Roof Leak: What to Do in the First Hour, Day and Week

A roof leak turns an ordinary day into a race against water, electricity and mold. What you do in the first hour decides how much damage you pay for, and what you do in the first two days decides whether your insurance claim goes smoothly.

This guide is organized as a timeline. Follow it from the top.

The first 15 minutes: make it safe

• Electricity first. If water is coming through a light fixture, ceiling fan or near outlets, turn off that circuit at the breaker panel. If the panel itself is wet, stay away and call an electrician.
• Stay off the roof. Never climb onto a roof in rain, wind or lightning. Most roof-leak injuries happen to homeowners who try.
• Watch the ceiling. A ceiling that bulges with trapped water can collapse. Put a bucket underneath and carefully poke a small hole at the lowest point of the bulge to let the water drain in a controlled way.
• Move valuables. Electronics, documents and furniture out of the drip zone.

The first hour: contain and document

1. Catch the water. Buckets, towels, a tarp or plastic sheeting over furniture.
2. Photograph and video everything before you clean: the ceiling, the drip, the wet floor, damaged belongings, and the date. These photos are the backbone of any insurance claim.
3. Find the entry point if you safely can. From the attic, with a flashlight, look for wet wood or light. Water often travels along rafters, so the drip inside may be several feet from the hole outside.
4. Call a roofer for an emergency tarp if rain will continue. A professional tarp typically costs $175 to $700, about $450 on average. After-hours work runs about $1.00 to $2.80 per square foot of tarp, compared with $0.70 to $2.00 during business hours, and some companies add a $100 to $200 call-out fee.

The first 24 to 48 hours: dry it out

This is the mold window. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth, and says water from a leaking roof should be removed immediately.

• Run fans and a dehumidifier, and open windows if the air outside is dry.
• Pull up wet rugs and move wet items somewhere they can dry.
• Take out soaked ceiling insulation; it holds water against the drywall.
• If mold appears on a small area, the EPA suggests homeowners can often clean it themselves. For larger areas, generally more than about 10 square feet, or if the water was contaminated, bring in a professional.

The first few days: call your insurer and get quotes

Call your insurance company promptly. Standard homeowners policies generally cover damage from sudden and accidental events, such as a storm tearing off shingles. They generally do not cover damage from long-term wear, slow leaks or neglected maintenance. The difference is often decided by the evidence, which is why your photos matter.

Your policy also expects you to prevent further damage once you know about it. That is the legal reason to tarp the roof and dry the house quickly: reasonable emergency costs are usually part of the claim, while damage that spreads because nothing was done may not be.

Two more things to check:

• Your roof's coverage terms. Many policies now pay older roofs at actual cash value or by a roof payment schedule, which can shrink the check even when the leak is covered. See how long a roof lasts for how roof age affects insurance.
• Who you let handle the claim. In Texas, a roofing contractor may not act as a public adjuster on a property it is repairing, and waiving your deductible is illegal. Similar rules exist in other states.

What to tell the roofer when you call

A clear description gets you a faster, more accurate visit:

• Where the water shows up inside, and where that room sits under the roof
• Whether it leaks only in heavy rain, in wind-driven rain, or when snow melts
• When it started, and whether there was a storm, hail or high wind before it
• The roof's approximate age and material
• Any earlier repairs to that area

Ask whether the first visit covers a temporary fix, what a permanent repair would include, and whether the company will provide photos of the damage for your insurer. A written estimate that names the cause, such as "cracked pipe boot" or "lifted step flashing at the chimney," is far more useful to an adjuster than "roof repair."

What the repair will cost

The most common sources are damaged flashing around chimneys, skylights and walls; cracked rubber boots around vent pipes; missing or lifted shingles; worn valleys where two slopes meet; and ice dams in cold climates. For the full price list by repair type, see roof leak repair cost.

When a leak means a new roof

A single leak on a sound roof is a repair. Consider replacement when:

• The roof leaks in more than one place, or keeps leaking after repairs
• The decking is soft or rotted across a wide area
• The shingles are near the end of their expected life
• The repair quote approaches a large share of a new roof

A roof inspection after the emergency gives you an honest answer. If replacement is coming, price it with our roof replacement cost worksheet before anyone pushes you to sign.

Mistakes that cost homeowners money

• Climbing on a wet roof. No repair is worth the risk.
• Cleaning up before photographing. Evidence first, cleanup second.
• Waiting for the rain to stop to start drying. Mold does not wait.
• Signing with the first door-knocker after a storm. Get at least two written quotes. Our guide to questions to ask before hiring a contractor helps.
• Ignoring a small stain. Slow leaks are exactly what policies exclude.