How do I check my house for storm damage after a storm?
Almost every kind of storm damage can be spotted from ground level with binoculars. Finding it early, and photographing it before touching anything, is what keeps a small repair small and a claim payable.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 45 min
- Read
- 6 min
- Safety
- warning
Short answer
Walk round the outside with binoculars the morning after. Look for slipped or missing tiles, a wavy ridge, a leaning chimney, lifted flashing, gutters pulled off the fascia, new wet patches on walls, and tiles or debris on the lawn — debris on the ground means something came off the roof even if you cannot see the gap. Photograph everything, dated, before you tidy up.
Storm damage claims fail for two reasons more than any other: no evidence that the damage was sudden, and evidence that the building was already in poor condition. Insurers exclude gradual deterioration and lack of maintenance everywhere, so the record you make in the first day after a storm — and the maintenance record from before it — is what decides whether a roof repair is paid or refused. None of the checking requires a ladder.
Safety
What you'll need
- Binoculars
- A phone or camera with the date set correctly
- A torch for the loft
- Gloves and stout boots for clearing debris
- The insurer's claims number
Step by step
- Wait until the wind has actually dropped.Tiles keep coming off during the tail of a storm and a partly detached one falls without warning. The inspection is the morning after, not during.
- Look at the ground first.Tiles, slates, ridge mortar, felt, lead and pieces of fascia on the lawn or the drive tell you something has come off even when you cannot see the gap from where you are standing. Photograph them where they lie.
- Scan the roof with binoculars, slope by slope.Slipped, cracked or missing tiles and slates, a ridge line that has gone wavy, gaps where mortar has fallen out of the ridge or hips, and any tile sitting proud of its neighbours.
- Check the chimney and the flashing.A stack that is leaning or that has open joints, a cracked or missing pot, and lead flashing lifted or rolled back at the roof junction. A leaning stack is a keep-everyone-away situation until a builder has seen it.
- Follow the gutters and downpipes round.Gutters pulled away from the fascia, sagging between brackets, joints pulled apart, downpipes hanging loose or detached at the shoe, and debris jammed in the outlets.
- Look at the walls for wet patches that were not there before.Especially on the windward side and around windows. Cracked render, dislodged pointing and a new damp patch after a storm are usually wind-driven rain finding a defect.
- Go into the loft with a torch.Daylight where there should not be any, wet timber, wet insulation, and water tracking along a rafter. It is the fastest way to confirm a roof breach and the safest place to look for one.
- Check the outbuildings, fences and gates.Shed roof felt lifted, a shed moved on its base, fence posts rocking in the ground, gate hinges pulled, greenhouse panes gone, and anything that is now leaning against something else.
- Check the trees.Hanging branches, a fresh lean, lifted soil or a cracked root plate on the windward side, and split forks. Anything overhanging a building, a path or a road is a tree surgeon's job and an urgent one.
- Photograph everything, dated, before you touch anything.Wide shots showing the whole elevation and close-ups of each defect. Include the debris on the ground. Insurers routinely ask for evidence that the damage is storm damage rather than long-standing.
- Make it safe temporarily, and keep the receipts.A tarpaulin fixed by a roofer, boarding a broken window, putting buckets under a drip. Most policies require you to prevent further damage and will pay for reasonable emergency work — but you are not the person going on the roof.
- Report it to the insurer promptly.Same day or next day. Ask what they need, whether they will send a surveyor, and whether you should get quotes. Delay is one of the standard reasons a storm claim is reduced.
Tips
- Insurers generally define a storm by wind speed — often gusts above around 55mph — or by exceptional rain, hail or snow. You can check the recorded conditions for your area and date, and it is worth quoting them in a claim.
- Gradual damage is excluded everywhere. If a roof was already in poor condition, the storm claim on it fails, which is why an annual look round with binoculars and a photograph or two is worth doing whether or not there has been a storm.
- Fences, gates and garden structures are excluded or heavily limited on most policies. Check yours before assuming a blown-down fence is claimable.
- Take a set of reference photographs of the roof and the elevations on a clear day now. A before-and-after pair settles most arguments about whether damage is new.
- Beware of anyone knocking at the door offering roof repairs after a storm. Use a roofer you find yourself, ask for a written quote, and never pay in advance.
Common mistakes
- Going up a ladder or onto the roof to look — Wet or damaged tiles give way, gutters are loaded, and the wind is often still gusting. Everything on this list is visible from the ground with binoculars.
- Clearing up before photographing — Debris on the ground is the evidence that something came off. Once it is in the bin, the claim becomes a matter of opinion.
- Assuming no interior leak means no roof damage — A single displaced tile lets water into the felt and the timber for months before it shows on a ceiling. By then the repair is the roof structure rather than one tile.
- Accepting a cold-call roofer's price on the day — Post-storm doorstep trading is a well-documented pattern. Get a written quote from a firm you have found yourself and check them independently.
If it doesn't work
One tile visibly out of place, no leak yet
Cause: Wind lift on a nail-less or slipped tile — Fix: Get a roofer to refit it. It is a small job now and a rotten batten and wet insulation in a year. Photograph it and tell the insurer if there are several.
Water dripping from a ceiling after the storm
Cause: Roof breach, blocked gutter overflowing back into the eaves, or a lifted flashing — Fix: Put a bucket under it, move furniture, and pierce a bulging ceiling with a screwdriver to release the water in one controlled spot. Then check the loft with a torch to find where it is coming in.
Fence panels down and posts loose
Cause: Rotten post at ground level, exposed by the wind — Fix: Refit or replace with the post as the priority — panels are rarely the failure. Check your policy before assuming it is covered, as many exclude fences from storm cover.
Chimney stack leaning or a pot missing
Cause: Failed mortar joints and wind load — Fix: Keep everyone away from below it, rope the area off, and get a builder or roofer to inspect urgently. Do not wait for the next storm.
Questions people ask
What counts as a storm for insurance purposes?
Most policies define it by wind speed — typically gusts of around 55mph or more — or by torrential rain, large hail or heavy snow. If the recorded conditions in your area were below the threshold, the insurer may argue the damage was pre-existing, so check the local records for the date.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Policies require notification as soon as reasonably possible, and delay is a common reason for reduced settlement. Report it within a day or two even if you have not yet established the full extent.
Should I get the repair done before claiming?
Only emergency work to prevent further damage, and keep the receipts and photographs. Full repairs commissioned before the insurer has assessed the damage are often not reimbursed at the price you paid.