Where Should You Look for Squirrel Entry Points Around a Roof?

Start Where Roofs Join

The single most common entry point we find is the junction where an extension, a bay or a porch roof meets the main wall of the house. Two roof planes meeting at different levels rarely close perfectly, and the flashing or the felt at that point is often the weak spot.

Look at every one of those junctions on the property, including at the side return and any later addition. Squirrels reach them easily because the lower roof gives them a platform to work from.

Then the Eaves and the Soffit

Look along the whole eaves line where the roof meets the wall. You are looking for a gap between the felt and the fascia, a section where the felt has torn or fallen back, an open course at the ends, and any soffit joint that has opened.

Rotten or soft softwood fascia and soffit is worth noting even where there is no hole yet, because a squirrel will make one. Plastic vents in a soffit are also chewed regularly.

Then the Tiles and the Ridge

A single lifted, slipped or missing tile is enough, particularly at a hip, a valley or the ridge. Look along the ridge line for gaps in the mortar bedding, and at the ends of ridge tiles where they meet the gable.

Dry verges, barge boards and the gap where the roofline meets a gable end are the other candidates. Squirrels work at a gap over time, so an entry point often looks larger and rougher than a natural defect.

The Signs That Mark the Live One

Fresh gnawing on timber or plastic, showing pale wood or bright cut edges. Rubbed dirty marks on the surrounding surface where the animal passes repeatedly. Nesting material or insulation protruding from a gap. Droppings on a flat roof, a windowsill or a porch below.

And watch it. Sit where you can see the roof at first light or in the late afternoon for twenty minutes. A squirrel going in or out settles the question better than any amount of inspection.

The Routes Up, Which Matter Just as Much

Overhanging branches within a couple of metres of the roof, higher branches from which they can drop, a downpipe, a trellis or climbing plant, a boundary fence running to the building, and a neighbouring roof at a different height.

Cutting a branch back is often the most effective single thing available, though it will not stop a determined animal on its own. And do not seal anything you find while there is activity — the animals come out first. It is a £280 trapping service with legal duties attached, and proofing follows it at £180 for up to an hour.