Get your roof ready for LA's rainy season: a 10-point checklist
LA rain arrives like a rumor and lands like a bill. The storms that matter — the atmospheric rivers — usually show up between November and March, and every roofer's phone melts the same week. Here's the list we'd run on our own homes by the end of October. Most items are free.
One Way Roofing Team
Reviewed by a CSLB-licensed roofing contractor
1. Clean the gutters — then test them
Scoop them out, then run a hose. Water should exit the downspouts fast and land away from the foundation. Overflowing gutters push water backward under the roof edge — one of the most common "roof leaks" that isn't actually the roof.
2. Look up from the street
Walk the perimeter with binoculars if you have them. You're looking for slipped or cracked tiles, lifted or missing shingles, and a ridge line that isn't straight. Five minutes, zero risk, catches the obvious stuff.
3. Map your old ceiling stains
Find every existing water stain on ceilings and closet walls and photograph them now. After the first real storm, compare. A stain that grows is an active leak; one that doesn't is history. This one trick saves a lot of guessing later.
4. Do a flashlight pass in the attic
On a bright day, lights off: look for pinpoints of daylight, dark staining on rafters, and any musty smell. The attic is where a roof confesses. If you see daylight, water has a path — book the repair before the rain finds it too.
5. Trim branches back from the roof
Anything within about six feet of the surface: too close. Branches scour granules in the wind, drop the debris that clogs valleys, and become the battering ram when a storm cell rolls through.
6. Check the pipe boots
The rubber collars around plumbing vents crack after years of sun — it's one of the most common leak sources we fix in roof repairs across LA County. From the ground or a ladder at the eave, look for splits or lifted edges. It's a fast, inexpensive fix when caught dry.
7. Eyeball the flashing
Chimneys, skylights, and wall junctions — look for metal that's lifted, rusted through, or slathered in old roofing tar (a previous "repair" that's now a future leak). Flashing failures cause more interior damage than worn shingles do.
8. Photograph everything
Roof from each side of the house, gutters, ceilings. Date-stamped "before" photos are the difference between a smooth insurance claim and an argument. Store them in the cloud, not just the phone.
9. Book the pro inspection before October ends
Everything above is what you can see. A free professional roof inspection covers what you can't: underlayment condition, fastener backs, ventilation, and the attic-side story — documented with photos you keep. In November you'll wait behind every leaking house in the county; in October you won't.
10. Save the emergency number now
Not during the storm, with a bucket in your hand. Put a 24/7 emergency roof repair number in your phone today — ours is (562) 516-4606 — so the 2 AM decision is already made.
WHY OCTOBER?
Because repairs need dry weather and lead time. The gap between "first forecast" and "first leak" is usually days — the gap between calling in October and calling in January is usually weeks of waiting.