How do you claim for storm damage on your roof?

To claim for storm damage on your roof, make the house safe, photograph the damage, and tell your insurer as soon as you reasonably can, usually through its 24 hour claims line. Arrange nothing beyond an emergency repair to keep the water out until you have spoken to them, keep every receipt, and get a written explanation from a roofer of what the storm actually did. Your insurer then decides the claim, and in practice it comes down to three questions. Was there a storm, does the damage look like storm damage, and was the storm the main cause?

That last question is where most roof claims are won or lost. Insurance pays for sudden damage, not for a roof that was already wearing out, and a storm has a habit of finding the weak spot that age created. So a strong claim depends less on how wild the weather was and more on showing that your roof was sound beforehand and that the wind or rain did the harm. The steps below follow the order that keeps a claim on track, whether your home is on the coast at Worthing or inland near Horsham.

Make it safe first

Do not go up a ladder or onto the roof to look. Storm damage often leaves tiles and slates loose and ready to fall, and a wet roof is dangerous even for people who work on them every day. Look from the ground, and from inside the loft if you can get into it safely.

If tiles, slates or a chimney pot have come down near a path, a drive or a neighbour's garden, keep people away from that area. If water is coming through a ceiling near a light fitting, switch off the power to that part of the house at the consumer unit if you can do so safely, and keep clear of any ceiling that is bulging, because it can be holding a surprising amount of water.

Photograph the damage before anything is moved

The evidence you gather on the day is the best you will ever have. Take photos and video of the roof from the ground, zooming in where you can, then of any debris in the garden, the inside of the loft, and every stained or damaged ceiling and wall. Photograph broken tiles before you clear them away, and keep a few of the pieces.

Write down the date and roughly when you first noticed the damage. If the Met Office had a weather warning in force for your area, save a screenshot of it. The Association of British Insurers advises taking photos or video and keeping an itemised invoice for any emergency work, because both become part of your claim.

Tell your insurer as soon as you reasonably can

Policies ask you to report damage as soon as is reasonably possible, and most insurers run a 24 hour emergency line. Ring it or use the online claim form, get a claim reference, and ask three things. Will they send their own surveyor or loss adjuster? Do they want you to arrange your own quotes? And what can you do straight away to stop the damage getting worse? Note the name of whoever you speak to and what they tell you.

While you have your policy open, check whether it includes home emergency cover and what that covers for a damaged roof. It is also worth knowing which part of the policy you are claiming on. Buildings insurance covers the roof and the structure of the house. Furniture, carpets and belongings come under contents insurance, so if rain has soaked anything inside, that part of the claim needs contents cover.

Stop the water getting in

A small gap left open for a week of wet weather lets water into the battens, the insulation and the ceiling below, which turns a few tiles into a much bigger job. That is the reason minor roof damage is worth dealing with quickly. The ABI's advice is to carry out emergency repairs to prevent further damage only where it is safe to do so, and to speak to your insurer first.

A temporary repair might mean refixing or replacing a handful of lost tiles, securing a weighted tarpaulin over a damaged section, or dressing a lifted flashing back into place. It should be done by a roofer working safely, not from a ladder on a windy afternoon. Ask whoever does it for before and after photos and an itemised invoice. Then expect the permanent roof repairs to wait until your insurer has agreed the claim, unless they tell you otherwise.

The three questions that decide most storm claims

When a storm claim has been refused and the customer complains, the Financial Ombudsman Service asks three questions. Insurers know this, so their own decisions tend to follow the same line.

• Was there a storm on the date the damage happened?
• Is the damage consistent with what is generally seen as storm damage?
• Were storm conditions the main cause, or would the damage have happened anyway?

A claim that gets a clear yes to all three is in a strong position.

Was there a storm?

A storm does not have to have a name. The ombudsman describes a storm as usually involving violent winds, usually with rain, hail or snow, and says heavy rain, hail or snow falling in a short period can count on its own. Some policies only treat winds above a set point on the Beaufort scale as storm force, so read the definition in your own wording. Weather records for your area on the day carry real weight, which is why that screenshot of a warning is worth having.

Does it look like storm damage?

Storm damage tends to look like what it is. Tiles or slates lifted and blown off, ridge tiles knocked out of line, a chimney pot down, flashing peeled back, or a branch through the covering. These are the classic ways storms damage roofs, and each of them is easy to photograph from the ground.

Was the storm the main cause?

This is where claims fall down. If the mortar along the ridge had been crumbling for years, or slates had been slipping because their nails had rusted through, an insurer will argue the storm only exposed a fault that was already there. The ombudsman says it is unlikely to uphold a complaint where the roof was already in a bad condition and the owner knew, or where the storm simply highlighted an existing problem. Failing ridge pointing is one of the commonest examples.

The other side of this is worth knowing. If an insurer turns a claim down by relying on an exclusion such as wear and tear or gradual damage, the ombudsman says it is for the insurer to prove the exclusion applies, for example with an inspection report. A refusal should come with reasons you can see, not just a line in a letter. The same line between sudden damage and wear decides whether roof repairs are covered by home insurance at all.

What a roofer's report should tell your insurer

A quote that is one line and a price does very little for a claim. Ask for something in writing, with photos taken on the roof, that reads more like a proper roof survey and sets out what is damaged, what caused it in the roofer's view, the general condition of the rest of the roof, and what the repair involves. If the rest of the roof is in good order, that is worth having in writing, because it answers the third question before the insurer asks it. If it is not, you are better off hearing that now than after a loss adjuster's visit.

The ABI suggests getting estimates from local trades while you wait for the insurer's assessment, because insurers are stretched after a big storm. Your insurer may still prefer to use its own contractor, so ask before you commit to anyone, and be cautious of a price far below the others, because a cheap roofing quote can be a red flag.

Older paperwork helps as well. An invoice for repointing a few years ago, or a recent inspection report, is evidence that the roof was looked after. It is one reason a regular roof inspection pays for itself, and why a damaged roof can affect your home insurance long before anything blows off.

When a claim is not worth making

Check your excess before you claim. If a storm has cost you two or three tiles and the repair comes in under or close to the excess, the claim gains you nothing, and paying for the repair yourself is simpler.

Fences, hedges and gates are another common surprise. The ABI says storm damage to them is generally not covered, so check your wording before assuming a fallen fence panel belongs in the same claim as the roof.

And if the roof was already near the end of its life, one storm will not buy you a new one. The sensible conversation is about putting right what the storm did now and planning the rest. Knowing how long a roof lasts in the UK helps you judge whether it is better to repair or replace when the time comes.

Be wary of doorstep roofers after a storm

Bad weather brings out cold callers who say they have spotted loose tiles while working nearby. Citizens Advice reported in October 2026 that roofing scams were the scam most often reported to its consumer service over the past year, and that doorstep sales tactics were used in 77% of suspected roofing scams. Its advice is to be wary of anyone offering unsolicited work, to get everything in writing, and to steer clear of traders who want everything paid upfront or in cash. If a trader approaches you at home, you have 14 days to cancel.

West Sussex Trading Standards puts it more simply. If a caller offers to do work on your property, say no thanks and shut the door. If you want help finding a trader, its Buy With Confidence scheme lists businesses it has vetted, and the usual checks for choosing a roofer apply after a storm just as much as before one.

If your claim is turned down

Ask the insurer to explain the decision in writing and to share the surveyor's or loss adjuster's findings it relied on. If you disagree, make a formal complaint and send your own photos and your roofer's report with it.

The insurer usually has up to eight weeks to send a final response. If you are still unhappy, or eight weeks pass without one, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The service is free, and you need to bring the complaint within six months of the date on the insurer's final response.

Getting your roof checked after a storm

A storm claim comes down to evidence. Photos on the day, an early call to your insurer, an emergency repair with a proper invoice, and a roofer's account of what the wind did and what condition the rest of the roof was in. Together they answer the three questions every insurer and the ombudsman will ask.

If the weather has damaged your roof anywhere in the areas we cover across West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey, contact us and we can inspect the damage and carry out the repair. Rated Roofers has over 25 years in the roofing industry and runs a 24 hour emergency call out for jobs like this one, and you can also ask for a free quote.