Property services
Roofers in Edinburgh and the Lothians
Slate, tile and flat-roof repair and replacement, including tenement and shared roofs.
Roofing work in Edinburgh is dominated by Scots slate on steep pitches, lead valleys and box gutters hidden behind stone parapets. Most jobs an owner pays for are small: a handful of slipped slates, a failed lead soaker at a chimney, or a cast-iron downpipe that has rusted through and is soaking the wall behind it.
The bigger jobs are re-slating a whole roof plane and replacing a flat roof over a rear extension or dormer. Both are disruptive, both need scaffold or a tower, and both are worth getting two or three written scopes for, because contractors price access very differently.
When Edinburgh owners call roofers
- A Home Report has flagged slipped or missing slates before you market the property.
- Water is staining a top-floor ceiling or the head of a chimney breast.
- Gutters overflow down the stonework, which eventually shows as internal damp.
- A scheme of common repair has been proposed and you want your own view of what is needed.
Local context: Edinburgh and the Lothians
The New Town, Marchmont, Bruntsfield and Leith are largely 19th-century tenements with shared roofs, chimney stacks serving multiple flats, and slate that has already been patched several times. Conservation-area rules and listed-building consent restrict what you can put back: natural slate is usually required where slate exists, and Spanish or Brazilian slate is normally accepted as a substitute for Scots slate, which is no longer quarried.
Weather sets the calendar. Wind-driven rain off the Forth finds every failed flashing between October and March, so autumn is peak demand and lead times stretch. Booking non-urgent roof work for late spring usually gets a better price and a better crew.
What this work typically costs
Published ranges are market context gathered from local jobs, not a quotation. We do not price work, arrange it or take a cut of it — always get your own written quotes.
| Job | Typical range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Replace a few slipped slates from a tower | £180-£450 | Access is most of the cost; a single visit for several slates is far cheaper per slate. |
| Chimney head repair and re-flaunching | £600-£1,800 | Scaffold, stack height and whether cans are replaced. |
| Lead flashing or valley renewal | £700-£2,500 | Lead code, length of run and whether decking below has rotted. |
| Flat roof, single-ply or felt, small rear extension | £2,000-£5,500 | Insulation upgrade to current standards adds cost but is usually required. |
| Re-slate one roof plane of a tenement | £15,000-£45,000+ | Shared cost across flats; scaffold licence for a public road is a separate charge. |
Tenements and common repairs
A tenement roof is almost always common property, so one flat cannot instruct a full re-slate alone. Repairs are agreed under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 by majority of flats unless the title deeds say otherwise, and the cost is shared on the basis the deeds set out — often equally, sometimes by rateable value.
Emergency work is the exception: any owner can instruct urgent repairs needed to prevent damage and recover a share from the others. Keep the quote, the photographs and the invoice, because you will need them to bill your neighbours or to answer a buyer's solicitor later.
What to check before you instruct
- Public liability insurance
- Experience with traditional Scottish slate
- Written scope covering scaffolding and access
- Public liability insurance
- Ask for the certificate and check the expiry date. Roof work over a public pavement is high-risk and £5m cover is common.
- Scaffold licence
- Scaffold on a council road or pavement needs a permit from the City of Edinburgh Council. Confirm in writing who applies and who pays.
- Traditional slate experience
- Ask to see completed tenement or conservation-area work, not just modern housing.
- Written scope, not a headline figure
- The scope should say how many slates, what lead code, whether sarking boards are included and what happens if rot is found.
We publish factual detail supplied by each business. We do not rate, rank, endorse or guarantee anyone listed, and no business pays for placement. Checking registration, insurance and references is always your decision.
Questions to ask before you instruct
- Is the price fixed, or does it change if the sarking underneath has rotted?
- Who applies for the scaffold licence and is it in the quote?
- What slate are you putting back and is it acceptable in a conservation area?
- How long is your workmanship guarantee and is it in writing?
- Will you photograph the roof before and after so I can show my neighbours?
- Do you handle the debris and where does it go?
Businesses listed
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Lothian Property is a property information and professional-introduction service operated by Maybury Scotland Limited. Lothian Property is not an estate agency. Where requested, we may connect homeowners with independent estate agents and other property professionals. How we work.
Roofers: common questions
- Who pays for a roof repair on an Edinburgh tenement?
- The roof of a tenement is almost always common property. Unless your title deeds say otherwise, the cost is split between the flats in the stair — commonly equally, or by rateable value under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004. Check your deeds before agreeing a share.
- Do I need scaffolding for a slate repair in a Scottish tenement stair?
- For anything beyond a couple of slipped slates, yes. Roofers working on four-storey stone gables usually price scaffolding or a cherry picker separately, and a City of Edinburgh Council pavement occupation permit is needed where it stands on the footway.
- How long should a new slate roof last in Edinburgh's climate?
- Natural Scottish or Spanish slate laid on sound sarking is generally expected to run 80–100 years; the nails and the sarking boards normally fail first. Concrete tile re-roofs are usually quoted on a 40–60 year expectation.