What to do if…
a garage ceiling or roof structure is sagging and you are unsure if it is safe

What to do now

1. Move to a safer pause. Get people and pets out of the garage and away from the door line. If the garage is attached to the house, and you can do it without entering the garage, keep people away from rooms directly beside or above it until you have advice.
2. Create a no-go zone. Shut any internal door, keep children and pets away, and put something obvious in the way, such as bins, tape, or a chair, so nobody walks in by habit.
3. Check for red flags only from a safe distance. Treat it as urgent if you notice a rapidly worsening sag, falling plaster or boards, new large cracks, doors suddenly jamming, roof timbers bending, water bulging in the ceiling, or repeated cracking or creaking.
4. Call 999 if there may be immediate danger. Say there is a possible structural collapse risk in a garage, whether anyone is injured or trapped, and that you are keeping people away.
5. Report it through your local council or local authority dangerous-structure route. Search your council website for “dangerous structure”, “dangerous building”, “building control”, or “building standards”. If you cannot find the right page and the risk feels urgent, phone the council’s main number or out-of-hours emergency number.
6. Tell the responsible person immediately.
   • If you rent, contact your landlord or letting agent and say the garage is a no-go area because the ceiling or roof structure is sagging.
   • If it is leasehold, shared, or on an estate, contact the freeholder, managing agent, housing association, or building manager.
   • If you own it, contact your buildings insurer and ask what they need before inspection or repair work starts.
7. Arrange a structural safety assessment. Ask for a structural engineer, or a suitably competent building surveyor who can assess structural safety, before normal use or re-entry under the sagging area.
8. Treat water and electrics as a hazard. If water may be involved and you can do it safely without entering the garage or standing beneath the sagging area, switch off the garage circuit or supply at the consumer unit or fuse box. If water has reached the fuse box, there are sparks, buzzing, burning smells, exposed wiring, or you are unsure, stay clear and ask for urgent professional electrical advice.
9. Do not add weight or disturb the structure. Do not move storage around, climb on the roof, open roof storage, drain a bulging ceiling from underneath, or pull down wet boards.
10. Record only what you can see safely. Take photos or video from outside or from a doorway, note when it started, and write down recent triggers such as heavy rain, snow, impact, leaks, building work, or new storage above the garage.