Emergency Roofing in ShropshireWhat to Do in the First 2 Hours After Storm Damage

Step 1: Stay Safe — Do Not Go on the Roof

The instinct after storm damage is to get up and look. Resist it. A storm that has damaged a roof has also potentially loosened tiles, saturated the felt and weakened ridge sections. Even a small domestic roof is dangerous in wet conditions. The only people who should be on a storm-damaged roof are professionals with correct PPE, fall arrest equipment and the experience to assess structural stability.

Everything you need to do in the first two hours can be done from inside the property and from the ground.

Insurers require evidence of damage in its original state and evidence that reasonable steps were taken to prevent further damage. Commissioning a professional temporary weatherproofing and obtaining a written damage assessment before contacting the insurer strengthens the claim in both respects (ABI guidance on storm damage claims, 2023).

Step 2: Assess From the Ground and From the Loft

From outside, stand back from the property and look at each pitch carefully. Note the location of any missing or displaced tiles, any sections where the underlay is exposed, and any ridge or hip tiles that appear lifted or displaced. Take photographs — you will need them for the insurance claim.

From inside the loft, check for daylight penetration (switch off the loft light and wait for your eyes to adjust), signs of water entry, and any displaced or sagging underlay. Again, photograph everything.

Step 3: Contain Any Internal Water Ingress

If water is entering the property, prioritise containing the damage. Place buckets or bowls under active drips. Lay towels or sheeting on affected floors and move furniture away from the affected area. If water has pooled on a ceiling, carefully pierce the plaster at the lowest point with a screwdriver to drain it in a controlled way — a plaster ceiling that has pooled water will collapse without warning.

Turn off electrical circuits serving any room with active water ingress as a precaution.

Step 4: Call Your Roofer — Not Your Insurer First

Counter-intuitive, but important. Your insurer will ask you what the damage is and whether you've made the roof safe. If you can tell them a roofer has attended, assessed the damage and provided a written report, your claim will progress faster and with less dispute over the scope of the damage.

Call 01743 537230 for emergency response across Shropshire. We carry temporary weatherproofing materials to every emergency call-out and will provide a full written damage assessment suitable for insurance submission.

Step 5: Document Everything for the Insurance Claim

Your insurer will want evidence of the damage before authorising repair work. Photograph:

• The exterior damage from the ground (multiple angles)
• Any tiles or materials that have come down (don't move them before photographing)
• Internal water damage — ceilings, walls, floor coverings affected
• Any possessions damaged by water ingress

If the roofer has attended and made the roof temporarily safe, ask for a written assessment report. This is standard practice for any legitimate emergency roofing contractor and is essential evidence for your claim.

What Temporary Weatherproofing Involves

Where a permanent repair cannot be completed on the same day — which is common when materials need to be sourced or when the extent of damage requires more detailed survey — we will make the roof temporarily weathertight. This typically involves:

• Securing or removing displaced tiles that are at risk of further movement
• Covering exposed underlay or open sections with heavy-duty tarpaulin fixed to battens
• Temporarily sealing lifted flashings with appropriate materials

We never leave a roof in a state where further water ingress is likely, regardless of whether the permanent repair can follow the same day.

Choosing the Right Contractor for This Type of Work

The most effective protection when commissioning roofing work of any type is insisting on a written, itemised quote from a contractor who can demonstrate both current insurance and verifiable trading history. A contractor unwilling to provide either — or who provides a quote that is too vague to allow comparison with others — should be treated with caution regardless of the price.

The standards that apply to roofing work in Shrewsbury are not exceptional. Physical survey before quoting, written fixed-price specification, stainless fixings, breathable underlay, correct mortar for the property era, and a written workmanship guarantee are normal expectations from a legitimate contractor. If a quote does not include these elements, ask why before agreeing.

How to Get an Accurate Quote for This Type of Work

The most common source of post-job dissatisfaction in roofing is a mismatch between what the homeowner expected and what was actually agreed in the quote. The gap usually exists because the quote was not specific enough to define expectations on both sides. Getting an accurate, reliable quote requires the same steps regardless of the type of roofing work involved.

First, the contractor must physically access the roof before quoting. A quote based on a description of the problem, ground-level inspection or photographs is not a reliable fixed price — it is an estimate that will be revised once the work starts and the actual condition is visible. Insist on a physical survey as the basis for any written quote.

Second, the quote must specify materials. 'Quality materials' is not a specification. The tile manufacturer, profile, colour and product guarantee should be named. The underlay type should be specified as breathable, not generic felt. Lead work should specify the code weight for each application. Without this detail, the contractor can substitute cheaper alternatives without violating the terms of the quote.

Third, the quote should identify what is excluded as well as what is included. Access, waste disposal and VAT are the most frequent sources of unexpected additional cost at completion. A quote that includes scaffold erection and removal, waste disposal to a licensed tip, and shows VAT as a separate line item is transparent and trustworthy. A quote that omits these elements and adds them at invoice stage is not.