Tiles coming off is the most common storm damage there is, and the first hour matters more for what you do NOT do than for what you do. Almost every serious injury connected with storm damage happens to a homeowner rather than to a roofer.
The instinct is to deal with the roof. The right action is to deal with what is underneath it.
A roof that has lost one tile has usually lost the restraint around several more, and material that is loose in a wind will come down at some point in the next few hours. A tile falling two storeys carries enough energy to cause a serious injury, and a slate arrives edge-on.
If material is falling onto a public footway or a road, or onto a neighbour's property, treat that as urgent. Tell us when you call so we can prioritise accordingly, and if there is an immediate risk to the public, contact your local authority as well.
This is worth stating plainly because it is the point at which people get hurt. Do not climb onto the roof. Do not put a ladder against the gutter to look. Do not send a relative up, and do not accept an offer from somebody who has knocked at the door with a ladder on the van.
A roof that has lost material is unstable in a way that is not visible: the tiles around the gap are no longer restrained, the battens beneath may be broken, and the surface is wet. Add wind and it is one of the more dangerous places a person can stand.
Nothing you could achieve up there in a storm is worth it. Nailing a tile back in a gale does not hold, a tarpaulin fitted by somebody untrained usually becomes a sail, and both put you on a wet roof in the dark.
If water is coming into the property, the priority moves inside. The roof will have to wait until conditions allow; the damage inside can be limited now.
People are sometimes told to pierce a bulging ceiling to release the water. We would not advise doing that yourself. It works, but it goes wrong easily and you are standing directly underneath something heavy.
Ten minutes with a phone, from the ground, is worth a great deal later — to an insurer, and to us before we arrive.
Keep what came off. Put it somewhere safe and out of the way rather than in the bin. On an older roof the original material is often worth relaying, matching a discontinued tile is easier with one in hand, and an insurer may want to see it.
When you ring, the information that helps us most is not technical.
That last one changes what we bring. So does access: a rear roof in a terraced street is a different job from a detached house with a drive, and knowing in advance saves a wasted visit.
After a named storm a great many people call at once, and any roofing company that promises everybody a same-day visit is promising something it cannot deliver. What should happen is that you get an honest answer about when.
Work is prioritised by risk rather than by who called first: material that could fall on someone, and water actively entering a property, come before a missing tile on a sound roof. If you are further down that list, you should be told so rather than left waiting for a van that is not coming.
It is also worth knowing that the first visit may not be the repair. In poor weather the sensible sequence is often to make the situation safe, then return to do the job properly when the roof is dry enough to work on. That is not being fobbed off; it is how a repair gets done once rather than twice.
Bad weather brings people into an area who were not there the week before and will not be there the week after. Not all of them are dishonest, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
What we would say is this: before anybody goes onto your roof, you should be able to establish where their company is registered, where it works from, and how you would contact it in six months. Ask. A genuine firm will not mind, and will not need you to decide in the next ten minutes.
No. In wind a tarpaulin fitted by somebody untrained becomes a sail and can make things considerably worse, and fitting it means being on a wet, unstable roof. Leave it.
Yes, somewhere safe. On an older roof the original material is often worth relaying, matching a discontinued tile is much easier with one in hand, and an insurer may want to see it.
Turn the electricity off to that circuit at the consumer unit if you can do so safely, keep out of the room, and tell us when you call. Do not operate the switch.
It depends how many properties are affected on the day, which after a named storm can be a great many. We prioritise by risk — falling material and active water ingress first — and we will give you an honest answer rather than a convenient one.
Storm damage in South Wales? T & T Roofing South Wales will assess the roof, explain what needs repairing and give you a free, no-obligation quotation. Storm Damage Roof Repairs South Wales has the full detail, or call us on 07766 547309.
Tell us what the weather has done and what you can see from the ground. We will come back to you — usually the same day.
If water is coming in now, please call rather than email — 07766 547309.
