Roofing

Winter Roof Checklist: 12 Things Every Hertfordshire Homeowner Should Check Before December

Most winter roof emergencies we attend in Bishop's Stortford, Stansted and Saffron Walden trace back to faults that were visible — often from the ground — six months earlier. A 20-minute walk around the outside of your property in autumn will catch the vast majority of them.

Here's the exact checklist we use on annual inspections. Print it, walk the perimeter, and tick off what you can see.

1. Slipped or missing tiles

Stand back 10 metres from each elevation. Look for dark gaps, tiles sitting at odd angles, or a single tile lower than its neighbours. Even one missing tile lets driving rain into the felt within hours.

2. Ridge tile movement

Ridge tiles bedded in old sand-and-cement mortar lift in storms. Look along the ridgeline — it should be perfectly straight. Any visible mortar loss or tile separation needs repair before December.

3. Lead flashing condition

Where the roof meets a chimney, dormer or wall, lead flashing seals the joint. Look for curled edges, splits, or flashing that has pulled away from the brickwork. This is the #1 cause of chimney-side leaks.

4. Chimney mortar joints

Failed pointing on a chimney stack soaks like a sponge in winter, then transfers damp into bedrooms below. If joints look recessed, sandy or vegetated, the stack needs repointing.

5. Gutters — visibly sagging or overflowing

Walk the perimeter during light rain. Water cascading over the front edge of a gutter (rather than running through it) means it's blocked or has fallen out of fall. Frozen water in a blocked gutter splits PVCu sections every winter.

6. Downpipe joints

Check each downpipe joint and the connection at the gully. Damp staining on render below a joint is a leak — and it'll freeze and split the joint open in January.

7. Fascia & soffit rot

On older timber fascias, look for paint flaking and grey, soft timber. Once water gets behind the fascia it tracks straight into the roof void. Modern UPVC fascia replacements last 25+ years.

8. Loose or lifted ridge of flat roofs

For garage, dormer or extension flat roofs, look at the perimeter trim. Lifted edges in summer become wind-torn membranes in the first winter storm.

9. Visible felt or membrane patches

Patch repairs more than 5 years old usually fail in cold snaps as adhesive contracts. If you can count more than three patches, the roof is past repair-only stage.

10. Daylight through the loft

Go into the loft on a sunny day with the light off. Any pinpricks of daylight through the felt = water entry points in heavy rain.

11. Damp staining on rafters or felt

Brown or black tide marks on roof timbers mean water is already entering. Photograph each one — note the position so a roofer can locate the external defect.

12. Insulation depth

Current spec is 270mm of mineral wool. Older houses often have 100mm or less. Topping up costs £300–£600 and pays back in one heating season — and it dramatically reduces ice-dam risk on the roof above.

What to do if you spot a problem

Anything in points 1–6 needs eyes on it from a roofer before the first frost. We carry out free no-obligation roof checks across Bishop's Stortford, Stansted Mountfitchet, Sawbridgeworth, Great Dunmow and Saffron Walden — usually within 48 hours of the call.