Storm damage repairs and insurance work

South Wales gets the Atlantic weather first. Named storms roll in off the Bristol Channel with very little to slow them down, and every one of them finds the parts of a roof that were already marginal — a ridge cap with tired mortar, a verge that had started to blow, a slate on a corroded nail.

If a storm has taken part of your roof, the order matters: make it safe, document it properly, then repair it. Getting the documentation right at the start is what makes an insurance claim straightforward rather than a fight.

Typical storm damage

• Slates or tiles off, or in the gardenThe most common. Check the whole roof, not just the gap you can see.
• Ridge or hip capping liftedWind gets under the edge and peels it. Dangerous if it is loose above a footpath.
• Flashing peeled back from a chimney or wallLead lifts in strong gusts and lets water straight in.
• A fence or tree down against the roofImpact damage. Often worse than it looks from the ground.
• Gutters torn away or full of debrisWater then goes down the wall instead of the pipe.
• A whole section of felt tornSerious. The roof has effectively lost its waterproof layer.

What we do

1. Emergency make-safeSame-day where we can. Sheeting, removing anything at risk of falling, stopping the water.
2. Full damage surveyThe whole roof, not just the obvious gap — storms loosen things that do not fall until the next one.
3. Insurer-ready documentationPhotographs, a written description of what failed and why, and an itemised quote.
4. The permanent repairDone once the claim is agreed, or straight away if you are not claiming.

How an insurance claim usually runs

1. Make it safe firstEvery policy expects you to prevent further damage. Emergency make-safe work is nearly always covered, and not doing it can count against you.
2. Photograph everything before it is movedWide shots showing the property, then close detail of the damage. Include the debris on the ground.
3. Report it promptlyMost insurers want notice within a set window — often days, not weeks. Ring them even if you do not have the full picture yet.
4. Get an itemised quoteNot a total. Insurers want to see the work broken down. We write ours that way as standard.
5. Keep every receiptIncluding temporary work, and anything you had to buy to limit the damage.
6. Expect a loss adjuster on larger claimsWe are happy to meet them on site and talk through what failed and why.

Storm damage costs

Guide ranges for South Wales, 2026. If you are claiming, these are the sort of figures your insurer will be working with.

If you are claiming, do not let anyone start permanent repairs before the insurer has agreed the scope. Make-safe work is different — that is expected of you and should be done immediately.