Leak into living room - urgent advice please!

[WYorksTemp]

Bear in mind we're not very knowledgeable about building stuff but here's the situation.

Doing pre-Christmas rearranging in the living room earlier today, pulled out a piece of furniture in the alcove and the carpet next to the chimney-breast was wet, with a smell of damp. I've lifted the carpet and the floorboards underneath seem dry, the wetness is specifically in the carpet and also a dampness in the skirting boards. Went outside, the wall looked dry, there's an air brick which looks clear as well.

So, we have concluded that the damp is (probably) not coming up from the ground but down from the roof or most likely the chimney. Further evidence is that it started to rain a few hours ago and I think the carpet wetness looks worse now.

Anyway, we've called around for roofers to come urgently to take a look, but the only one who has got back to me can't make it until after the weekend (and then it's Christmas 😭).

My actual question is: What do we do in the meantime?? Obviously we can't get to the roof ourselves, so we can't stop water coming in. I've got a dehumidifier running but with this weather it feels like emptying the sea with a teaspoon. Should we put down newspaper or towels? Should we lift the carpet completely in that corner? Is there anything else we should be doing?

Can’t offer practical advice but in view of current weather conditions is it worth checking out your insurance? You may be covered if there’s been weather related damage to your roof

I'd lift the carpet, put down some plastic and towels on top. Is the water coming down the chimney inside or down the chimney breast outside, can you tell? Our chimney is trickling little black rivulets of wet soot/tar into the fireplace when there's lots of rain, the chimney hasn't been capped and we normally have an open fire which dries the rain off.

Thanks for answers so far!

I didn't even think of our house insurance, will look at the website now.

I can't see any water trickling anywhere, just the damp skirting and wet carpet! The walls feel more-or-less dry to the touch. We have a woodburning stove in that fireplace so can't see inside the chimney at all, and if there's water coming down within the fireplace it'll be behind the fireproof-plasterboard-lining-stuff.

Should also add that the house has cavity walls so if there's a rood leak, rain could flow down through the cavity right?

As per @Ohpleeeease comment, does your house buildings insurance have one of those 'they find a tradesperson to deal with the emergency' clause? Although I think if its not down to storm damage would you be covered, ring them they'll tell you.

If you own the house then call your insurance company
If you rent then call the landlord asap.

If you have noticed this due to moving furniture and for no other reason then don’t panic. Wait until you can get appropriate trades out to assess. Unless a genuine emergency I would not contact your insurance company, it will simply increase your premiums potentially unnecessarily.

leaking pipes
leaking or blocked gutters
rain down the chimney

please don’t worry and take advice from different people, not just the first one out. Also get people out that work with your era of house. The solutions could and should be different.

Are your gutters clear?
Have you checked for an internal leak (pipes/shower tray?)

I'd keep the carpet lifted in that area to let it (the carpet) dry out and stop it getting mouldy/smelly. Keep the dehumidifier going until the roofer has been to have a look.

Can you get in your loft? Might be worth having a look, in daylight, to see if there are any slipped tiles that could be letting water in or see if there's any water marks on the lining mesh if it's a ridge tile that needs repointing - the water will run down the mesh from the highest point of ingress.

Do the floorboards/skirtings feel spongy or has the paint bubbled at all?

I would not panic. If you can’t hear or see escaping water it’s likely to be the heavy rain finding its way in somehow. It could be something very simple. We had a sopping wet wall that turned out to due to a blocked gutter. We’ve also had water down the chimney where the woodburner wasn’t properly sealed around the flue. The thing about water is that where it turns up isn’t always where it’s getting in.

You cannot involve your insurance company if you do not know what you are claiming for! You need a surveyor to check out where the damp is coming from. Then you know if it’s a relatively inexpensive fix or not. However maintenance is not covered by insurance. You need to pay for house maintenance but do read your policy. If it’s storm damage you should be covered. However this needs to be established.

Just to add, if it is an internal leak, it’s best to get out a company that specialise in leaks, with all the equipment + a full report for insurance - not just a standard plumber.

I agree with @OhDear111 that the cause of the damage needs to be established in order to make a claim.

You don’t necessarily need a surveyor though.
We suffered some damage during a named storm a few years ago. Aviva were settling claims over the phone to manage the volume. We just provided photos of the damage and a verbal quote from our roofer.

@Ohpleeeease You established it wax the roof though. The op doesn’t know what’s happening,

There could be a breach of the cavity so water is seeping across. There might be a leaking pipe under the floor but who knows? A surveyor would be best placed to advise.

Oh yes, I agree the cause needs to be confirmed. It might be clearer in daylight what’s causing it. If not, then calling the professionals in is the next stage.

Our loft isn't really accessible, there's a tiny hatch for inspection but no boarding. Ironically one of the things we have been budgeting for this year was to get the roof inspected and the loft boarded for storage. So could be a slipped tile elsewhere in the roof?

Other thing is that there is a bathroom sort of diagonally above the wet corner (half a room away, IYSWIM).

I didn't make the connection that it could be the bathroom or some other part of the roof until several of you wise posters pointed out that where the water comes out isn't necessarily where it started from!

What sort of surveyor should I be looking for?

@WYorksTemp A building surveyor! There isn’t another qualification. RICS.

If you buy a builder's canister vac, wet and dry, it will suck up any puddles and also pull the water out of carpet. They are very powerful and noisy. You will have to use it with the cartridge filter as paper bags will not withstand wet.

I find a 30 litre model suitable.

Screwfix have a cheap brand called Titan and a good guarantee. Get at least one spare cartridge filter and a pack of bags for dry work (they delay clogging of the filter). White fleece ones are better than brown paper, if you can get them.

These vacs will withstand nails, broken brick and plaster dust that would ruin a domestic vac.

Aldi and Lidl sometimes also have cheap ones which are probably OK.

P.s.

I don't see any clues for the source of water. Is it ground floor or higher? How old is the house? Post some pics showing the damp amd its surroundings, inside and out. Is it near a bathroom, sink or radiator pipe? Did it occur after rain? Is there a gutter downpipe outside? Have you got a puppy? Water does not easily get through a cavity wall.

p.p.s.

Do not allow anybody who sells silicone injections into your house.

OMG I've got @PigletInABlanketJohn <fangirling>

There aren't any puddles as such, just skirting boards which feel damp/cold and the edge of the carpet and underlay felt distinctly wet (not just damp!). The very bottom of the wall also feels colder (damper) than higher up. We have lifted that corner of carpet and put down stacks of newspaper and boxes of moisture-absorbing granules. Also running the dehumidifier.

The house is 1920s, the living room is ground floor. Radiators are on the opposite side of the room (and no radiator pipes crossing the room either). The floorboards under the wet carpet/underlay also seem dry.

There is a bathroom upstairs but not directly above the damp area, although of course I now realise that doesn't mean it's not the bathroom causing it! Having said that, the wetness got worse after it rained on Thursday afternoon and I didn't see any additional wetness after we had a dry day on Friday - makes me think it is caused by rain?

The roof and gutters are old. I think I mentioned that we were already thinking 2026 would be the year of the new roof and loft. We have the gutters cleaned annually by a Man with a Machine, but this happens every January/February so you could say it's had nearly a year to build up crap. There is a gutter downpipe nearby although it sort of goes away at an angle so doesn't reach the ground near the damp spot, also several feet away there are the waste pipes from the bathroom.

No puppies

Will try to take some pictures later.

ground floor is unlikely to be a roof leak.

It obviously needs to be addressed, but I wouldn't panic. Probably took years to reach this stage.

1920's house probably has 9" solid brick walls. water can penetrate, but not just rain unless it runs or drips from a pipe or windowsill. look for cracks or holes. look for paving or objects above the dpc, which will be 2 bricks above where ground level used to be when the house was built.

lift a floorboard. what do you see?

as the carpet is wet I think it is coming from above, not below. are there any signs on the ceiling or wall?

if you have a waterproof floor covering such as vinyl, water can track from the source underneath it or on top.

Think it might be either earth higher than the DPM on the inside, or the ground higher than the DPM outside. We had similar, but no wet carpets, just damp stained walls/

"the house has cavity walls"

are the walls about 13" thick? measure at a window or door.

it is rare for water to run down a cavity unless there is a leaking pipe passing through it above. usually an overflow pipe from a cold water or WC cistern. modern boilers also have a pressure relief pipe. none of these ever carry water unless their is a fault.