You Found a Roof Leak: What to Do in the First Hour

A ceiling stain or a drip is unsettling, but what you do in the first hour matters more than how fast anyone arrives. The goal is simple: protect the property, note what you are seeing, and get a roof inspection scheduled so the source can be reviewed.

Step 1: Contain the water, safely

• Move furniture, electronics, and valuables away from the drip or stain.
• Place a bucket or container under active drips and check it periodically.
• If water is pooling on a ceiling light fixture or near outlets, treat it as an electrical safety issue and shut off power to that area if you can do so safely.
• Do not go onto the roof yourself, especially in wet or windy conditions.

Step 2: Document what you see

Photograph the stain, drip location, and any visible exterior damage from the ground. Note the date and time you first noticed it, and whether it coincided with rain, wind, or a recent storm. This context is genuinely useful once an inspection is scheduled.

Step 3: Request a roof inspection

A leak's interior symptom (the stain) is often some distance from its actual source on the roof, since water travels along decking and framing before it shows up inside. An inspection is how the visible roof condition gets connected to what you are seeing indoors, and how a practical repair scope gets defined.

What not to do

• Do not assume the leak is isolated until the roof has actually been reviewed — recurring or spreading stains can indicate a broader issue.
• Do not delay reporting a leak that keeps recurring; moisture exposure can compound over time.
• Do not rely on a patch you cannot verify is appropriate for the roof type without a professional review.