Pigeons perched at a gap under the eaves of a UK house roof where the soffit has broken away

Birds and pests in your roof space

Scratching at dawn, cooing in the eaves, droppings on the insulation. How they got in, what the law allows, and the sequence that gets them out for good.

Quick answer: birds and pests get in through lifted tiles, broken soffits and gaps at the eaves, and the lasting fix is repairing those entry points, not deterrents. Fascia and soffit repairs cost £60 to £120 per metre in 2026 and tile refits £150 to £400; see our fascias and soffits and roof tile cost guides.

How they're getting in

Lifted or slipped tiles, especially at edges and around flashings, open gaps straight into the loft.
Broken soffit boards and vents: rotted timber soffits and cracked vent covers are the classic pigeon and starling doorway.
Gaps at the eaves where fascia meets the roofline, common where old boards have warped or the felt has decayed at the gutter edge, and a favourite of nesting birds, wasps and squirrels alike.

Listen and watch for a week before acting: where the birds land and disappear is the entry point, and dawn and dusk are when traffic is heaviest. Knowing every opening matters, because proofing one hole while another stays open just moves the residents along the roofline.

The legal bit: nesting birds are protected

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, all wild birds, their eggs and their active nests are protected. Disturbing or destroying a nest that is being built or in use is an offence, and that includes pigeons in your soffit. In practice this makes timing the whole game: once the young have fledged and the nest is out of use it can be cleared and the hole proofed, and work planned outside the main nesting season (broadly spring into late summer) avoids the problem entirely. If you suspect bats rather than birds, stop and take advice first; bats and their roosts have even stricter protection.

The fix sequence

1. Confirm everything is out. Watch the entry points at dawn and dusk for a few days with no activity, and check the loft for sound and fresh droppings. Never seal an animal in: a blocked exit means a carcass in the roof or a chewed new hole.
2. Proof the entry points. Mesh, eaves combs and proper vent covers close the routes while keeping the ventilation your loft needs.
3. Repair the damage. Replace broken soffit and fascia boards, refit slipped tiles, clear fouled insulation and nesting debris from gutters and valleys. This is the step that stops the cycle repeating, and a general roof repair visit can usually cover proofing and repairs together.

What it costs

Because the real fix is repair work, the costs are repair costs. Soffit and fascia repairs run £60 to £120 per metre in 2026, with a full roofline replacement on a semi at £1,200 to £2,800; the breakdown is in our fascias and soffits cost guide. Refitting slipped or broken tiles costs £150 to £400 per visit, covered in the roof tile cost guide. Proofing materials added during those repairs cost little; standalone pest-control visits are extra and vary by firm.

Worth knowing: spikes, gels and plastic owls on a roofline with a broken soffit are money down the drain. The birds are not confused, they are housed. Fix the roofline first; deterrents are for ledges, not holes.

Keeping them out

Walk the roofline visually each spring and autumn; binoculars beat ladders.
Keep gutters clear so damp debris does not rot the fascia behind them.
Replace tired timber rooflines with uPVC when budget allows; there is nothing to rot.
Deal with the first pair of pigeons promptly; established colonies are far harder to move.

Get the roofline proofed and repaired

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Birds & pests FAQs

Birds and pests in the roof, answered

The usual entry points are lifted or slipped tiles, broken soffit boards and vents, and gaps at the eaves where fascia meets roofline, especially where old boards have rotted. Birds need surprisingly small openings, and once one pair moves in, droppings and nesting activity tend to widen the gap for the next.

Not while it is in use. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 all wild birds, their active nests and their eggs are protected, and disturbing or destroying an active nest is an offence. Once the young have fledged and the nest is no longer in use, it can be removed and the entry point proofed. Timing the work outside nesting season avoids the issue entirely.

Yes, over time. Droppings are acidic and build up fast, nesting material blocks gutters and ventilation paths, and debris can hold moisture against timbers. Birds and vermin can also compress or foul loft insulation. None of it is an emergency in week one, which is exactly why it tends to be left until the damage bill has grown.

The proofing itself is usually the repair. Fascia and soffit repairs cost £60 to £120 per metre in 2026, with full replacement on a semi at £1,200 to £2,800, and refitting slipped or broken tiles runs £150 to £400. Simple mesh or eaves-comb proofing alongside those repairs adds little when done in the same visit. See the fascias and soffits cost guide.

Close every entry point, not just the one in use: birds prospect the whole roofline. Repair broken boards and tiles, fit proper vent covers and eaves combs, and keep gutters clear so vegetation does not lift the roofline edges. A roofline in good repair is the deterrent; spikes and gels on top of a broken soffit fix nothing.