Shared roofs
Who pays to repair a roof shared with a neighbour?
On a terrace or in a converted building, a roof can belong to several households. Below: what decides who pays, the notice rules, and how to organise one repair.
The short answer
Who pays depends on who owns the part of the roof that failed, and your title deeds or lease record that, not the roof itself. On a terrace the deeds show where each owner's responsibility starts and ends. In a converted building, the lease names who must repair the roof and how the cost is passed on. Read the documents first, tell your neighbour in writing, and agree one repair rather than two separate ones.
5 min read · Part of Roof repairs
Start with the paperwork
A roof is not one object in law. Each owner holds particular parts of a building, and the documents record which. Without them, nobody can say who pays, and that includes a roofer, who sees only the roof.
- Title deeds or the Land Registry title for a house in a terrace, which show the boundaries and any duty to share the cost of repairs.
- The lease for a flat, which names who must repair the roof and how the cost is passed on to the leaseholders.
- Any insurance policy covering the building, since the roof may be insured under a block policy.
If the roof leaks into your home, tell whoever is responsible in writing, with dated photographs of the stain and of the roof as far as it can be seen from the ground. Keep copies. A clear, polite letter starts the conversation and records the day you raised it, which can matter if the repair is delayed and the damage spreads to the next house.
We cannot tell you who owns a roof, or who must pay, from the roof alone. A solicitor, or the freeholder where there is one, can answer it from the deeds.
Notices and the Party Wall Act
Some repairs to a shared roof touch a party wall, which stands on the boundary between two owners. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 then applies. The building owner, meaning the person having the work done, serves the notice on the neighbour.
| Work | Notice |
|---|---|
| Cutting into a party structure, for example a shared chimney breast | At least 2 months |
| A new wall built on the boundary line | At least 1 month |
| Excavation near a neighbour's building | At least 1 month |
Among the rights in section 2 is one "to cut into the wall of an adjoining owner's building in order to insert a flashing or other weather-proofing of a wall erected against that wall". A neighbour can consent in writing to an earlier start. Silence does not count as consent, according to GOV.UK, and if the neighbour dissents, or says nothing within 14 days, surveyors are appointed. A like-for-like repair to your own slope may not involve the Act at all, so check before you assume either way, and ask a surveyor if the answer is unclear.
Agreeing one repair with your neighbour
Two separate repairs to a shared roof duplicate the access and leave a joint between them. One repair, agreed between the owners, is better. A sensible order looks like this:
- Talk to your neighbour first and share the photographs.
- Agree that one roofer will survey the roof and quote for the repair.
- Ask for the quote as one written total price, stating which part of the roof each owner is responsible for.
- Put the agreement on who pays what in writing, and sign it, before the work begins.
Scaffold at the front or back of a terrace may stand on the highway and need a licence. Kent County Council lists its permit at £52 per week for 2026 to 2027, and East Sussex Highways lists £127 for 28 days. We arrange the licence with our scaffolder. Check that the quote says whether scaffold is included, since that matters when two households share one bill.
Our page on finding a roof leak helps pin down which side the water comes in, and that in turn helps settle who owns the repair.
When the neighbour will not engage
Sometimes a neighbour ignores letters, or disputes the cause. Stay calm and stay on paper. Keep your photographs, your dates and copies of everything you send. If the leak is damaging your home, you may need to make it safe yourself and keep the receipts, then sort out the cost afterwards.
For a consumer dispute with a trader, the Citizens Advice consumer helpline is 0808 223 1133. For a dispute with a neighbour, ask a solicitor or, where the Party Wall etc. Act applies, a party wall surveyor. Questions about notices go to a surveyor and not to building control.
Whoever owns the home, the first letter matters. If you rent, write to the landlord or managing agent straight away, because your tenancy agreement sets out who arranges roof repairs. If you own a flat, write to the freeholder or management company, quoting your lease and attaching the photographs.
The roof repairs page explains how a repair is approached. If the neighbouring roof is sound, the repair may be confined to your own section, and the survey tells you which it is. For urgent cases, see when to call an emergency roofer.
More questions
Can I repair my half of a terrace roof without telling the neighbour?
You should tell them. A repair at the shared line can disturb their side, and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may require a notice. Telling them early, in writing, avoids a dispute and gives them the chance to repair their own section at the same time.
Does buildings insurance cover a shared roof?
It depends on the policy. A block policy for a converted building may include the roof, while a house in a terrace may be insured by each owner. Read the policy and the lease, tell the insurer first after any damage, and keep photographs. If a complaint about the insurer cannot be settled with it, the Financial Ombudsman Service is the next step.
Tell us what's wrong with the roof.
You'll get one written total price.