Emergency roof repairs in Lewisham
Water coming in, tiles off, or masonry down after a storm. We attend urgent roof and chimney problems across Lewisham and neighbouring South East London, seven days a week.
Call 0333 057 7947 — we answer seven days a week, 7:00am to 9:00pm. We are not a 24-hour service. If you have an emergency outside those hours that involves danger to people or the highway, contact the emergency services or Lewisham Council.
What we treat as urgent
- Active water ingress — water coming into the property now
- Storm damage — tiles or slates lifted or blown off
- Fallen masonry from a chimney stack
- A stack that has visibly moved or is leaning over a public area
- Loose or tilted chimney pots
- Ridge tiles displaced or lifted after high winds
- A hole or gap visible in the roof covering
- Flat roof failure where water is ponding and entering — see flat roof repair
- Gutters overflowing into the building, particularly a concealed parapet gutter — see gutter repair
What to do before we arrive
- Stay off the roof. More people are hurt inspecting storm damage than by the damage itself. This applies to ladders as well.
- Keep the area below clear. If masonry has fallen or a stack looks unstable, move cars and keep people away from the ground beneath it.
- Contain the water inside. Buckets under the drip, and move furniture and electricals clear.
- If a ceiling is bulging with trapped water, that is a genuine hazard — keep out of the room. A bulging ceiling can come down all at once.
- Turn off electrics to the affected area at the consumer unit if water is anywhere near lighting or wiring.
- Photograph everything before anything is moved or repaired. If you claim on insurance, this matters.
Do not let anyone start work on a "make safe" basis without telling you what they are doing and what it will cost. Storm periods attract doorstep callers. A legitimate contractor will explain the immediate risk, what they propose to do about it today, and what the permanent repair will involve — and will put the second part in writing.
Making safe, then repairing properly
Urgent work usually happens in two stages, and it is worth understanding the distinction because they are priced separately.
Making safe is about stopping the situation getting worse: sheeting a damaged area, removing a section of unstable masonry, clearing a blocked gutter that is causing an overflow, or temporarily covering a hole. It is not intended to be permanent, and it is not a substitute for the repair.
The permanent repair follows once the weather allows and the full extent is understood — and often once scaffolding is available. Storm damage frequently reveals underlying condition problems that were the real cause; wind rarely removes tiles that were properly secured and sound.
Chimney emergencies specifically
Chimney stacks are the part of a roof most likely to cause an emergency, because they are tall, heavy, exposed on all sides and often over a century old. After high winds we are most often called to:
- Pots that have shifted, tilted or come down
- Flaunching broken away, leaving pots unsupported
- Upper courses of brickwork destabilised
- Flashing lifted, leaving the stack-to-roof junction open
- Stacks that have moved and now need assessment for stability
Where an upper section is genuinely unstable, taking it down is often the immediate safe action, with rebuilding scheduled properly afterwards. See chimney stack repair and rebuild for what that involves.
Insurance and storm damage
Sudden storm damage is the category of roof problem most likely to be covered by buildings insurance — unlike gradual wear, which is normally excluded. To give yourself the best chance:
- Photograph the damage before anything is moved
- Keep the damaged materials where practical
- Notify your insurer promptly — most policies require it
- Keep receipts for any emergency work; policies commonly cover reasonable costs to prevent further damage
- Get the cause described in writing — insurers distinguish storm damage from pre-existing deterioration
Be aware that if a stack was already in poor condition, an insurer may treat the loss as wear rather than storm. That is a common outcome and worth knowing about early.
Need someone today?
Call and describe what has happened. If it is genuinely urgent, say so — and if it is something that can safely wait for a properly organised repair, we will tell you that too.
Urgent repair questions
Are you a 24-hour service?
No, and we would rather say so plainly. We answer the phone seven days a week from 7:00am to 9:00pm. If you call outside those hours, leave it until 7:00am or email info@roofinglewisham.co.uk and it will be picked up first thing. Where there is immediate danger overnight, that is a matter for the emergency services or the council.
Can you come out today?
Often, depending on where we are and what has happened. After a significant storm, demand across South East London rises sharply and genuinely dangerous situations are prioritised. When you call, tell us whether water is actively entering and whether anything has fallen — that is what determines urgency.
Can you work in the rain?
Temporary protection can usually be put in place in poor weather. Permanent repairs to mortar, flashing and masonry generally cannot — mortar needs reasonable conditions to cure, and working at height in high wind is not safe. That is why urgent work is often two visits rather than one.
Should I claim on my insurance?
For genuine storm damage, usually worth exploring. For gradual deterioration, usually not covered. Weigh the excess and any effect on your premium against the likely repair cost — for smaller repairs, claiming is sometimes not worthwhile.