Roof leaks in Melbourne: who to call, and what to ask

During a storm: who to call

For a life-threatening emergency, call 000. For storm damage to your roof, a roof that's leaking significantly, or a fallen tree that has damaged your home, call VICSES on 132 500. VICSES may make emergency temporary repairs; it doesn't do permanent ones.

A minor leak is a job for a tradesperson. If you're insured, contact your insurer before you hire anyone, to check what's covered and how the repair should be arranged.

Inside: limit the damage safely

Catch the water, move belongings out of the way and take photos for the insurer and the roofer. Keep away from water near light fittings, switches or power points, and keep people out from under a ceiling that's sagging or bulging with water.

Don't go up on the roof yourself, especially when it's wet: a fall from a roof can kill, and tiles crack under a misplaced foot.

What to tell the roofer

Leaks often show up a long way from where the water gets in, so the pattern matters more than the stain.

• Where the water shows inside, and in which rooms
• When: every time it rains, only in heavy rain, or only with wind from one direction
• The roof: concrete or terracotta tiles, metal sheeting or slate, and roughly how old
• Whether the gutters overflow in rain
• Anyone who's been on the roof recently, such as an antenna, solar or air-conditioning installer
• Photos from the ground or a window, not from a ladder

Roofer or roof plumber?

In Victoria, much of the work on a roof is plumbing work. The roofing (stormwater) class covers roof coverings, roof flashings and the parts of a roof drainage system that collect stormwater: laying metal roof sheeting, flashings (including valley and ridge flashings), eaves gutters and downpipes. It needs a plumber registered or licensed in that class with the Building and Plumbing Commission.

Roof coverings of non-metallic tiles, timber, concrete, glass, bitumen or slate are excluded. So on a tiled roof, the tiles themselves aren't plumbing work (a roof tiler usually repairs them), but the flashings, gutters and downpipes are. Check the plumber's registration covers the class, and for roof plumbing work worth more than $750, a licensed plumber must give you a compliance certificate. For a bigger job, such as re-roofing or a roof restoration worth more than $10,000, ask whether the contractor needs to be a registered builder.

Door-knockers after a storm

Consumer Affairs Victoria warns of fake tradies, also known as travelling con men, turning up after storms and other disasters and demanding cash up front. Be wary of door-to-door offers, check the person's registration or licence, and don't pay in full up front.

If a trader comes to your door uninvited and you agree to a deal worth more than $100, you have 10 business days to change your mind, and during that time the trader can't take payment or start the work. That doesn't apply to a tradie you asked to come and quote.

Asbestos on older roofs

In homes built or renovated before 1990, roof sheeting, ridge capping, gutters, downpipes, eaves and the lining under them may contain asbestos. It shouldn't be cut, drilled or sanded with high-speed power tools, or cleaned with high-pressure water. Ask the roofer how they'll check before work starts.

Renting?

A serious roof leak is an urgent repair in a Victorian rental. Tell your rental provider or agent straight away; if you've told them and they haven't responded promptly, you can arrange the repair yourself, up to $2,500, and claim it back.

What the quote should cover

• Finding the leak: the inspection, and what it costs if nothing is found
• Temporary protection now, and the permanent repair, priced separately
• Replacement tiles, sheeting or flashings, and how closely they'll match
• Safe access: ladders, edge protection or scaffolding
• Clearing gutters, and disposal
• Checking the repair in the next heavy rain
• A compliance certificate for roof plumbing work, where it applies

Example brief

“Water dripping from the bedroom ceiling near the outside wall, only in heavy rain with a northerly wind. Single-storey house in Pascoe Vale with a concrete tile roof, about 40 years old; gutters overflow at that corner. Insurer contacted. Please quote an inspection to find the leak, and tell me whether it needs a roof tiler, a roof plumber or both.”

Before booking a roofer

• VICSES on 132 500 for storm damage; 000 if life is at risk
• Insurer contacted before booking
• Roofing (stormwater) registration for flashings, gutters or metal roofs
• No cash up front to a door-knocker
• Asbestos checked on a pre-1990 roof
• Temporary and permanent repairs priced separately

Ready to describe it? Start a job request or browse roofing work. Ceiling damaged? See plaster repairs. Need someone today? See emergency tradies. Availability depends on real postings, and registration must be enabled to submit.