How much do roof repairs cost in the UK in 2026?

Roof repair cost in the UK ranges from under £200 for a few slipped tiles to well over £2,000 for chimney, valley or flat roof work that needs scaffolding. In Cambridge, Checkatrade’s 2026 data puts the average roof repair at about £1,178, within a typical range of £583–£2,284, which sits very close to the national picture. This guide prices the repairs we see most often on Cambridge roofs, explains why access changes everything, and helps you decide when a repair stops making sense.

How much does a roof repair cost in the UK?

Checkatrade’s Cambridge roofing repairs data and its local cost pages give these job averages:

Type of repair (Cambridge)	Typical range	Average
Roofing repairs (all types)	£583–£2,284	£1,178
Pitched roof repair	£713–£2,827	£1,385
Flat roof repair	£584–£1,738	£1,002
Emergency roofing	£350–£1,011	£586

Those are whole-job figures, so they include plenty of bigger repairs. The sections below break out the common jobs from Checkatrade’s roof repair cost guide, whose table was last updated in June 2026. Its rates exclude access equipment and VAT.

How much does it cost to replace slipped or broken tiles?

Slipped tiles are the most common repair on any pitched roof. The listed buildings guidance published by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning explains why: slippage is usually “due to rusting metal fixings and decaying battens”, and the best answer is often to re-lay and reuse the original tiles. With about 40 days of air frost a year at the Met Office’s Cambridge station, freeze–thaw also cracks older tiles and mortar.

Checkatrade’s tile replacement guide prices up to five tiles in three scenarios:

• Easy access, tiles easily sourced: about £170, roughly 2 hours.
• Roof ladder and mortar bedding: about £225, roughly 3 hours.
• Scaffolding and hard-to-find tiles: about £500, roughly 5 hours.

For larger areas, Checkatrade’s per-m² repair rates (for up to about 3 m²) are £110–£160 for plain clay tiles, £90–£120 for plain concrete tiles, £150–£220 for natural slate and £90–£130 for fibre-cement. Its Cambridge rates are slightly lower, for example £106–£152 for clay and £83–£120 for concrete.

Slate roofs and nail sickness

Natural slate can last well over a century, but the nails holding it do not. On the Victorian terraces around Mill Road, Romsey and Chesterton, slates sliding out of place are usually a sign of nail sickness, where the original iron nails have corroded. The same guidance recommends aluminium alloy or copper nails for repairs and re-using sound slates. A handful of slipped slates is a repair; slates slipping across the whole roof usually means re-slating. Our roof tiling and slating page explains both.

How much do ridge, hip and valley repairs cost?

Ridges and valleys take the brunt of the weather. Storm Eunice in February 2022 brought an amber wind warning to Cambridgeshire, forecasting inland gusts of 60–70 mph, and loose ridge tiles and slates are often the first casualties of a storm like that.

Repair	Typical price	Source
Replace up to 6 ridge tiles	about £180	Checkatrade tile guide
Re-bed up to 10 m of ridge	about £500	Checkatrade tile guide
Dry ridge system, per metre	£50–£70	Checkatrade repair guide
Dry hip system, per metre	£70–£100	Checkatrade repair guide
Valley tile replacement, up to 4 m	about £500	Checkatrade tile guide
GRP valley, per metre	£30–£40	Checkatrade repair guide

A dry ridge uses mechanical fixings instead of mortar, so there is no bedding to crack and wash out. Per metre, Checkatrade’s figures for re-bedding and a dry system are similar, so it is worth asking for both options when a ridge needs attention.

How much does lead flashing and chimney repair cost?

Checkatrade says “issues with chimney flashing are a leading cause of roof leaks”, and Cambridge’s period terraces have plenty of prominent chimney stacks. Flashing is the strip of lead that seals the joint between the roof and a wall or chimney.

Lead flashing

Checkatrade prices removing defective flashing and fixing new Code 5 lead at about £50–£70 per metre, and stepped flashing (the staircase-shaped lead up the side of a chimney or wall) at £80–£120 per metre. Our lead roofing and leadwork team uses the right code of lead for each detail.

Chimney flashing and repointing

According to Checkatrade’s chimney flashing guide, a patch repair costs about £250 without scaffolding or about £550–£650 with it. Replacing the flashing on all four sides costs £450–£600 without scaffolding, or £800–£1,200 with it. A high-level chimney scaffold alone runs about £500–£820 a week.

Its chimney repointing guide puts the average repointing job at about £750: around £300 for a small chimney on a low roof and about £1,000 for a mid-ridge stack that needs scaffolding over the ridge. See our chimney repairs page for what we cover.

How much does a Velux or rooflight repair cost?

Checkatrade’s Velux repair guide puts most repairs at £165–£1,050: new seals at £65–£150, flashing or frame repairs at £180–£500 and opening mechanisms at £100–£500. Replacing the whole window starts at about £1,000. Our Velux cost guide goes into detail.

How much does a flat roof patch repair cost?

For small areas, up to about 3 m², Checkatrade gives £100–£140 per m² for bitumen felt, £120–£170 for EPDM rubber and £130–£180 for GRP. A felt roofing repair averages about £265 per m². If the deck below is soft or the covering is failing all over, replacement is usually better value; our flat roof replacement cost guide has the figures.

What do roofers charge per hour or per day?

Checkatrade puts roofers at £35–£45 an hour or £280–£360 a day, and its Cambridge figures are identical to its UK ones. MyBuilder gives regional hourly rates of £40–£60 in London, £30–£50 in the South East, £25–£40 in the Midlands and £20–£35 in the North. A standard roof inspection costs about £150, according to MyBuilder; ours is free when you are getting a quote.

How much does an emergency roofer cost?

Checkatrade’s Cambridge average for emergency roofing is about £586, within £350–£1,011, and it notes emergency work is typically priced higher than scheduled maintenance. Its typical emergency fixes are about £200 for new tiles, £250 for new flashing and about £100 per m² for a flat roof repair.

If water is coming in, move valuables, catch drips, switch off electrics near the leak if it is safe to do so, and photograph the damage. Do not go up on the roof yourself: HSE warns that almost one in five deaths in construction involve roof work. Our emergency roof repairs page explains how we help during office hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

What affects the cost of a roof repair?

Two repairs that sound identical can be priced very differently. The main reasons are:

• Access: a ladder job on a bungalow costs far less than the same repair on a three-storey townhouse that needs scaffolding. If a scaffold has to stand on the pavement, Cambridgeshire County Council must license it first.
• Matching materials: modern concrete tiles are easy to buy; reclaimed Welsh slate or handmade clay tiles for a Victorian terrace take longer to source.
• Finding the real cause: water can travel a long way along timbers before it shows on a ceiling, so a leak above a bedroom may start at a valley or chimney.
• Hidden damage: rotten battens or a wet deck only show once tiles or felt are lifted.
• Listed buildings: works that affect a listed building’s character need listed building consent, which can affect materials and timing.
• Weather: high winds stop roof work, so jobs in a stormy spell can take longer.

How long do roof repairs take?

Checkatrade’s Cambridge data gives typical times of 1–2 hours for a few tiles, 4–8 hours for a larger section of tiles, 4–8 hours for chimney flashing and 1–2 days for a flat roof leak. A full replacement takes anything from 3 days to 3 weeks.

Is roof repair covered by home insurance?

It depends on your policy, so read the wording or ring your insurer before committing to work. Take dated photos inside and out, keep receipts for any emergency measures, and ask your roofer for a short written report on the cause. That report is often what an insurer needs.

Do not expect a roofer’s guarantee to cover storm damage. The Confederation of Roofing Contractors says it is “rarely covered on a guarantee as it is classed as an ‘act of god’”. Our own 5-year warranty covers the repair work we carry out.

Should you repair or replace your roof?

Sign	Usually repair	Usually replace
Extent of damage	A few tiles, one ridge section or one flashing	Problems across several slopes
Underlay and battens	Sound, dry and firm	Brittle, torn or rotten
Slates or tiles	Isolated slips or cracks	Widespread nail sickness or frost damage
Repair history	First or second repair	Repairs every year
Building Regulations	Below 50% of the roof	Over 50% triggers insulation upgrades

When a repair is the right answer, our roof repairs and replacements team will say so, even if a bigger job was expected.

Get a fixed price for your roof

Published averages are a starting point; your roof’s access, materials and the true cause of the problem decide the real price. We inspect by ladder or drone, show you photos of what we find and give you a detailed written quote with a fixed price, with every repair backed by our 5-year warranty. The survey is free. Call 01223 902596 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) or request a free quote.