How do I find out where my roof is leaking?

Start inside. When it rains, go into the roof space with a torch, if it is safe to do so, and look for wet timber, drips and light coming through. Water often runs along a truss or the underside of the tiles before it drips, so the stain on your ceiling can be a metre or more from the real leak. Check the obvious culprits: cracked or slipped tiles, perished ridge mortar, blocked valleys, flashings where the roof meets a wall, and the geyser and its drip tray. A good roofer will find the cause and show you photos of it before quoting.

Does home insurance cover hail damage to my roof?

Many household and building policies cover sudden storm and hail damage, but the details depend on your policy, so read it or phone your insurer. Most policies exclude wear and tear, rust, gradual leaks and poor maintenance, and some ask for proof that the roof was maintained. Report the damage quickly, take dated photos, and prevent further damage with a temporary cover such as a tarpaulin, keeping the invoice. The insurer may send an assessor and will usually want a quote before approving repairs, so ask before you commit to a full re-roof.

Do I need building plans to replace my roof?

It depends on the work. Repairing a roof or replacing sheets or tiles like for like is usually treated as maintenance. Changing the roof structure, the pitch or the shape, raising the roof, adding a room, or switching to a much heavier covering such as concrete tiles on trusses designed for sheeting is building work, which normally needs plans approved by the municipality and a roof designed to the building regulations. Ask your municipality’s building control office before work starts, and ask the roofer who is responsible for the roof design and any engineer’s sign-off.

How often should a roof be checked?

A simple check once a year, before your rainy season, catches most problems while they are cheap. On the Highveld that means late winter or early spring, before the summer storms; in the Western Cape, late summer or autumn, before the winter rain. Clear gutters and valleys, look for cracked or slipped tiles, loose screws and rust on sheeting, cracked ridge mortar, and tired flashings and waterproofing. Check again after any big hailstorm. A roofer can do a paid inspection with photos, which is also useful evidence if you ever claim on insurance.

Can I find a roofer on Hirovo?

You can post a free job on Hirovo describing the roof, the problem, your area and when you need the work done. People nearby who do roofing can apply or message you, and you choose. Hirovo is new in South Africa, so there may be few replies at first. It does not vet applicants, check qualifications, insurance or registrations, or confirm previous work, so the checks in this guide are yours to make. A post suits leak repairs, cracked tiles, gutters and flashings. For a full re-roof, new trusses or asbestos, insist on a written quote and the right specialists.

How to Hire a Roofer in South Africa: Leaks, Hail Damage, Asbestos Roofs and Written Quotes

Q: Can I repair, paint or clean an asbestos roof?

Be very careful. Asbestos cement sheets are common on older South African homes and are generally left in place while undamaged, but sanding, cutting, drilling, wire-brushing and high-pressure washing can release fibres. Work that disturbs asbestos is controlled by the Asbestos Abatement Regulations, and removal may need a contractor registered for asbestos work, with proper disposal of the waste. Do not let anyone pressure-wash or grind an asbestos roof to prepare it for paint. Ask the Department of Employment and Labour what the rules require for your job before any work starts.

A roof problem rarely waits for a convenient time. It shows up as a brown stain on the ceiling after a Highveld thunderstorm, a drip onto the bed during a Cape winter night, or a row of cracked tiles after a hailstorm. That urgency is exactly when people hire the first roofer who answers the phone, pay a deposit, and later find that the leak is still there, or that they paid for a whole new roof when three tiles and a flashing would have done.

This guide covers how to hire a roofer in South Africa: knowing your roof type, finding the real cause of a leak, hail damage and insurance, asbestos roofs, working safely at height, when roof work needs plans, what a written quote should say, payment, red flags and a free Hirovo post for smaller jobs.

Know your roof: common roof types in South Africa

Different roofs fail in different ways, and not every roofer works on every type. Describing your roof correctly is the first step to finding the right person.

A general guide. Ask the roofer which roof types they regularly work on, and for photos of similar jobs.
Roof	Typical problems	Who to look for
Concrete roof tiles	Cracked or slipped tiles, perished mortar on ridges and hips, blocked valleys, tired flashings.	A roofer who does tiled roofs and repointing.
Clay roof tiles	Brittle or broken tiles that are hard to match, the same ridge and valley issues.	A tiled-roof specialist who can source matching tiles.
Steel sheeting (IBR, corrugated)	Rust, loose or perished screws and washers, leaking overlaps and flashings.	A roofer who installs and repairs sheeting.
Flat concrete roof and parapets	Ponding water, cracked or lifted waterproofing, leaking outlets.	A waterproofing contractor.
Thatch	Wear, thin patches, bird and rodent damage, fire safety.	A specialist thatcher, not a general roofer.
Asbestos cement sheets (older homes)	Cracked or brittle sheets, broken gutters.	Leave undisturbed; for removal, a contractor registered for asbestos work.

Find the cause of a roof leak before paying for a new roof

Water is sneaky. It gets in at one point, runs along a truss, a purlin or the underside of the tiles, and drips somewhere else. The stain on your ceiling tells you roughly where to look, not where the leak is. Before anyone quotes for a new roof, the cause should be found. The usual suspects:

Cracked, slipped or missing tiles, often after hail, wind or someone walking on the roof.
Ridge and hip mortar that has cracked and let the capping tiles loosen.
Valleys blocked with leaves, so water overflows under the tiles.
Flashings where the roof meets a wall, a parapet, a chimney or a skylight.
Screws, washers and overlaps on steel sheeting, and rust holes.
Gutters and downpipes that overflow back into the eaves.
New holes from satellite dishes, aerials or solar mounting that were not sealed properly.
The geyser: many South African geysers sit in the roof space, and a leaking valve or a missing or overflowing drip tray looks exactly like a roof leak.

If the water is coming from the geyser or a pipe, you need a plumber, not a roofer; see how to hire a plumber in South Africa. If water is dripping near a light fitting or the DB board, switch off that circuit at the board if it is safe to do so, and have it checked; our guide on hiring an electrician covers who may do that work.

Ask the roofer to show you what they found: photos from the roof and the roof space, with the problem clearly visible. A roofer who says “the whole roof is finished” without showing you why is guessing, or selling.

Hail, storms and insurance claims

Gauteng and much of the Highveld get severe hailstorms in summer, and a single storm can crack tiles and dent sheeting across whole suburbs. What to do after the storm:

Stay safe. Do not climb onto a wet or damaged roof yourself. Move valuables away from drips and switch off power to wet areas if you can do so safely.
Take dated photos of the ceiling, the damage you can see from the ground and anything damaged inside.
Prevent further damage. A temporary cover, such as a tarpaulin over broken tiles, is usually expected. Keep the invoice.
Tell your insurer quickly and ask what they need. Many send an assessor and want a quote before approving repairs.
Do not sign away your claim. Be wary of door-knockers after a storm who offer to “handle your insurance” in exchange for a signature and a deposit.

Read your policy. Sudden storm damage is often covered; wear and tear, rust, gradual leaks and poor maintenance usually are not. A yearly inspection with photos helps show the roof was looked after.

Asbestos roofs: leave them alone until you have a plan

Asbestos cement roof sheets, gutters, downpipes and ceiling boards were widely used on South African houses before new asbestos products were banned. Many homes still have them. Undamaged and undisturbed, they are generally left in place. The danger is fibres released when the material is sanded, cut, drilled, wire-brushed, broken or pressure-washed.

Work that disturbs asbestos is controlled by the Asbestos Abatement Regulations, and removal may need a contractor registered for asbestos work, with the waste taken to an approved disposal site. Two practical rules for you as the customer: do not let anyone pressure-wash, grind or sand an asbestos roof, even “just to paint it”; and if you are replacing an asbestos roof, ask the contractor exactly how the old sheets will be removed, wrapped and disposed of, and get it in writing. If in doubt, ask the Department of Employment and Labour what applies to your job.

Working at height: safety on your roof

Roof work is one of the most dangerous jobs in building. People fall off edges, through skylights and through fragile sheets such as old asbestos or fibre cement. The Construction Regulations, 2014, require work at height to be planned to prevent falls. You do not need to be an expert to ask the right questions:

How will workers get onto the roof, and is the ladder tied or held and long enough?
For a double-storey or a steep roof, will there be scaffolding, edge protection or harnesses?
How will they avoid stepping on fragile sheets and skylights?
Is the business registered with the Compensation Fund under COIDA for its workers, and does it have public liability insurance for damage to your property?

A crew that goes up a double-storey roof on one short ladder with nothing else is a risk to themselves and a problem for you if someone is hurt on your property.

Need a roofer?

Post a free job on Hirovo: your roof type, the problem, your area and when. People nearby who do roofing can apply or message you, and you choose who to hire.

Post a free job →

Repairs, re-roofing and when roof work needs plans

Most repairs, such as replacing broken tiles, redoing ridge mortar, re-screwing sheeting or replacing a flashing, are maintenance. Bigger changes can be building work under the National Building Regulations, with the roof covered by SANS 10400 Part L. That usually includes:

replacing or changing the roof structure, the trusses or the pitch;
raising the roof or adding a room or a second storey;
switching to a much heavier covering, for example concrete tiles on trusses that were designed for light sheeting.

For that kind of work, ask your municipality’s building control office whether plans are needed, and ask the roofer who designs the trusses and signs them off. Roof trusses are normally designed for the load and the span, and an engineer may need to be involved. If the roof is part of an extension or alteration, a builder usually manages the whole job, with the roofer as one of the trades, and the plans and the written building contract cover the roof as well.

Insulation and solar while the roof is open

If the roof is being replaced, it is the cheapest moment to add or improve ceiling insulation. For new buildings and extensions, the energy-efficiency part of the building regulations, SANS 10400-XA, sets insulation requirements. If you plan to add solar panels, fix the roof first and coordinate the mounting with the roofer so that every penetration is sealed properly; see how to choose a solar installer in South Africa.

Gutters, fascias, flashings and waterproofing

Much of what people call a roof problem is really an edge problem. Blocked gutters overflow into the eaves and rot timber fascias. Flashings where the roof meets a wall crack and lift. On flat roofs and parapets, the waterproofing membrane ages in the sun and starts to lift at the seams. These are cheaper fixes than a new roof, but they need doing properly:

Gutters should be cleared before the rainy season and fall towards the downpipes.
Fascias and bargeboards in timber need painting or replacing when they rot; ask whether fibre cement is an option.
Flat-roof waterproofing can be a torch-on membrane or a liquid coating. Ask what the surface preparation is, how many layers, and what the written guarantee covers.

What a roofing quote should include

The cause the roofer found, with photos.
The exact scope: which tiles, sheets, ridges, valleys, flashings or gutters, and how much of the roof.
Materials: type, profile, colour and who supplies them, and how matching tiles will be found.
Access and safety: ladders, scaffolding, edge protection.
Removal and disposal of old material, with a written method if it is asbestos.
Weather: what happens if it rains while the roof is open, and who covers it overnight.
Start date, duration, payment schedule and how long the price is valid.
A written guarantee on workmanship, separate from any manufacturer’s warranty on materials.

What sets the price of roof work

Any Rand figure online is someone else’s roof. What you pay depends on the size and pitch of the roof, the roof type and material, access and scaffolding, how much of the structure is damaged, the removal and disposal of old material (especially asbestos), whether matching tiles can be found, and whether the work is an emergency. Get at least two written quotes for the same scope and compare them line by line.

Payment, guarantees and your rights

Keep any deposit modest and tied to materials, and pay the rest in stages linked to finished work, with the balance after you have seen the result and, ideally, after the next good rain. Pay into an account in the business’s name and get an invoice. The Consumer Protection Act gives you the right to have services done in a timely and proper manner, to a reasonable quality. Raise problems in writing first; if that fails, your provincial consumer protection office or the National Consumer Commission can advise you.

Red flags when hiring a roofer

Door-knockers after a hailstorm asking for a deposit or your signature on an insurance claim.
“The whole roof must go” without photos or an explanation.
A quote with no scope, only a total.
Offering to pressure-wash or grind an asbestos roof.
No plan for working at height on a steep or double-storey roof.
Cash only, no invoice, or payment into someone else’s account.

Book roof work before the rainy season

The best time to hire a roofer is before you need one. On the Highveld, the summer storm season makes roofers busiest from spring onwards, so a late-winter inspection lets you fix small problems while there is time. In the Western Cape, the same logic applies in late summer and autumn, before the winter rain. Coastal homes in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape should have steel sheeting, screws and flashings checked regularly because salt air speeds up rust. Once the roof is sound, peeling paint and damp stains inside can be repaired; see how to hire a painter in South Africa.

How to hire a roofer with a free Hirovo post

Posting a job on Hirovo is free. Describe your roof type, the problem, where the stain or damage is, a photo or two, your suburb rather than your street address, and how soon you need someone. People nearby who do roofing can apply or message you, and you decide who to talk to. Hirovo is new in South Africa, so you may get few replies at first.

Hirovo is not a roofing company or an agency. It does not vet applicants, check qualifications, COIDA registration, insurance or references, or guarantee workmanship: the checks in this guide are yours. A post suits leak repairs, cracked tiles, gutters and flashings. For a full re-roof, new trusses or asbestos removal, get written quotes from the right specialists. For help with the wording, see how to write a job post.

Six checks before roof work starts: the cause of the leak shown in photos · a written quote with scope, materials and disposal · a safe plan for working at height · COIDA registration and insurance asked about · your insurer told before big storm repairs · no disturbance of asbestos without a proper method.

In short

Know your roof type, and insist that the cause of a leak is found and shown to you before anyone quotes for a new roof. Rule out the geyser and the gutters. After hail, photograph, cover, tell your insurer and ignore door-knockers. Leave asbestos alone unless the work is done properly, ask how the crew will work safely at height, check whether bigger changes need plans, get the scope and guarantee in writing, and pay in stages. Then book a yearly check before the rains.