Before the LA rains start, do five things: clear the gutters and valleys so water can leave the roof, check and reset slipped or cracked tiles and shingles, look at the flashing around the chimney, vents, and skylights, trim branches that overhang the roof, and get a roof inspection if it has been a while. The whole point is to fix small weak spots in dry weather, when it is cheap and easy, rather than discover them mid-storm.
Los Angeles gets most of its rain in a short winter stretch, so a roof can sit untested for months and then face everything at once. A small weakness that never mattered in the dry season becomes a leak the first time a real storm rolls through. The smart move is to use the dry weeks before winter to find and close those weak spots, because a repair is easier, cheaper, and safer to do on a dry roof than on a wet one during a downpour.
Clearing gutters and valleys is the single most valuable step, since backed-up water is behind a huge share of leaks. Beyond that, resetting slipped tiles and checking flashing at the penetrations closes the spots most likely to let water in. This is the core of good roof maintenance, and a pre-season roof inspection catches what you cannot see from the ground.
| Task | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Clear gutters and valleys | Lets water leave, not back up |
| Reset slipped or cracked tiles | Closes open spots |
| Check flashing at penetrations | Seals the most common leak points |
| Trim overhanging branches | Fewer debris and impact leaks |
| Get an inspection | Finds what you cannot see |
If you already know about a weak spot, say a stain that showed last winter or a tile you can see is out of place, handle it now rather than hoping it holds, since a known problem only gets worse once water finds it, as our page on delaying a repair covers. If your roof is older or you are not sure of its condition, a roof repair to the known spots plus an inspection is the best insurance against a mid-storm scramble. Our pages on flashing repair and storm damage signs cover the specifics.
Fix small spots while it is dry. Call (310) 806-5959 or request an inspection below.
Tell us about your roof and we will check it before the season and give you a written price for any work, with no obligation.