When To Call An Emergency Roofer
Genuine roof emergencies share one thing in common: water (or the threat of water) is getting into the building right now, or your roof is no longer secure against the next bit of weather. Active drips into bedrooms, kitchens or living areas. Storm damage that has lifted slates and exposed the underlay or boards. A chimney that has shed pots or visibly leaned. Lead flashings that have ripped off in a gale. Fallen branches that have made a hole in the roof.
What isn't an emergency: a few cracked tiles you can see from the garden but that aren't letting water in. A damp patch on a ceiling that's been there for months. Moss building up on the slope. Gutters overflowing from leaves. These all need fixing — and we'd be happy to quote for the work — but they don't need a 2am call-out, and you'll save a lot of money by ringing in normal hours.
How Our Emergency Response Works
When you ring our emergency line, you get a real person, not an out-of-hours call centre. We'll triage the problem on the phone first — what's the building, what's happened, where is the water coming in. From that we can usually tell you what to do in the next ten minutes (bucket, bowl, draining a bulging ceiling, switching electrics off) before we even arrive.
For genuine emergencies in the Leicester area, we aim to be on-site within 60-90 minutes. Out in the more remote villages of Leicestershire we may take 90-120 minutes. We arrive with a full van — tarpaulins of every size, tile and slate stocks for emergency replacements, lead, sealant, fixings, ladders and roof access kit. The first job is always to make the building safe and weather-tight.
What An Emergency Repair Covers
An emergency call-out is about stopping the immediate damage, not necessarily completing the full repair. Tarping a hole, replacing a few key tiles to make the roof shed water again, refitting a lifted lead flashing temporarily, or boarding over an exposed area are all standard emergency interventions. The full permanent repair — matching tiles or slates, proper lead work, scaffolding access — usually follows in the next few days when materials and access can be arranged properly.
We'll always be straight with you about what's a temporary fix and what's permanent. If we can do a full permanent repair on the night, we will. If we can only stop the leak temporarily, we'll tell you so and quote for the permanent work in writing the next day. There are no surprises and no upsell.
Insurance & Storm Damage Claims
Most emergency roof damage from storms, fallen trees or wind events is covered by domestic buildings insurance. We can provide written reports and photographic evidence to support your claim, and we deal directly with loss adjusters where you'd prefer not to. The emergency call-out itself is usually claimable under the policy, as is the full permanent repair.
If you have an active leak right now, the most important thing is to limit the damage and document it — take photos of any water ingress, save buckets you've used, keep ceiling tiles or wallpaper that has come down, and don't dispose of anything until the loss adjuster has seen it. We'll guide you through the process when we arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you get to me?
In the Leicester city area, usually within 60-90 minutes of your call. In the wider Leicestershire villages, 90-120 minutes. We'll give you an honest ETA on the phone.
Do you work weekends and nights?
Yes. The emergency line is genuinely 24/7. There is a small out-of-hours premium on call-outs between 9pm and 7am or on Sundays.
My ceiling is bulging with water — what should I do?
If a ceiling is sagging visibly with trapped water, it's safer to put a small hole in the lowest point with something sharp to drain into a bucket, rather than wait for the whole ceiling to collapse. Switch off electrics in that room first if water is anywhere near light fittings.
Will my insurance cover the call-out?
Most domestic buildings policies cover emergency call-outs and the resulting permanent repair where damage is from a single insured event — storm, fallen tree, accidental damage. Wear-and-tear or gradual damage is not normally covered.
Is there a call-out charge?
We don't charge a call-out fee for daytime emergencies in our normal hours. Out-of-hours (9pm-7am or Sundays) there is a small premium that's quoted up-front before we set off.