Who to hire for a skylight that leaks

Short answer

A roofer. Most skylight leaks are at the flashing where the unit meets the roof rather than through the unit itself — and a meaningful share of complaints are condensation rather than leaks, which shows as water on cold mornings with no rain and needs ventilation rather than sealant.

Soon, not tonightIt will not usually get cheaper by waiting, and it is rarely worth an after-hours rate.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Record the weather each time it happens. Rain means a leak; cold still mornings after a warm humid night mean condensation.
  2. Look at the shaft. Staining at the top of the shaft points at the flashing; staining lower down can be condensation running.
  3. Check the age. Older acrylic domes go brittle and craze, and at that point the unit is the problem rather than the flashing.

What to ask when you book

  • Is this the flashing, the unit or condensation — and what is the evidence?
  • If the flashing is being replaced, is it a proprietary flashing kit for this skylight or a site-made one?
  • Is sealant being used as the repair or as a supplement to a mechanical flashing? Sealant alone is a temporary fix.

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Flashing repair versus replacing the whole unit.
  • Roof type and pitch.
  • Whether the internal shaft and lining need repair.

Is this licensed work?

Roofing and roof plumbing licensing applies. Cutting a new opening is building work.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a skylight that leaks
A roofer. Most skylight leaks are at the flashing where the unit meets the roof rather than through the unit itself — and a meaningful share of complaints are condensation rather than leaks, which shows as water on cold mornings with no rain and needs ventilation rather than sealant.
Why does my skylight drip when it is not raining?
Condensation. A skylight is a cold surface connected to a warm humid room by a shaft, and moisture condenses on it and runs. The fixes are ventilation, an insulated shaft and sometimes a double-glazed unit — none of which is a sealant, which is why a repair that assumes a leak does not stop it.

Find a Roofer near you

1,369 roofers in this directory, ranked on published evidence rather than on advertising.

Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.