Before the first heavy rain, check eight places on your roof and terraces: the drains, the falls, the parapet upstands, AC plinths, pipe penetrations, the screed and tiles, the door thresholds, and old sealant joints. Almost every winter roof leak we are called to starts at one of them, and each is far cheaper to fix in the dry months than after water has soaked the screed.
Why the dry months matter
Roofs in the UAE spend most of the year in strong sun with no rain, so a failed membrane can go unnoticed for months. Then one storm finds every gap at once. Waterproofing also needs dry surfaces: membranes bond and cure properly when the slab is dry, and a flood test can be done before the weather turns. Most of the year's rain falls between November and March, so October and November are the time to act.
The eight-point check
1. Roof drains and outlets
Clear sand, leaves and debris from every drain and look at the joint between the drain and the roof surface. A blocked drain makes water pond on the roof and push through the weakest point. A cracked or lifted joint around the outlet is one of the most common leak points.
2. Falls and ponding
After you wash the roof, watch where water collects. Water that is still standing hours later means the screed has no proper falls. Ponding shortens the life of any membrane and is the usual reason a roof leaks only in heavy rain.
3. Parapet upstands
Look where the roof meets the parapet walls. The membrane should turn up the wall and be protected at the top. Gaps, cracks or loose capping here let water run behind the membrane.
4. AC plinths and equipment bases
Every plinth is a corner that the membrane has to wrap around. Cracks around the base, missing sealant and rusty bolts are warning signs.
5. Pipe and cable penetrations
Wherever a pipe, cable or bracket goes through the roof, check for a sealed collar. Old sealant shrinks and splits in the sun.
6. Screed and tiles
Cracked screed, hollow-sounding or loose tiles, and missing grout let water reach the membrane and sit on it. If the roof has no insulation and the top floor gets very hot, this is also the moment to consider a combo roof system.
7. Terrace door thresholds
On terraces and balconies, water often gets in under the sliding door, not through the floor. The membrane should run up under the threshold. Damp skirting inside next to the door is the giveaway. See terrace and balcony waterproofing.
8. Old sealant joints
Check expansion joints and the joints around skylights, roof hatches and parapet capping. Sealant that has gone hard, cracked or pulled away needs cutting out and replacing.
What to fix now and what can wait
- Fix now: blocked or cracked drains, gaps at upstands and penetrations, split sealant, and any area where you already see ceiling stains below. These are the points rain finds first.
- Plan soon: ponding from poor falls, widespread cracked screed, and a membrane that is more than one season past its expected life. These usually mean a new system rather than a patch.
- Do not paint over it: waterproof paint on top of a failed roof hides the problem until the next storm. The leak source has to be found and the system rebuilt at that point.
Getting it checked properly
If you find warning signs, or you had a leak last winter, a survey confirms where the roof is failing before you spend money. We check the falls, the drains and every detail, use thermal imaging where there are stains below, and give you one fixed quote. If the roof needs it, we rebuild the system with a bitumen or PU membrane and flood-test it before handover.
Send photos of your roof and any stains below on WhatsApp, and we will tell you what we see.