Storm Damage to Your Roof: What to Do in the First 24 Hours

You've just been through a storm — high winds, driving rain, maybe hail — and now you're looking at water stains on the ceiling, tiles scattered in the garden, or a section of ridge that's clearly shifted. It's stressful, and the temptation is to either panic and call the first roofer you find, or ignore it and hope it'll be fine. Neither is the right approach.

This guide walks you through exactly what to do in the first 24 hours after storm damage to your roof — in the right order, to keep you safe, protect your home from further damage, and set up your insurance claim correctly.

Step 1: Stay Safe — Do Not Go on the Roof

This is the most important point in this entire article: do not go on the roof yourself. Every year in the UK, people are seriously injured or killed falling from domestic roofs. After a storm, the risk is even higher:

Wet tiles are extremely slippery — even experienced roofers with proper footwear and safety equipment avoid working on wet roofs when possible
Storm-damaged tiles may be loose and give way under your weight without warning
Ridge tiles and flashing that have shifted may not be visible from below but can slide when stepped on
The roof structure itself may be weakened — rafters can crack in storms, and you won't know until weight is applied

What you can safely do:

Walk around the outside of your property at ground level and look up. Note any visible damage: missing tiles, shifted ridge tiles, hanging guttering, debris from the roof.
Go into your loft space via the loft hatch and look for daylight coming through, water pooling on the insulation, or wet timbers. Use a torch and be careful where you step — only on the joists, never on the plasterboard ceiling between them.
Take photographs and videos of everything you can see, from both outside and inside. This documentation is critical for your insurance claim.

Step 2: Contain Any Water Ingress

If water is coming into your home, your immediate priority is to limit the damage. Here's what to do practically:

Place buckets, bowls, or containers under any active drips. It sounds obvious, but in the stress of the moment, people often overlook this simple step. Use large containers and empty them regularly — a steady drip fills a bucket faster than you'd think.
Move valuables and electronics away from the affected area. Furniture, carpets, and personal items can be dried or replaced; some things cannot.
Lay towels or old sheets to absorb water that's spreading across floors or collecting on surfaces.
If water is pooling on a ceiling and the plasterboard is sagging, place a container underneath and carefully puncture the ceiling with a screwdriver to release the water in a controlled way. If you don't, the weight of the water will eventually bring the entire section of ceiling down — making a much bigger mess and a more expensive repair.
Turn off the electricity to affected areas if water is near light fittings, sockets, or electrical wiring. Use your consumer unit (fuse box) to isolate individual circuits rather than switching off the whole house.

Step 3: Document Everything for Insurance

Before anyone touches the roof or makes any repairs — even temporary ones — you need to document the damage thoroughly. Your insurance company will want to see evidence of what the storm did, and if you repair first and claim later, they may dispute the extent of the damage.

What to Photograph and Record

External damage: Missing tiles, shifted ridges, damaged flashing, bent or detached guttering, any debris from the roof on the ground
Internal damage: Water stains on ceilings and walls, damp insulation in the loft, wet timbers, any damaged personal property
Close-ups and wide shots: Take both detailed close-up photos of specific damage and wider shots showing the overall extent
Video walkthrough: A short video narrating what you can see is excellent evidence and often more compelling than photos alone
Date and time: Your phone camera will timestamp photos automatically. Also make written notes: when the storm occurred, when you first noticed the damage, what the weather conditions were

Keep all of this documentation safe — email copies to yourself or upload them to cloud storage so you have a backup.

Step 4: Contact Your Home Insurance

Call your home insurance company (the buildings insurance provider, not contents) as soon as practically possible. Here's what you need to know about the process:

What Storm Damage Typically Covers

Sudden damage caused by the storm: Blown-off tiles, collapsed ridges, fallen trees damaging the roof, wind-lifted flashing
Water damage resulting from storm damage: If the storm breached the roof and water came in, the internal damage (ceilings, walls, carpets, personal property) is typically covered under both buildings and contents insurance
Emergency temporary repairs: Most policies cover the reasonable cost of making the property weathertight as an emergency measure

What Storm Damage Typically Doesn't Cover

Wear and tear: If your roof was already in poor condition before the storm, your insurer may argue the damage was caused by lack of maintenance, not the storm. This is the most common reason for storm damage claims being reduced or refused.
Gradual deterioration: A roof that's been slowly leaking for months or years won't be covered just because a storm made it worse
Consequential loss: Not all policies cover the cost of alternative accommodation if you can't live in your home during repairs — check your policy wording

The Excess

Most home insurance policies have a storm damage excess of £100–£500 — the amount you pay before the insurance kicks in. Some policies have a separate, higher excess for storm and weather-related claims (sometimes called a "weather peril excess"). Check your policy documents or ask when you call.

What to Tell the Insurer

Be factual and specific: when the storm occurred, what damage you've observed, whether water has entered the property, and what (if any) emergency action you've taken. Don't exaggerate the damage — but don't understate it either. If you haven't yet had the damage assessed by a roofer, say so. The insurer will typically arrange for a loss adjuster to visit for larger claims, or ask you to obtain quotes for smaller ones.

Step 5: Emergency Temporary Repairs

The next priority is making your property weathertight to prevent further damage. This doesn't mean a permanent repair — it means a temporary fix to keep the rain out until a proper assessment and repair can be done.

When You Can Do It Yourself

If the damage is accessible from ground level or from a first-floor window, you may be able to fit a temporary covering yourself:

Blue tarpaulin: A heavy-duty blue tarp (available from any DIY store) can be draped over the damaged area and weighted down with bricks, sandbags, or timber battens. This is a temporary solution — days to weeks, not permanent.
Buckets and containers: Continue managing any internal water ingress
Board up broken skylights or roof windows with plywood if they've been shattered

When to Call an Emergency Roofer

Call a professional for emergency temporary repairs if:

The damage is on the main roof and can't be safely reached from the ground
Significant sections of tiles or slates are missing
The roof structure appears to have moved or sagged
Water is coming in heavily and you can't contain it

Typical emergency call-out costs: £200–£600 depending on the time of day, severity of the damage, and how much temporary work is needed. Weekend and evening call-outs cost more. This fee typically covers making the area weathertight — not a permanent repair.

Keep the receipt and any invoice from emergency repair work — your insurer should reimburse these costs as part of the claim.

Step 6: Finding a Reliable Emergency Roofer

After a major storm, demand for roofers spikes dramatically — and this is exactly when rogue traders move in. Here's how to find a legitimate emergency roofer:

NFRC members with emergency response: The National Federation of Roofing Contractors maintains a "Find a Roofer" tool at nfrc.co.uk. Many NFRC members offer emergency call-out services.
Your insurance company's approved network: Some insurers have panels of pre-approved contractors. Using these can simplify the claims process.
Local recommendations: Ask neighbours, friends, or family. After a widespread storm, someone in your area will know a good roofer.
Checkatrade and Which? Trusted Traders: Search these platforms for roofers with emergency or same-day availability and verified reviews.

Even in an emergency, don't skip basic checks: ask for proof of insurance, get a written (even if informal) agreement on what work will be done and the cost, and never pay the full amount upfront.

Storm-Chasing Rogue Traders: How to Spot Them

After every major storm in the UK, Trading Standards offices report a spike in complaints about rogue roofers. These "storm chasers" travel to affected areas specifically to exploit panicked homeowners. Here's how they operate:

Door-to-door cold calling: They knock on doors in storm-affected streets, offering to fix damage they claim to have spotted. A legitimate roofer doesn't need to cold-call — they have more work than they can handle after a storm through their existing customer base.
Pressure tactics: "Your roof is dangerous and could collapse" or "I can do it now but I won't be available later" — designed to prevent you from getting other quotes or thinking clearly.
Cash-only, no receipts: They want payment immediately, in cash, with no paper trail. This leaves you with no recourse if the work is substandard.
Inflated prices: They quote two to three times the going rate, knowing that panicked homeowners won't shop around.
Shoddy work: Even when they do carry out repairs, the quality is often appalling — incorrect materials, poor fixings, cosmetic-only repairs that don't address the actual damage.
No business identity: Unmarked vans, no business cards, no website, no fixed address. They work an area for a few days after a storm, then move on.

If someone knocks on your door unsolicited after a storm offering roof repairs, do not engage. Close the door, and if you feel intimidated, call the police non-emergency line (101) or your local Trading Standards office.

Common Insurance Pitfalls

Storm damage claims don't always go smoothly. Here are the most common issues and how to avoid them:

The "Wear and Tear" Exclusion

This is the single most common reason for storm damage claims being reduced or rejected. If the insurer's loss adjuster finds that your roof was already in poor condition before the storm — missing tiles, deteriorated mortar, perished felt — they may attribute some or all of the damage to lack of maintenance rather than the storm. To protect yourself, maintain your roof properly and keep records (photos, receipts for maintenance work) showing it was in reasonable condition before the storm.

Delayed Claims

Report the damage to your insurer as soon as possible. Policies typically require "prompt notification." If you wait weeks or months to make a claim, the insurer may argue that additional damage occurred after the storm due to your failure to take reasonable steps to prevent further loss.

Repairing Before Claiming

If you carry out permanent repairs before your insurer has had a chance to assess the damage (or appoint a loss adjuster), they may dispute the claim. Emergency temporary repairs to make the property weathertight are fine — and expected — but permanent repairs should wait until the insurer has seen the damage or given you the go-ahead.

Underinsurance

If your buildings insurance sum insured is lower than the actual rebuilding cost of your property, your claim payout may be proportionally reduced. This is called "average" or "underinsurance." Make sure your buildings insurance sum insured reflects current rebuilding costs, which have risen significantly in recent years due to construction inflation.

What the Permanent Repair Typically Involves

Once the emergency is resolved and the insurance process is underway, the permanent repair will follow. This typically involves:

Professional assessment: A full survey of the storm damage, including areas that may not be visible from the ground
Detailed quote: A written quotation specifying the scope of work, materials, and cost — this may need to be approved by your insurer before work begins
Scaffolding: Erected for safe access to the damaged areas
Repair or replacement: Depending on the extent of the damage, this could range from replacing a few tiles and reflashing to a full section or complete roof replacement
Building control sign-off: If the structural repairs are significant, building control may need to inspect and approve the work

The timeline from storm to completed repair can range from a few days (minor tile replacement) to several weeks (major structural repair), particularly after widespread storms when roofers are in high demand.

Is Storm Damage Covered by Building Insurance?

Yes — in the vast majority of UK home insurance policies, storm damage to the roof is covered under the buildings insurance section. Standard buildings insurance covers damage caused by storm, flood, fire, subsidence, and other named perils.

To confirm your coverage:

Check your policy schedule for "storm" or "weather damage" as a covered peril
Note the excess amount (you'll pay this portion yourself)
Check for any exclusions — some policies exclude outbuildings, flat roofs over a certain age, or buildings that are unoccupied
If you're a leaseholder, the building insurance may be arranged by the freeholder or management company — check your lease to understand who's responsible for making the claim

Need Emergency Help with Storm Damage?

If your roof has been damaged in a storm, Pinnacle Roofing offers emergency call-out services to make your property weathertight, followed by a comprehensive assessment and permanent repair quote. We work with all major insurance companies and can help guide you through the claims process.