Roof Storm Damage
FAQs

Your safety comes first. Do not attempt to access or inspect your roof yourself, especially during or immediately after a storm — tiles, slates, and ridge sections can be loose and unstable, and conditions underfoot are unpredictable.

Inside your property, take these steps straight away:

• Place buckets or containers under any active drips and protect the floor with towels
• If water has pooled in the ceiling and is bulging, carefully puncture the lowest point to let it drain in a controlled way — this prevents a sudden ceiling collapse
• Move furniture, electrical appliances, and valuables out of the affected area
• Switch off electricity in any rooms where water is entering near wiring or light fittings
• Photograph and video all visible damage — both inside and outside from ground level

Then contact your home insurer to report the damage, and call us on the number above to arrange an emergency attendance.

Storm damage is not always obvious from the ground. High winds, heavy rain, and hail can cause damage that only becomes visible when the next significant rainfall arrives. Signs to look out for from ground level and inside your property include:

• Tiles or slates that appear shifted, lifted, or slightly out of alignment compared to neighbouring ones
• Ridge tiles that look displaced or have visible gaps in the mortar
• Flashings around chimneys, dormers, or flat roof upstands that appear lifted or bent
• Debris from your roof — fragments of tile, mortar, or lead — in your gutters or on the ground
• New or worsened damp patches, water stains, or mould appearing on ceilings or loft timbers after the storm
• Daylight visible when inspecting the loft space in the days following the storm

If you have any suspicion that your roof may have been affected, don’t wait for a leak to confirm it. Call us to arrange a professional inspection — catching damage early is always less costly than waiting.

Yes — and this is often the right course of action, particularly where insurance is involved. We can attend quickly to carry out a temporary make-safe, which typically involves:

• Applying heavy-duty waterproof sheeting or temporary roofing membrane over the affected area
• Replacing or re-securing critically dislodged tiles or slates to prevent further movement
• Temporarily reseating or fixing down displaced ridge or hip tiles
• Making safe any sections of flashing that have lifted or come away

The temporary repair prevents further water ingress and additional damage while we complete our full inspection, provide a detailed report for your insurer, and arrange for the permanent repair or replacement works to proceed.

Most standard home buildings insurance policies include cover for storm damage. However, there are important distinctions and exclusions to be aware of:

• Storm damage is typically covered: damage caused by exceptional wind, heavy rain, hail, snow, or lightning — particularly where the event was widespread and severe
• Wear and tear is not covered: if your insurer’s loss adjuster determines that the damage was caused or made worse by pre-existing deterioration or neglect, they may reduce or reject your claim
• Gradual damage is not covered: a slow-developing leak not attributable to a specific storm event will usually not be covered

We recommend reading your policy carefully and contacting your insurer’s claims line promptly after the damage occurs — most policies require you to notify them within a specific timeframe.

To support a roof storm damage claim effectively, you will typically need:

• Photographs and video of the damage — both internal and external, taken as soon as possible after the event
• The date and approximate time the storm occurred
• A professional written inspection report detailing the nature and extent of the damage
• A detailed, itemised repair or replacement quotation from a qualified roofing contractor
• Evidence of the storm event itself — weather service data, local authority warnings, or news coverage of the weather event in your area

We can provide the professional inspection report and quotation as part of our standard service. For weather data, the Met Office storm history and your local council’s records can also be useful supporting evidence.

A loss adjuster is a professional appointed by your insurer to investigate your claim independently and assess the extent of the damage. Their role is to verify that the damage falls within your policy cover, determine the value of the loss, and recommend a settlement amount to your insurer.

When a loss adjuster visits your property, they will typically:

• Inspect the damaged roof area and any related internal damage
• Review any photographic evidence and professional reports you have
• Assess whether the damage is consistent with storm damage rather than wear and tear
• Agree (or query) the scope of repair works required

Having a professional inspection report and quotation from BAR Roofings ready for the loss adjuster’s visit makes the process considerably smoother and reduces the likelihood of queries or delays to your claim.

In most cases, you have the right to choose your own contractor. While your insurer may offer a managed repair service using their own approved contractors, you are generally entitled to obtain your own quotes and use a contractor of your choice — subject to the insurer agreeing the scope and cost of the works.

Many homeowners prefer to use a local, trusted contractor they can speak to directly, rather than an insurer-appointed firm where communication can be slower and you have less control over who attends your property.

Check your policy wording, as some policies do require you to use their approved network in order to benefit from their guarantee on the repair. If your policy allows free choice of contractor, we’re happy to work with your insurer directly to agree the scope and cost of works.

If your claim has been rejected and you believe this decision is incorrect, you have several options:

• Request a detailed explanation in writing from your insurer, setting out the specific grounds for rejection
• Use your insurer’s complaints procedure — all UK insurers are required to have a formal complaints process
• Obtain an independent professional report — if the rejection is based on a disputed assessment of the damage, a detailed written report from a qualified roofing contractor can be used to challenge the insurer’s findings
• Contact the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) — if you’ve exhausted your insurer’s complaints process, the FOS can investigate for free and has the power to overturn insurer decisions

We can provide a detailed written assessment of the damage and its cause to support any appeal you make. Contact our team to discuss what’s needed.

We handle the full range of storm-related roofing damage for both residential and commercial properties, including:

• Missing, broken, cracked, or displaced tiles and slates
• Displaced or damaged ridge, hip, and verge tiles
• Storm-damaged or missing lead flashings around chimneys, dormers, and skylights
• Flat roof membranes lifted, torn, or punctured by wind or debris
• Damaged or dislodged chimney stacks and pots
• Fascias, soffits, and guttering damaged by fallen branches or wind uplift
• Structural damage to roof timbers caused by falling trees or debris
• Water-damaged roof decks and sarking boards

After our initial inspection, we’ll provide a full written assessment of all damage found and a clear quotation covering all necessary works.

Timescales depend on the nature and extent of the damage and whether the work is subject to an insurance claim:

• Emergency make-safe: we aim to attend the same day or within 24 hours
• Minor tile or flashing repairs: typically completed within half a day to one day once arranged
• More significant storm damage repairs: typically 1–5 days depending on scope
• Insurance-managed repairs: the timeline is partly dependent on your insurer’s approval process, but we work to progress this as quickly as possible

We always prioritise getting your property weathertight as quickly as possible, with permanent repairs scheduled at the earliest opportunity.

This is a common point of dispute between homeowners and insurers. As a general principle, your insurer is required to return your property to the condition it was in immediately before the storm — they are not required to upgrade or improve it beyond that, but equally cannot reasonably leave you with a roof in a worse condition than before.

In practice, if storm damage to an older roof makes a repair uneconomical or impractical (for example, if matching tiles are no longer available, or damage is so widespread that spot repairs leave the remaining roof compromised), there is a reasonable case for a partial or full replacement — funded in whole or in part by your insurer.

Our inspection report and quotation will clearly set out the scope of damage, the repair options available, and our professional recommendation. This gives you the clearest possible basis for discussions with your insurer or loss adjuster.

After every significant storm, rogue traders — sometimes called “storm chasers” — move into affected areas, knocking on doors and claiming to have spotted damage on your roof. This is one of the most common consumer scams in the UK, and the roofing industry is particularly targeted.

Protect yourself by looking out for these warning signs:

• An unsolicited knock at the door from someone claiming they’ve spotted damage from the road
• Pressure to sign paperwork or pay a deposit immediately “to secure a slot”
• Offers to deal with your insurer on your behalf, or to make the claim for you
• Vague or unwritten quotations, or refusal to provide a written contract
• No fixed business address, limited online presence, or inability to provide insurance certificates
• Requests for full or substantial payment upfront in cash

Before instructing any roofing contractor, carry out the following checks:

• Verify their business exists: check Companies House or look for a verifiable trading address, not just a mobile number
• Check their insurance: ask for copies of their public liability and employers’ liability certificates — any legitimate contractor will provide these without hesitation
• Read reviews: check Google, Checkatrade, or Trustpilot for independently verified reviews with responses to problems as well as praise
• Get a written quotation: insist on a detailed, itemised written quote before agreeing to any work
• Ask about their guarantee: a reputable contractor will offer a written workmanship guarantee
• Don’t pay upfront: a small deposit on larger jobs is normal; paying the full amount before work is complete is not

BAR Roofings is happy to provide all of the above before you commit to any work. We welcome questions — a trustworthy contractor always will.

Yes. We carry full public liability insurance, employers’ liability insurance, and contractors’ all-risk cover. Copies of our insurance certificates are available on request — please ask before instructing any roofing contractor, including us.

We have been trading in the Midlands for over 25 years and have an established, verifiable track record. We don’t knock on doors after storms. We rely on our reputation and the recommendations of homeowners and property managers who have trusted us with their properties over many years.

While no roof is entirely storm-proof, a well-maintained roof in good condition will always perform significantly better in severe weather than a neglected one. The following measures make a real difference:

• Regular professional inspection: an annual or bi-annual inspection allows issues like loose ridge tiles, deteriorating mortar, and lifted flashings to be caught and fixed before they become storm vulnerabilities
• Keep gutters and drainage clear: blocked gutters cause water to back up and force its way under the roof covering — clear them at least twice a year
• Address minor repairs promptly: a single loose tile left for months can be dislodged by the first significant wind, causing damage to neighbouring tiles and exposing the felt below
• Re-bed or re-point ridge and hip tiles: mortar deteriorates over time and is one of the most common causes of tiles being dislodged in storms
• Check flashings regularly: lead and mortar flashings around chimneys and abutments are common weak points and benefit from periodic inspection

We recommend a professional roof inspection at least once a year for most residential properties — ideally in autumn before the worst of the winter weather arrives. For older roofs (over 30 years), flat roofs, and properties with chimneys or complex detailing, twice yearly is preferable.

In addition to scheduled inspections, we recommend having a check carried out after any named storm or period of unusually severe weather, even if no damage is visible internally. Catching a dislodged tile or section of pointing before rain arrives can save a significant amount of money.

BAR Roofings offers post-storm inspection as part of our service — contact us after any severe weather and we can arrange a prompt assessment.