What to do if a storm damages your roof

A loud bang in the night, a tile on the drive in the morning, a brown patch spreading across the bedroom ceiling: storm damage to a roof is stressful because it needs dealing with quickly, usually in bad weather, and often while you are waiting to hear from your insurer. What you do in the first few hours makes a real difference to how fast the roof is fixed and whether the claim is paid.

This guide covers what to do straight away, how to handle the insurance claim, what repairs usually cost, how to avoid the doorstep roofers who follow every storm, and what to do if your claim is refused.

How common is storm damage?

It is getting more expensive. The Association of British Insurers reported in February 2026 that insurers paid £244 million for storm damage to homes in 2025, up 32 percent on 2024. The average storm payout rose to £2,450, £750 more than the year before. Weather damage to homes and possessions overall, including burst pipes and floods, came to £758 million.

Roofs take much of that damage, because wind gets under loose or cracked tiles and lifts them, ridge tiles and chimney pots are exposed, and once one tile has gone, the ones around it are easier to lift in the next gust.

What to do straight away

Make it safe first

• Stay off the roof. The Health and Safety Executive says almost one in five deaths in construction work involve roof work, and that is for trained people with the right equipment. A wet, windy roof with loose tiles is no place for a ladder and a torch.
• Keep clear of anything still loose. Tiles, slates, chimney pots, aerials and branches can keep falling after the wind drops. Keep children and pets away from that side of the house.
• Watch the ceilings. If a ceiling is bulging, cracking or dripping, keep everyone out of that room. Water and plasterboard are heavy.
• Keep water away from electrics. If water is coming through near lights or sockets, turn the electricity off at the consumer unit if you can reach it safely, and do not touch wet switches.
• Power lines down? Stay well away and call 105, the free national number for power cuts and damaged power lines, or 999 if someone is in danger. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999.

Stop the water spreading

Put buckets, bowls and old towels under drips, and move furniture, rugs and electrical items out of the way. If you can get into the loft safely, a bucket under the leak there stops it reaching the ceiling below. Do not climb on the roof to put a tarpaulin over it; that is a job for a roofer.

Photograph everything before anything is moved

Take dated photos and video from the ground outside, from the street if you can see more, in the loft and in every room that is wet or stained. Photograph fallen tiles where they landed, then keep them. Write down when you think the damage happened and what the weather was doing. This is the evidence your insurer, and if needed the Financial Ombudsman, will look at.

How to make an insurance claim for storm damage

Storm damage to the structure of your home, including the roof, is normally a claim on your buildings insurance. Damage to belongings, such as a soaked carpet or sofa, is usually on contents insurance. If you rent, tell your landlord straight away, because the roof is their responsibility; our guide to condensation, damp and mould covers landlord repair duties in more detail.

The ABI's advice, issued ahead of Storm Chandra in January 2026, is clear on the order of things:

1. Contact your insurer as soon as possible. Many have 24 hour claim lines, can arrange repairs and may make emergency payments.
2. Arrange temporary emergency repairs to stop more damage, but speak to your insurer first. That might mean a roofer fitting a tarpaulin or replacing a handful of tiles to make the roof watertight.
3. If you pay for emergency work yourself, tell the insurer and keep every receipt, as these form part of the claim.
4. Do not throw damaged things away in a hurry unless they are a health risk. They may be repairable, and the insurer may want to see them.
5. If the home cannot be lived in, your insurer should arrange and pay for temporary accommodation, in line with your policy.

Ask the insurer whether they will send their own roofer or loss adjuster, or whether you should get quotes. If you get your own, ask for at least two written, itemised quotes and send them in.

What insurers count as a storm

There is no single legal definition. Each policy has its own wording, and many use wind gusts of at least 48 knots, which is about 55mph, or heavy rain, hail or snow above a set rate. It is worth checking the Met Office warnings and any named storm for the date, and noting it in your claim.

What storm damage repairs usually cost

For the most common storm repairs, Which? surveyed 11 of its Trusted Trader roofers in November 2025. Prices include labour and materials but not VAT, and are likely to be at the top of the range in London and the South East:

• Replace one to six standard tiles: £75 to £400
• Replace a single ridge tile: £80 to £300
• Clean gutters, front and back: £75 to £350
• New tiled roof on an average three bedroom house: £7,000 to £21,000

Access makes the biggest difference. A few slipped tiles reached from a roof ladder is a small job; anything that needs scaffolding, chimney rebuilding or new felt and battens costs much more. If the storm has also blocked or pulled away your gutters, our guide on how much gutter cleaning costs has the detail, and a blocked gutter left over winter is a common cause of damp inside.

Watch out for doorstep roofers after a storm

Every winter, councils warn that rogue traders go door to door after storms. A typical approach is a knock the morning after, a claim to have spotted loose tiles or a blocked gutter, an offer to start straight away for cash, and then the discovery of much more expensive "extra" work once they are on the roof. Aberdeenshire Council's Trading Standards team said in July 2025 that roofing complaints had more than doubled in a year to 93 in 2024, many from the period after Storm Arwen.

• Do not agree work on the doorstep, and do not let anyone up a ladder to "have a look".
• Find your own roofer and check their full address, reviews and public liability insurance. Membership of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors is a good sign.
• Get the quote in writing, including materials and any scaffolding, and never pay the full amount up front.
• Know your rights. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, most contracts agreed at your home can be cancelled within 14 days.

Our guide on how to check a tradesperson is genuine walks through the checks in more detail.

If your claim is refused

When a storm claim is turned down, the Financial Ombudsman Service asks three questions:

1. Was there a storm on or around the date the damage happened?
2. Is the damage consistent with what storms generally cause?
3. Were storm conditions the main cause of the damage, or would it have happened anyway?

If the answer to all three is yes, the insurer will usually need to pay. Most disputes are about the third question, because policies normally exclude wear and tear and gradual deterioration. The Ombudsman says the insurer has to prove that kind of exclusion applies, for example with an inspection report, so ask for that report in writing. A roof that was not perfect does not automatically mean the storm did not cause the damage, although the Ombudsman is unlikely to side with you if you already knew the roof was in poor condition.

Make a formal complaint to the insurer first. If you have not had a final response after eight weeks, or you disagree with it, you can take it to the Ombudsman for free.

How to make your roof less likely to fail next time

• Look at the roof from the ground after any strong wind, heavy rain or snow, and get slipped or cracked tiles fixed before the next storm lifts more.
• Keep gutters and downpipes clear, especially after the leaves have fallen.
• Trim overhanging branches, if it is safe to do so, or ask the owner of a neighbouring tree.
• Tie down or bring in bins, trampolines and garden furniture when a storm is forecast.
• Keep receipts and photos of roof maintenance. If you ever need to claim, they help show the roof was looked after.

Find a local roofer

If your roof needs repairing, post your job free and hear back from a local roofer. Say what was damaged and when, add a photo from the ground, and mention if it is an insurance job so the roofer can give you an itemised quote. You pay the roofer directly, and there is nothing to pay online.

Or browse local businesses: roofers in Birmingham, roofers in Wolverhampton, roofers in Coventry, roofers in Walsall, roofers in Dudley or roofers in Solihull. If water has got into the house, see what counts as a plumbing emergency, or browse all our home advice.