Water Leaking From Your Soffit? Here's What's Causing It

Short answer: water coming through a soffit is almost always water getting in above it. The most common causes are blocked or leaking gutters, rotten roofing felt at the bottom of the roof, a missing eaves tray, or damaged fascia boards letting water run behind the gutter.

It's worth sorting quickly. Water sitting behind the soffit rots the timber, can stain walls and ceilings inside, and gets worse every time it rains.

The most common causes

Blocked or overflowing gutters: leaves and moss stop the water running away, so it backs up and spills over the back of the gutter, behind the fascia and into the soffit. This is the first thing we check.

Leaking gutter joints or a gutter set at the wrong fall: water drips from the joints or sits in the gutter and finds its way behind it.

Rotten or perished felt at the eaves: on older roofs the felt at the bottom of the roof breaks down, so rain that gets under the tiles runs straight onto the soffit instead of into the gutter.

No eaves tray or eaves protection: a rigid eaves tray stops the felt sagging and guides water into the gutter. Many older roofs were never fitted with one.

Rotten fascia boards: once the timber goes soft, the gutter brackets loosen and water can track behind the fascia.

Slipped or broken tiles near the eaves: these let water in right above the soffit.

What it costs to fix

• Clearing and re-sealing gutters: from around £80 to £150
• New guttering and downpipes: £650 to £1,600
• Eaves felt and eaves trays replaced along the bottom of the roof: usually £650 to £1,800, depending on length and access
• New fascias and soffits: £1,200 to £3,000, or £2,100 to £6,000 with guttering

All prices include VAT and are based on our own Doncaster jobs in 2025 and 2026.

What you can check yourself

• Look at the gutter during heavy rain: is it overflowing or dripping at the joints?
• Look for moss, plants or leaves sticking out of the gutter
• Look along the fascia for staining, flaking paint or soft timber
• Look up at the bottom row of tiles for anything slipped or broken

Please don't go up a ladder to the roof yourself. If you can't see the cause from the ground, send us a photo on WhatsApp and we'll tell you what we think it is.

Get it sorted

Want an honest price for your roof? We're family-run, roofing in Doncaster since 2014, with 180+ five-star Google reviews. Inspections are free and you'll get a written, fixed-price quote within 24 hours. Use the form on this page, call 01302 456781, or WhatsApp us a photo.