Leaking right now?
Put a bucket under it, move what you can and keep out of any room where the ceiling is sagging. If water is near lights or power points, turn the power off at the switchboard if it's safe to. The roof can wait for a roofer. Our emergency roof leak guide covers tonight.
Where do roof leaks usually start?
| Usual entry points | Clues you might notice | |
|---|---|---|
| Iron and longrun | Popped nails, screws with perished washers, rusted laps, sheet ends lifted by wind, flashings round pipes and skylights | A drip in steady rain that's worse when the wind blows from one side |
| Decramastic and pressed metal tiles | Rusted or cracked tiles, tiles dented by people walking on them, valley and ridge flashings | Stone chip collecting in the spouting, patchy stains |
| Concrete and clay tiles | Cracked or slipped tiles, tired ridge bedding and pointing, valleys choked with moss and leaves | Leaks in wind-driven rain, often near the ridge or a valley |
| Butynol and membrane | Lifted seams, splits, blocked outlets, ponding, and upstands where the roof meets a wall | Stains under flat sections after long spells of rain |
| Any roof | Chimneys, skylights, solar mounts, and spouting that overflows back under the roof edge | Marks next to the feature, or along the top of an outside wall |
How does a roofer track down and fix a leak?
Starts with your clues
When it leaks (every shower, only downpours, only in a southerly), where the stain is and how long it's been there. Our leak finder and guide to finding a roof leak help you gather them.
Looks in the ceiling space
Water marks on the underlay, timber and insulation usually lead uphill from the stain towards the real entry point.
Checks the roof with proper access
The NZ metal roofing code says nobody should assume a roof is safe to stand on, and makers publish where people can walk. A good roofer only puts weight where the roof can take it.
Tests if it's still a mystery
Running a hose over one section at a time, with someone watching inside, can pin down a leak that only shows in certain weather.
Fixes the cause
New fixings, a replacement sheet or tile, a new flashing or a membrane patch, depending on what failed, with before and after photos for you.
Why a smear of sealant isn't a repair
Silicone or paint over a gap can stop a drip for a season. Then the leak comes back, and the real fault has had months to get worse. Resene says painting tiles can help weathertightness, but if the source of a leak isn't repaired, leaks will still occur.
Well-made roof details shed water by their shape. VELUX, for example, says its skylight flashings keep water out without relying on sealants that break down over time.
Is it definitely the roof?
Not always. Marks that show up after cold, clear nights rather than rain are often condensation, and no roof repair will cure that. Our condensation or leak guide sets out the signs side by side.
Leaks that only happen in downpours are often overflow from spouting, valleys or internal gutters that can't keep up. See roof leaking in heavy rain.
Houses built from 1988 to 2004 deserve extra care. That's the era of New Zealand's leaky homes problem, when timber-framed houses with flat roofs, minimal eaves and complicated roof shapes often weren't fully weathertight. Water can get in at walls and junctions as well as the roof, so a roofer may only be part of the answer.
Does a leak repair need a building consent?
A like-for-like repair with comparable materials is usually exempt under Schedule 1 of the Building Act. The exemption doesn't stretch to a part that failed the Building Code's durability rules, for example by letting water in early. Exposed roof cladding and flashings are expected to last at least 15 years, so a younger roof that's already leaking is one to raise with your council.
MBIE leaves the decision with the homeowner. If you're unsure, ask the council, because work that turns out not to comply can affect insurance and a future sale.
What a good leak repair quote spells out
- The cause they found, with photos of it
- Exactly what's being replaced or refixed, and the materials and maker
- Whether it's a quote (a fixed price) or an estimate (a best guess)
- How they'll work safely at height, including any scaffolding
- How you'll be told, before they carry on, if more damage turns up
- Whether wet insulation, ceiling linings or paintwork inside are included or left to someone else
- A written workmanship guarantee, and afterwards the completion information the law requires, including copies of any warranties
What's yours to do, and what's the roofer's
You can
- Catch the water and move belongings out of the way
- Note the date, the weather and the wind direction each time it leaks
- Photograph the stain each time so you can see if it's growing
- Look at the roof from the ground for anything lifted, missing or rusted
- Find out who did any recent roof work, and when
Leave to a roofer
- Anything on the roof itself
- The ceiling space, especially if the house could contain asbestos
- Tracing the entry point and water testing
- Replacing fixings, sheets, tiles, flashings or membrane
- Telling you honestly if the roof is past repairing
How we'd handle a leak
We'd write down when it leaks and what the weather was doing, then ask the roofer to find and photograph the entry point before quoting. We'd be wary of any fix that's only sealant. And if the roof was done within the last year, we'd go back to whoever did it before calling anyone else.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.