Storm and insurance
What to do after storm damage to your roof
The safe order of actions after storm damage in Cumbria: make safe, record evidence, get the roof watertight, then handle the insurance claim.
- Written by working roofers
- Cumbria-specific
- Updated 2025-02-11
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Emergency roofing response across Cumbria and the Borders, answered day and night.
The short answer
Stay off the roof, move people and belongings away from any ceiling that is wet or sagging, photograph everything from ground level, then call a roofer to make the roof watertight. Notify your insurer early and keep the written report and photographs — most policies expect you to prevent further damage, and a temporary weatherproofing visit supports rather than harms a claim.
Key points
What to take away
- Never go up to check — debris and wet slate are lethal
- Photographs from the ground, dated, are strong claim evidence
- Policies generally require you to mitigate further damage
- Keep every written report, quotation and invoice
First hour: make it safe
Isolate electrics if water is near lighting or sockets. Move furniture and belongings. If a ceiling is bulging, keep everyone out of that room — a filled ceiling can come down without warning.
Cordon off ground below the damaged area; slipped slates can fall hours after the wind drops.
Same day: get it watertight
Temporary weatherproofing stops the loss growing while a permanent repair is scheduled. Our emergency line is answered 24/7 and we do not leave a property until the roof is watertight and safe.
Next: the claim
Tell your insurer promptly, give them the photographs and the written report of what was found, and keep copies of everything. A clear diagnosis — what failed, why and what it needs — moves claims along far faster than a one-line invoice.
Common questions
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Go deeper in the advice centre
This guide is the long read. These answers take the same subject question by question — the evidence to look for, how serious it is, and what your options are.
- Storm damage & insurance
- Can drone photographs help document an insurance claim?
- Does home insurance normally cover storm roof damage?
- How do I know whether my roof suffered hidden storm damage?
- Should I contact my insurer before permanent repairs?
Keep reading
Related guides
Ten signs your roof needs attention (and which ones are urgent)
The urgent signs are active dripping, a sagging or bulging ceiling, daylight visible in the loft, and slates or tiles on the ground after a storm — those need a call the same day. Damp patches, blown render, blocked gutters, moss build-up, loose ridge mortar and rust-stained fixings are warnings you should have inspected within weeks, not hours.
A seasonal roof maintenance checklist for Cumbrian property
Clear gutters and check downpipes twice a year — after autumn leaf fall and before winter. Look for slipped or cracked slates, crumbling ridge mortar, moss build-up and rust staining from ground level each season, and book a professional inspection every two to three years, or annually on exposed and older properties.
Get a written diagnosis on your roof
Free inspection and quotation across Cumbria, southern Scotland and the North East. For water coming in now, call 07777389016 — answered 24/7.