Should I contact my insurer before permanent repairs?

Insurers generally expect a policyholder to prevent further damage, which is what temporary protection does. That is a different thing from carrying out a permanent repair before the claim has been considered.

Photograph the damage before the temporary work, and keep records of what was done and what it cost.

Notification requirements and time limits. Whether approval is needed before permanent repairs. Whether the insurer requires you to use their contractor or allows your own. What the excess is, and whether claiming affects your premium enough to make a small claim not worthwhile.

These vary between policies, which is why we cannot answer them for you.

We can attend to make the property safe and watertight, provide dated imagery and a written record of findings, and quote for the permanent repair so you have a document to submit. The claim itself is between you and your insurer.

Where you would rather not claim, we simply proceed on your instruction.

Where there is a delay between reporting damage and hearing back from an insurer, it helps to keep a simple log of dates: when the damage occurred, when it was reported, when any temporary protection was carried out, and any communication received. This is separate from the technical record of the roof itself and is useful if there is a dispute later about timing or what was agreed.

If the property continues to need attention while a claim is pending — for example if temporary protection needs checking after further weather — keep photographing and dating each visit. A consistent, dated record throughout the process is more persuasive than a single set of photographs taken at the start, and it costs nothing beyond a few minutes each time. Where correspondence with the insurer is by phone, follow up important calls with a short email summarising what was said, so there is a written record alongside the verbal one.