Roofers in Soho who actually turn up.

Roofing in Soho

Roof repairs in Soho: who's responsible, and what it costs

Soho (W1, City of Westminster) is one of the densest patches of old buildings in London: Georgian and Victorian terraces, four to six storeys, shops and restaurants at street level and flats or offices above. Almost every roof here is shared, and the first question is usually not "what's wrong" but "whose job is it".

The buildings

Around Berwick Street, Dean Street, Old Compton Street and Greek Street the stock is Georgian townhouses with mansard or butterfly roofs behind parapets, slate on the slopes, lead in the gutters, and rooftop extensions of every era piled on top. There are Victorian commercial blocks with flat asphalt roofs and plant rooms, and post-war infill with felt. Nearly all of it sits in the Soho conservation area, and a good deal is listed.

The jobs we see most

• Leaks into top-floor flats and restaurant kitchens from failed parapet gutters and lead flashings that nobody has inspected in years.
• Mansard slate repairs after wind, on steep slopes with no easy access.
• Flat roof patching and re-covering on asphalt and felt roofs used as plant decks or terraces.
• Emergency temporary cover for a business that cannot close.
• Roof surveys for leaseholders, landlords and managing agents working out who pays.

Responsibility, consent and access

If you're a leaseholder, the roof is almost always the freeholder's, and your route is the managing agent; a roofer's written report with photos is the fastest way to move them. If you're a commercial tenant, check the lease: full repairing leases put the roof on you. Westminster requires consent for changes to listed or conservation-area roofs, and matching materials for repairs. Scaffolding a Soho frontage means a pavement licence, night or early-morning delivery windows, and sometimes a road closure; it's the biggest single cost on most jobs here.

What it typically costs in Soho

Job	Typical range
Emergency temporary cover and leak trace	£300 to £800
Re-line a parapet gutter in lead	£1,500 to £4,000
Mansard slate repair with access equipment	£800 to £2,500
Re-cover a flat roof (per 50 m²)	£4,000 to £9,000
Roof survey with written report	£300 to £700

Central London prices run well above the rest of the capital because of scaffold, licences, restricted hours and listed-building materials. Ranges are a guide, not a quote.

One local tip

Before you call anyone, find out who the freeholder's managing agent is and whether there's a buildings insurance policy on the block. Half the roof leaks in Soho end up as insurance claims, and a roofer's report dated before the claim makes that far easier.