Signs your tile roof needs repair

Look at the ridge line

Scan along the top ridge and the diagonal hips. If the mortar between capping tiles looks cracked, crumbly, or has gaps where you can see daylight or shadow, the pointing has failed. Small pieces of grey mortar in the gutter are the same signal.

Look for slipped or uneven tiles

Tiles should sit in even rows. A tile sitting low, crooked or with a visible gap has usually lost its clip or the batten under it has softened. That single tile lets wind-driven rain into the roof space.

Look into the valleys

From an upstairs window you can usually see whether the valleys are packed with leaves. Debris there is the leading cause of valley rust in Sydney, and rust in a valley is a leak waiting for the next heavy rain.

Look at the ceilings inside

• Brown or yellow rings on plaster
• Paint bubbling or flaking in one spot
• A musty smell in a top-floor room or hallway
• Cornice separating from the ceiling in one corner

Look at the gutters after rain

Water spilling over the front edge means the gutter is blocked or has lost fall. Water running behind the gutter, down the fascia, is worse — that is water entering the eaves rather than leaving the roof.