Contain the water, isolate electrics near it, and photograph everything before anything is touched. Then call for a make-safe visit rather than a permanent repair — roofing done properly needs dry conditions and safe access. The objective overnight is stopping the property getting worse, not finishing the job.
- Make-safe and permanent repair are two visits. Expecting one is how bad work happens.
- A bulging ceiling should be drained deliberately with a small hole, not left to collapse.
- There are conditions in which nobody should be on a roof, and a contractor saying so is right.
- Photograph before you touch anything — it is what an insurer asks for.
What actually counts as an emergency
Worth being clear, because emergency rates exist for a reason and paying them unnecessarily is avoidable.
| Situation | Emergency? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Water entering the property now | Yes | Damage accumulates with every hour |
| Tiles or ridge displaced and able to fall | Yes | Danger to people below |
| Storm damage leaving the roof open | Yes | Exposure to the next band of weather |
| Ceiling bulging with trapped water | Yes | Risk of collapse |
| A slipped tile, no water entering | No | Book as routine; it will keep |
| Staining on a ceiling from an old leak | No | Already happened; plan the repair |
| Gutter overflowing | Usually no | Unless it is flooding into the building |
| Moss, or a tile needing replacing | No | Routine maintenance |
Booking routine work as an emergency costs more and takes a slot from someone who needs it. Describing the situation honestly on the phone lets us tell you which it is.
The first thirty minutes
- Keep people away from the area, inside and out. Displaced material can fall long after the wind drops.
- Isolate electrics near the water. If it is anywhere close to lighting or sockets, switch that circuit off at the consumer unit.
- Contain the water. Buckets, towels, and move what matters. Plastic sheeting over furniture that cannot be moved.
- Drain a bulging ceiling deliberately. A small hole drilled at the lowest point of the bulge, with a bucket underneath, lets it empty in a controlled way. A ceiling that collapses takes the whole thing down, plus whatever is beneath it.
- Photograph everything before you tidy or move anything — wide shots and close-ups, inside and out.
- Check the loft with a torch if you can do so safely, and note where water is actually coming in. This is the single most useful thing you can tell the roofer.
- Do not go onto the roof. Not in the weather, not afterwards while it is wet, not up a ladder in wind.
What a make-safe visit does
Emergency roofing has one objective: stop the property getting worse. That is a different job from repairing the roof, and conflating them produces poor work.
In practice a make-safe might involve removing or securing anything loose that could fall, sheeting over an opening, clearing a blocked valley or outlet that is causing water to back up, and temporarily sealing where that can be done safely.
It is deliberately provisional. Permanent roofing needs dry conditions, proper access, materials matched to the existing covering, and time — none of which are available at nine in the evening in a gale. Work done in those conditions generally needs doing again.
So expect two visits. The sequence that produces a good outcome is make safe now, inspect properly once conditions allow, then quote and carry out the permanent repair.
Why we sometimes say no, tonight
There are conditions in which nobody should be on a roof. Sustained high wind, lightning, ice, and darkness combined with any of those.
A contractor who declines to go up in a fifty-mile-an-hour gust is exercising judgement, not avoiding work. Roofing has one of the worst fatality records of any trade, and almost all of it is falls.
What can usually still be done in those conditions: advice over the phone on containing the damage, attending to assess from the ground and from inside, and arranging to be first on site when it is safe. That is often more useful than it sounds, because most of the overnight damage is water inside the property rather than further damage to the roof.
If someone is willing to climb onto a wet roof in a storm for you, consider what that tells you about how they will approach the rest of the work.
Insurance: what to do while it is happening
- Photograph before touching anything. This is the step people skip and regret.
- Note the date, time and conditions. Insurers commonly check recorded wind speeds for the location against the date claimed.
- Keep receipts for emergency work. Make-safe costs are often recoverable within a valid claim.
- Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Policies require it, and failing to can reduce a settlement.
- Do not have the permanent repair done before the insurer has had the chance to assess, unless it is genuinely urgent — and if it is, document why.
- Get an itemised written quote, not a single figure. Insurers want scope.
Sudden storm damage is generally covered; wear, weathering and perished mortar generally are not. The evidence you gather in the first hour is what decides which side of that line a claim falls.
A note on doorstep offers after storms
Severe weather reliably brings unsolicited callers offering immediate roof work. Some are legitimate; the pattern is well established enough to be worth guarding against.
The sequence is consistent: someone appears unprompted, offers to go up and look, reports significant damage, and wants a decision and a deposit today. Occasionally the damage was created during the inspection.
Simple protections, even when you are stressed and the ceiling is dripping: do not agree to work on the doorstep, do not pay a large deposit to someone who arrived unannounced, ask for a written quote and an address, and photograph the vehicle and registration.
If your roof genuinely needs urgent attention, call someone you chose rather than someone who chose you.
What it costs
These are the roofing figures published across this site:
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Minor roof repair | from £150–£400 | Slipped or broken tiles, usually one day |
| Chimney repointing / flashing | £300–£900 | Access dependent |
| Full re-roof (typical semi) | £5,000–£9,000 | Strip, membrane, batten, re-tile |
| Larger / detached re-roof | £9,000–£12,000+ | Scaffolding included |
Make-safe work is charged separately from the permanent repair because they are different visits with different objectives. Where there is a valid claim, make-safe costs are often recoverable — keep the receipts.
Call and describe it. We will tell you what to do in the next ten minutes and when we can safely get to you.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my roof is leaking right now?
Contain the water, move or cover what matters, and isolate any electrics near it at the consumer unit. If a ceiling is bulging, drill a small hole at the lowest point to drain it deliberately — far better than a collapse. Photograph everything before tidying, then call. Do not go onto the roof.
Can a roof be repaired in the rain?
It can be made safe — sheeting, securing loose material, clearing a blocked outlet. A permanent repair needs dry conditions, safe access and matched materials, so it follows once the weather allows. Anyone promising a permanent fix in the middle of a storm is promising work that will need doing again.
Will you come out at night?
For genuine emergencies, yes, within what is safe. There are conditions — sustained high wind, lightning, ice — in which nobody should be on a roof, and in those we will advise on containing the damage, attend to assess from inside and the ground, and be there first when it is safe.
How much does an emergency call-out cost?
Make-safe work is charged separately from the permanent repair, reflecting short-notice attendance and arriving equipped without knowing what will be found. Our published roofing guide figures are above. Where there is a valid insurance claim, emergency costs are often recoverable, so keep itemised receipts.
Should I call my insurer or a roofer first?
A roofer first if water is actively entering, because policies require you to take reasonable steps to limit damage — and emergency costs are usually recoverable. Photograph everything before any work including the make-safe. Then notify the insurer, and do not have the permanent repair done before they have had the chance to assess.
Someone knocked offering to fix it after the storm. Should I let them?
Be cautious. Unsolicited doorstep roofing after severe weather is a well-known pattern, and it often involves large deposits and inflated scope. Do not agree or pay on the doorstep, do not let anyone go up unsupervised, note the vehicle registration, and call a contractor you chose yourself.
Make safe first, repair properly after
We prioritise urgent work, tell you honestly when conditions make the roof unsafe, and come back to do the permanent repair when it can be done well.