Roofers In LeedsRoof Repairs & New RoofsAcross The Whole City

Slipped and cracked slates on Victorian terraces

Streets across Burley, Hyde Park and Armley are lined with Victorian terraces, many still carrying their original slate roofs or slate laid decades ago. Nail sickness, where the fixings holding slates in place corrode and fail, is common on roofs of this age, and it shows up as slates slipping or sliding out of position.

A single slipped slate is a quick fix, but when several start going at once it's usually a sign the whole roof covering is reaching the end of its working life rather than a series of unrelated faults.

• Slipped or missing slates after wind
• Nail sickness causing gradual slate failure
• Valley and abutment flashing wearing thin with age

Bay window and canopy detailing on 1930s semis

The 1930s semis common through Moortown, Roundhay and Alwoodley often have bay window canopies, small flat or low-pitch sections that sit awkwardly between the main roof and the wall below. These areas are prone to leaks because the detailing has to cope with two different roof pitches meeting at once.

Lead flashing around these canopies degrades over time, and once it splits or lifts, water tracks in behind the brickwork rather than showing up as an obvious drip, which delays homeowners noticing until damage has spread.

Flat roof issues on extensions and new-build blocks

Around Thorpe Park, South Bank and newer estates on the edge of the city, flat roofs on extensions and apartment blocks bring their own set of problems. Poorly lapped felt, incorrectly detailed upstands where the flat roof meets a wall, and inadequate falls that leave water pooling instead of draining are the recurring issues.

These aren't necessarily signs of age, they're often installation faults that show up within a few years rather than after decades, which is why getting the original installation right with an approved system matters.

Guttering overwhelmed by street trees

Mature trees lining streets in Roundhay, Chapel Allerton and Headingley drop leaves and debris into guttering every autumn. Left unchecked, blocked guttering overflows down the face of the building, saturating brickwork and, over time, contributing to damp problems at ground level.

It's one of the simplest problems to prevent with regular clearing, but one of the most common causes of water damage we see on otherwise sound roofs.

Chimney stacks on older terraces losing their pointing

Many Leeds terraces still have chimney stacks, whether in use or not, and the mortar joints on these stacks take a battering from exposure at height. Once pointing starts to crumble, water gets behind the flaunching at the top of the stack and works its way down into the roof space around the chimney breast.