A Storm-Damaged Roof: What to Do First and Who to Call

When a storm lifts slates or cracks tiles, the first steps are to stay off the roof, make the inside of the house safe, photograph the damage from the ground and from the rooms below, and tell the insurer before anyone starts a repair. A quote for the work comes after those records exist. This order protects the owner on a wet Atlantic coast such as north Mayo, where autumn and winter gales are part of the calendar, and it works just as well for a house elsewhere in Europe.

What should you do first when a storm damages the roof?

Keep your feet on the ground. A wet roof in wind is dangerous, and a loose slate can slide with the weight of a person. Look from the garden, the pavement or an upstairs window, and use the zoom on a phone camera for the ridge, the valleys and the lead or zinc around chimneys. Inside, check the ceilings, the attic hatch and the corners of the top floor for dark patches or drips, and move furniture and papers away from any leak. A bucket and a towel are enough for the first night.

Take pictures of everything, including damage that looks minor. Wide shots show where the house stands and which side faced the wind. Close shots show the broken tile, the displaced ridge piece or the bent gutter. Pictures of fallen slates in the garden are worth taking before anyone tidies them away, because they show how much came off. Date and time are stored with each picture, and that is useful when the insurer asks when the storm happened.

How does home insurance treat storm damage to a roof?

It depends on the cause and on the policy wording. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) explains that damage from flooding, storm and subsidence is usually covered under a buildings policy, with some restrictions. The same page says that wear and tear to the structure, for example roof damage, is not usually covered. A tile that fell because the roof was old and tired is a different case from a tile that a named storm threw into the garden, and the insurer may want evidence of which one it was.

That is why the pictures and the date matter. Write a short note of the weather on the day, including the wind and any warning issued by the national forecaster, and keep it with the pictures. Call the insurer promptly, ask what it needs, and ask whether it wants to send its own assessor before work starts. Many policies expect the owner to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, such as a temporary cover, and to keep receipts for that cost.

What does a roofer need to see before giving a quote?

A roofer needs the same material the insurer does: photographs of the whole roof, close views of the damage, and pictures from inside if water has come through. A good quote lists the work line by line, for example stripping and replacing slates or tiles, repairing the ridge, replacing flashings and cleaning up debris, so that the owner and the insurer can see what each item covers. Asking two firms for a written quote is normal, and the second quote gives a reference point for the first.

The cause of a leak is not always where the stain shows. Water can run along a rafter and appear in a ceiling some distance from the broken tile. A failed flashing at a chimney, a blocked valley or an overflowing gutter can mimic a storm hole. Pictures from inside help the roofer trace the path, and a visit to the roof space by the roofer comes after the photographs, not before them.

What if the house with the damaged roof is in France?

Some Irish owners keep a second home in the French countryside and learn of a storm by phone. The same order applies: pictures from a neighbour, a call to the insurer, and a quote.

In the Allier, around Montluçon, Toitures du Val de Cher takes requests for hail and storm damage, asks for three to five views taken from the garden or the pavement without climbing on the roof, calls the owner back, and visits the roof before pricing the work.

The firm lists slate, clay tile and zinc among its materials, and its quote is free. It states plainly that it does not do emergency repairs, since its jobs are prepared in advance, so a leaking roof needs a temporary cover first and a roofer afterwards. For an owner abroad, a written quote with photographs of each stage also gives the insurer a document to read without a visit.

Which materials suit a house in a wet climate?

Slate and clay tile both last a long time on a well built roof, and zinc suits small areas, valleys and flashings. The choice usually follows the look of the street and the pitch of the roof, not a preference for one product. On a steep roof, slate is common; on a lower pitch, tiles with a good overlap shed water better. Fixings matter as much as the covering, since many storm losses begin with a single loose slate that lets the wind get underneath its neighbours.

Check gutters and downpipes twice a year, clear moss from the lower courses before the winter, and look at the ridge line from the road after every strong gale. These checks cost little and catch the early signs: a slipped slate, a cracked tile, a gutter that has pulled away. Small repairs made early are cheaper than patching a ceiling after the next storm.

What should you keep once the roof is mended?

Keep the quote, the invoice, the insurer's reference, the before and after pictures and the name of the firm. If a guarantee is offered on the work, ask for it in writing. A roof is rarely examined until something goes wrong, and the file you build now will be the first thing the next owner or the next insurer asks to see.

The sequence is the same wherever the house stands: safety first, pictures second, insurer third, written quote fourth, repair fifth. Following it turns a stressful night into a manageable job.