When you first discover a leak in your ceiling, it can be pretty daunting because you start to think about the repairs, their cost and also the damage that the leak could cost. Many home owners toy with the idea of leaving a leak to sit there to wait and see if the leak goes away. The trouble with this is that, a leak, once present will never go away without help. Taking the proactive approach of getting a leak fixed quickly is the best way that you can save money and time in the future.
Once you have identified a leaking ceiling, there are a few steps that you can take to minimise the damage and be well on your way to getting it repaired. The cause of the leak must be identified, whether it be a plumbing problem or a roofing problem, once the cause is identified, then you can go and organise for tradespeople to fix the problem, because if you fix the ceiling without addressing the cause, it is bound to happen again.
5 things to do when you first discover you have a leak in your ceiling
1. Place buckets or containers to catch the leaking water and remove items that could be damaged by the leak
In the damage control phase, you need to quickly grab a container to catch the water if there is an obvious drip.
2. Organise a tarpaulin to be placed on your roof
A bucket can only catch the water after it goes through the ceiling, the most proactive damage control step is to place a tarp on your roof (if this is the cause of your leak). You can contact state emergency services to do this, or a roofing company that can do this for you, because it is not safe for you to go up on a slippery roof without the proper equipment. A tarp will stop or minimise the moisture that enters the roof and ceiling temporarily until the rain stops and tradespeople can come to fix the problem.
3. Take photos, videos and document in writing any damage for your insurance report
This is an important step in your process to get a leak repaired. Your insurance company may be able to pay for a large sum of the ceiling repair costs, depending on your policy. Know your policy, call up your insurance company and make a claim. In order to make a claim, document taking photos and videos or the situation to help your claim.
4. Contact insurance company
Contact your insurance provider promptly to get the claim started as sometimes they can take a while to respond, so get the ball rolling early.
5. Contact tradespeople
The tradespeople that will need to be involved in fixing this problem include a roofer to address the root cause of the problem if a damaged roof is the culprit, a plumber to address any burst pipes if this is the cause of the leak, a ceiling repair plasterer to repair the damaged ceiling once the problem is identified and fixed, and a painter to paint the repaired/new ceiling and walls.
With these steps in minimising damage and being proactive about repairs, your leaking ceiling will be repaired without leaving too much damage to your home, contents or wallet.
