Storm Damage to Your Roof: A Complete Guide From First Call to Final Repair

Immediately After the Storm: The First Hour

Protect the interior first. If water is actively entering, move possessions away, place towels and buckets, and if plasterboard is visibly bulging from water weight, a small relief hole at the lowest point of the bulge prevents a larger ceiling collapse. Do not go on the roof. Wind conditions may not have fully abated, and wet tiles on a pitched roof are extremely slippery. The risk to life is real and no tile is worth it.

Document from the ground. Photograph any visible damage before any repair work starts — this documentation is essential for the insurance claim. Note the date and time. If other properties on your street are also visibly affected, photograph those too — it establishes that the event was a weather event rather than pre-existing deterioration, which matters for the insurance assessment.

Within 24 Hours: Notification and Emergency Repair

Notify your buildings insurer before authorising anything beyond immediate emergency weatherproofing. Most policies require prompt notification and give the insurer the right to appoint a loss adjuster before significant repairs are carried out. Emergency temporary weatherproofing — tarpaulin, tile strapping, boarding — is something you're entitled to arrange immediately to prevent further damage. Keep receipts for all emergency spend.

Call a local NFRC-registered roofer for emergency attendance. Be wary of contractors appearing unsolicited after storms — the post-storm period attracts opportunistic traders. Use a contractor you can verify independently through NFRC registration and local references. Call 0129 670 6028 for emergency cover across Aylesbury and Buckinghamshire 24/7.

Getting the Most From Your Insurance Claim

A written damage report from a roofer describing the cause, extent, and classification of the damage (storm event versus pre-existing deterioration) is the most useful document for an insurance claim. We provide these as standard on storm damage call-outs. The report should itemise: what failed, when it likely occurred, whether the failure is consistent with the storm event, and a cost breakdown separating emergency temporary work from permanent repair.

If the loss adjuster's assessment differs significantly from our report, you have grounds to challenge through the insurer's complaints process and ultimately through the Financial Ombudsman. Don't accept a reduced settlement without understanding the specific basis for the reduction.

After the Insurance Assessment: The Permanent Repair

Once the insurer has assessed and agreed the claim, the permanent repair can proceed. Use a contractor who provides a written guarantee on the repair work — not just the materials. The repair should address both the acute storm damage and any underlying condition issues that were exposed by the storm but not caused by it. A roof that survives 40 years without a storm problem and then fails is telling you something about its condition, not just the storm's severity.