Drips falling into a bucket of water in low light

Water through the ceiling in London

Water leaking through the ceiling

When water leaks through a ceiling, switch off the electrics if it is near lights or sockets, turn off your stop tap, catch the water and knock on the flat above. The source is usually a bath, shower, toilet or pipe upstairs. A plumber traces it, stops it and gives you a written cause for insurers.

Is it an emergency?

Photo for illustration

Water through the ceiling: tap what is happening

You see what to do right now, then send it through.

01Right now
02Your home
03Call back

Step 1

Right now

What is happening right now?

You need this when

If any of these is happening now, turn the water off at the stop tap first.

Water through the ceiling

Water dripping from the ceiling or a light fitting
A brown or yellow stain spreading on the ceiling
Ceiling paint bubbling, or plaster sagging
Drips that appear when someone upstairs showers or flushes
A damp patch under a bathroom, even when nobody is using it

Step by step

What happens from the first message to the written note at the end.

1
Electrics and water off
If water is near a light, we make sure the circuit is off at the consumer unit before anything else. Then we check the right stop tap is closed.
2
Work out where it is coming from
We look at what sits above the wet patch: a bath, shower, toilet, radiator pipe or supply pipe. If it is another flat, we arrange access with the neighbour or managing agent.
3
Test the likely source
We run the shower, fill the bath or flush the toilet upstairs to see what makes the drip start. Seals and waste joints often only leak when used.
4
Stop it and repair
A failed seal, waste joint, valve or pipe is repaired or replaced. If the ceiling plaster is soaked, we tell you whether it needs checking before anyone stands under it.
5
Evidence for the claim
You get photos and a written note of the cause. The Leasehold Advisory Service recommends getting this kind of proof for insurance or a disagreement.

Why leaks come through London ceilings

In a Victorian conversion, the bathroom in the flat above is often built over your living room or bedroom, because rooms were split up long after the house was built. Pipes run under the floorboards between the two flats, and the old lath and plaster ceiling below soaks up water before it drips. In mansion blocks and modern flats, bathrooms usually stack on top of each other, so a leak from a waste pipe or shower tray drops straight into the bathroom below.

The most common sources are failed silicone around a bath or shower, a leaking shower tray or waste joint, a toilet pan connector, a dripping radiator valve, and a split or loose supply pipe under the floor. Water can travel along a joist before it drips, so the wet patch may be a metre or two away from the leak.

Safety first: lights, plaster and electrics

If water is coming through a ceiling light, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit and do not touch the switch. Leave the light off until an electrician has checked it. If the ceiling is bulging, keep out from under it. A small hole made with a screwdriver in the lowest point, with a bucket underneath, can let trapped water out in a controlled way, but only if you can reach it safely and the ceiling is not about to give way.

If you smell gas at the same time, leave the water and call 0800 111 999 from outside.

When the leak is from the flat above

Knock and ask them to turn off their water and stop using the bathroom. If nobody is in, tell the freeholder or managing agent, who usually has a power under the lease to get access to investigate. If water is pouring and you cannot reach anyone, London Fire Brigade can help in a real emergency.

Once it is stopped, responsibility depends on the cause and the lease. The Leasehold Advisory Service says each leaseholder is usually responsible for pipes and appliances serving their own flat, and the freeholder for communal pipes and structure. Buildings insurance normally covers the ceiling and decoration. Your own contents insurance covers your belongings.

Slow leaks you cannot see

Not every ceiling leak is a sudden drip. A slow weep from a shower waste or a toilet connector can soak into a floor for weeks before it shows as a stain below. Signs are a musty smell, a ceiling that feels soft, paint that cracks in a ring, or mould in one corner of a room under a bathroom.

If you are on a water meter, a meter that keeps turning with every tap off points to a leak somewhere. Thames Water also writes to customers when it detects one. Once a leak on your property is confirmed, Thames Water says you must arrange a repair within four weeks, so it is worth tracing early rather than waiting for the ceiling to come down.

No prices online

Every job is priced after a look at it, by photo or a visit, and agreed before work starts.

What affects the price

Most of the cost is in finding the source, especially when it is in another flat or under a floor. The repair itself is often small. We confirm the price once we can see what is leaking.

What	Price
Resealing a bath or shower	price confirmed after a look at the job
Replacing a waste joint, pan connector or valve	price confirmed after a look at the job
Tracing a leak under floorboards between flats	quote on survey
Shower tray or concealed pipework repair	quote on survey

No prices are shown on this site. Every job is priced after a look at it, by photo or a visit.

Asked questions

Who pays when water comes through my ceiling from upstairs?

It depends on the cause and your lease. Often the owner of the leaking pipe or appliance is responsible, the freeholder if it is a communal pipe. The ceiling repair is usually claimed on the buildings insurance.

Is water through a light fitting dangerous?

Yes. Switch off the power at the consumer unit, do not use the light switch and keep clear. Have an electrician check the fitting before it is used again.

The leak stopped. Do I still need a plumber?

Probably. Leaks that stop often come back when the shower or bath is used again, and hidden water can rot joists and cause mould. It is worth finding the cause while it is fresh.

Will the ceiling need replacing?

Not always. A small stain may dry out and only need sealing and painting. A soaked or sagging ceiling may need replastering. A builder or surveyor can advise once the leak is fixed.