entry point is some distance from the stain, which is exactly why tracing it matters.
What it needs
Damp in the loft in cold weather with no rain
What it actually isCondensation, not a leak. A roof that cannot breathe traps moisture from the house against the cold underside of the felt. The fix is ventilation, not waterproofing.
What it needs
Tell us which of these sounds like yours when you call and it saves time on the roof.
Why the same leak keeps coming back
The customers we hear from most often are not the ones with a new leak. They are the ones on their third or fourth repair for the same patch of ceiling, wondering whether the roof is finished. Usually it is not, and usually the reason is simple: nobody ever found where the water was getting in.
It is an easy mistake to make. Somebody goes up, looks at the roof directly above the damp, sees nothing obviously broken, and treats the nearest suspicious thing. A bead of sealant along a flashing, a couple of tiles put back, a smear of mastic over a crack. It stops the leak for a few weeks, often because the weather changed rather than because anything was fixed, and then it comes back.
The second reason is sealant. Mastic over a failed flashing looks like a repair and behaves like a delay. It hides the joint so nobody can see what is happening underneath, it fails within a winter or two, and it makes the eventual proper repair messier and more expensive. If your roof has silicone on it, somebody has already been there and taken the short route.
The third is that the fault was never a hole to begin with. A surprising number of the damp problems we get called to are condensation rather than a leak. A roof space that cannot breathe holds the moisture from the house against the cold underside of the felt, and it drips exactly like a leak but only when it is cold, never when it rains. No amount of waterproofing fixes that, and plenty of people have paid for waterproofing anyway.
So we trace it. That means the loft as well as the roof, and it means asking when it happens rather than only where it shows. It takes longer than a quick look from a ladder, and it is the reason our repairs tend to stay repaired.
And if the answer genuinely is that the covering has reached the end, we will tell you, show you the photographs, and quote the replacement honestly. But we will find out first.
Questions about roof leak repairs
Do you come out at night or at weekends?
No. We do leak repairs and make-safe work during the working day. We are not a 24 hour call-out service and we would rather say so plainly than have you waiting on someone who is not coming. Call us and we will get to you as soon as we can in working hours.
How much does a roof leak repair cost?
It depends what the fault is and how hard it is to reach. Most repairs are hours of work rather than days and are priced accordingly. We come and find it first, at no charge, then give you a figure for the actual fix.
Can you find a leak that only happens sometimes?
Usually yes, and an intermittent leak is a clue rather than a problem. If it only comes in during driving rain, that points at wind driven water getting behind a flashing or under a tile, which narrows down where to look.
Will you just seal it?
No. Sealant over a failed detail is a delay, not a repair. It hides the joint, fails inside a winter or two, and makes the proper fix messier when it comes. We replace the failed detail instead.
How do I know if it is a leak or condensation?
Timing. A leak follows rain. Condensation follows cold weather and appears when it has not rained at all, often across the whole loft rather than in one spot. They need completely different fixes, which is why we look before quoting.
Can you make it safe today and fix it later?
Where something is loose or dangerous, yes, that gets dealt with first. The permanent repair is then booked in properly rather than rushed.
Will my insurance cover it?
Storm damage often is covered. General wear and tear usually is not. We provide the photographs and report your insurer will ask for, and we are happy to deal with them directly.
- Service
Storm Damage Repairs
Made safe first, then put right properly.
Learn more - Service
Ridge & Hip Re-Pointing
Loose ridge tiles, re-bedded before they let water in.
Learn more - Service
Chimneys & Leadwork
Flashing and valleys, where most roofs actually leak.
Learn more - Service
Roof Surveys & Inspections
A written condition report before you spend.
Learn more
Where we repair leaks
Based in Bournemouth, working across the conurbation and the towns just outside it.
Tell us what your roof is doing
We will come and find where the water is actually getting in, during working hours, and tell you what it needs.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need and we'll come back with a price. No pressure, no hard sell.
Prefer to talk? Call Southern Counties Roofworks Ltd on 07895 305286