How to describe a roofing problem

Roofers cannot price what they cannot see, and a large share of roofing visits are wasted because the description did not include the basics. Five details usually solve that.

Include these five things

1. Roof type and covering — pitched or flat, concrete tile, clay tile, natural slate, felt, EPDM, or lead.
2. Property type and number of storeys, plus anything affecting access such as a conservatory below or a narrow side passage.
3. Where the symptom shows inside — which room, which part of the ceiling, near a chimney or a wall.
4. When it happens — only in driving rain, in every shower, or continuously.
5. History — approximate roof age, any previous repairs, and whether the problem has been treated before.

Photos that help

• The whole roof from the ground, from two angles if you can.
• Any visibly slipped, cracked or missing tiles, zoomed from the ground.
• The internal staining, including a wider shot showing where in the room it is.
• The loft space above the stain, if you can access it safely, with a torch.

Example description

"Two-storey 1970s semi, concrete tile pitched roof, roughly original. Brown stain appearing on the landing ceiling near the chimney breast, only after heavy rain from the west. Two tiles look out of place on that slope from the ground. No previous repairs that we know of. Access to the rear is via a 1m side passage."