Leak repair cost
How much does it cost to fix a leaking roof?
The short answer
Most leak repairs fall in the low hundreds to the low thousands of pounds. Checkatrade prices pitched roof repairs at £90 to £120 per m² on concrete tile and £150 to £220 on slate, while Less gives £150 to £500 for small flat roof repairs. What you pay depends on the fault, the roof type and the access, so the only reliable figure arrives in writing, as a single total, once a survey is done.
Typical UK figures for fixing a leak, the factors that raise or lower the price, and what to check before saying yes.
Typical UK ranges for a leak repair
National cost guides give a starting point, nothing more. Checkatrade's roof repair table, last updated June 2026, works per square metre of roof, excluding VAT. For small flat roof repairs, Less (last updated March 2026) gives £150 to £500. Patching lead around a chimney is put at £150 to £250 by MyJobQuote, in a guide updated in September 2026.
These are typical UK figures from third-party guides, not prices from JJ Roofing, and a particular leak can sit outside them. A tile or two on an easy roof sits at the bottom of the scale. A leak that needs a valley relaid, a chimney reflashed or a bay roof recovered costs more. The guides also differ on whether VAT is included, so always ask whether a quote includes it. The standard rate is 20 per cent, which on a larger repair is a meaningful sum.
What moves the price of a leak repair
Four things matter most. The first is the cause. A slipped tile is minutes of work, while failed leadwork at an abutment needs material and careful dressing. The second is the roof covering, because mending natural slate costs more than mending concrete tile. Checkatrade, in a guide updated in October 2026, gives repair rates per square metre from £90 to £120 for concrete up to £150 to £220 for natural slate, all excluding VAT.
The third is access. A bungalow reached by a ladder is simple. A three-storey house or a roof over a conservatory may need scaffolding, and for a two-storey semi, Checkatrade's scaffolding guide gives around £875 a month. The fourth is how widespread the damage is. A single fault is a repair. A roof with a dozen failing areas may be better replaced, and when that is the case we say it plainly rather than patching for the sake of a smaller invoice.
A survey first, then a figure
A price given over the phone is a guess, because the leak you can see is rarely the whole story. Water travels. A stain above the bed may start at a flashing three metres away. Until somebody has been up, or has looked at the roof from the loft side, any number is an estimate with a wide margin either way.
Our process runs the other way round. We survey, photograph the problem areas and decide what is wrong. The written quote then arrives, a single total covering the work that properly cures the leak. It also states what is left out, such as a second area you might want to deal with later. If our price is good and fair, the evidence in the pictures should make that easy for you to judge, and you are free to take it to another roofer for a view.
Repair, patch or replace: where the money goes
A low figure is not automatically good value. A patch deals with one symptom and can be right where the covering is otherwise sound. A repair deals with the cause, which may mean new lead, new battens or a relaid section. Replacement makes sense when the covering has failed over an entire slope, and repair after repair would eventually cost more than the new roof.
Checkatrade's roof replacement guide, updated in October 2026, gives a range of £4,000 to £19,000 for most UK homes, which shows how wide the gap separating a repair from a new roof can be. Our guide on whether it is cheaper to repair or replace sets out the tests, and roof repair cost covers the wider pricing picture for planned work.
Emergency work and what it costs
Making a roof safe in a hurry is usually a different job from repairing it. Temporary cover, such as a tarpaulin fixed over an opening, stops further water coming in but is not a permanent fix. That visit is quoted as its own job, and the lasting repair follows as a separate quote once the weather allows and the cause is clear.
Hourly and daily rates give another yardstick. Checkatrade lists roofers at around £35 to £45 an hour, or £280 to £360 a day, in its repair guide updated in October 2026, and puts ridge tile repairs and lead flashing repairs at £50 to £70 a metre. A leak that takes half a day plus materials therefore lands towards the lower end of the national range, while one needing a full day, a second visit or scaffolding climbs quickly.
If an insurer is involved, Which? advises telling them and keeping receipts for any emergency work. Our page on emergency roof repair cost goes into the detail, and the emergency roof repairs hub gathers the related guides. Before accepting any quote, check that it states VAT clearly, says who arranges the scaffolding and explains what happens if more damage turns up once the covering is lifted.
Related questions
Leak cost questions
Why do two roofers give such different prices for the same leak?
They may have diagnosed different causes, or one may be pricing a patch while the other prices a repair that addresses the source. Ask each what they found, what they will do and whether VAT and scaffolding are included. The photographs should explain the difference.
Should I pay a deposit on a leak repair?
Be cautious. A small repair rarely needs money up front. If materials are being ordered for a larger job, agree the amount in writing before work starts. Never feel pressured to pay cash on the doorstep.