Storm Damage to Your Roof in Coalville: What to Do (and What Not To)

A gale comes through overnight and by morning there are tiles on the drive and a damp patch spreading across a bedroom ceiling. After storm damage, work in this order: make the inside of the house safe, photograph everything from ground level before anyone touches it, tell your insurer, and get the roof temporarily made safe — do not climb up yourself, and do not hand the job to whoever knocks on the door that afternoon. Coalville sits on exposed higher ground at the edge of Charnwood Forest, so its roofs take more wind-driven rain than houses down in the Soar valley.

Why do Coalville roofs take more of a beating than the Soar valley?

Height and exposure. Bardon Hill, on the town's eastern edge, is the highest point in Leicestershire at 278 metres, and the ground beneath Coalville, Hugglescote and Whitwick rises towards it. Wind speed climbs with altitude, and rain driven horizontally finds gaps vertical rain never would — under a tile lap, behind a chimney flashing, past a verge that has lost its mortar. Two failure modes then dominate: uplift, where wind peels a covering back, and impact from a branch off the National Forest planting.

What should I do in the first hour after storm damage?

Deal with the inside of the house first, because that is where you can act safely.

• Move people and belongings clear of any ceiling that is bulging, dripping or stained. Saturated plasterboard can come down in one piece.
• Switch off the electrics to affected rooms if water is near downlights or sockets. Water tracks along joists and surfaces far from where it entered.
• Catch the water in a bucket with a towel in the bottom. One small hole at the lowest point of a bulging ceiling drains it in a controlled way.
• Look in the loft from the hatch with a torch. Daylight, wet felt or a wet run down a rafter tells a roofer a great deal.
• Keep everyone off the ground below. Loose tiles and lead do not fall on a schedule.

Then call: our 24/7 emergency roof repairs cover active leaks and storm damage across Coalville, day or night.

What should I photograph, and when?

Before anything is moved and before anyone climbs anything. The roof's state immediately after the storm is evidence you cannot recreate later.

Photograph the roof from several points in the garden and from the pavement, wide enough to show which elevation you mean. Photograph fallen tiles where they landed, the loft interior, the ceiling stain, and the gutter line, then write down the date and time you first noticed it.

A phone at ground level cannot show the ridge, the valleys or the back of a chimney stack. A drone roof survey gives 4K video and high-resolution stills of every elevation without a ladder touching the building — a dated record a loss adjuster can work from.

Why should I never climb up, or accept a ladder from a door-knocker?

Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injury in construction, and a storm-damaged roof is the worst possible surface to test that on. Tiles that look seated are often no longer nailed or clipped, mortar-bedded ridges lift as a unit, and wet moss on a north-facing pitch is as slippery as ice.

If you fall from a ladder a stranger has steadied, you are not their employee, they are unlikely to be insured for you, and you have little recourse. Anyone working on your roof should carry public liability insurance — ours is £5 million — and be able to show it before a ladder touches your gutter.

What does a temporary make-safe actually involve?

A make-safe is not a repair. Its job is to stop the damage worsening while the permanent fix is assessed and quoted: securing or removing anything loose enough to fall, clearing debris from roof and ground, and covering the opening with heavy-duty sheeting battened or strapped along its edges so the next gust cannot take it. Sheeting held down with a few bricks is not a make-safe. Gutters and valleys are cleared at the same time, because a blocked valley behind a covered area simply moves the leak.

What does the permanent repair look like?

Once the roof is watertight, the covering is opened up and the real failure dealt with — usually more than the missing tiles visible from the garden. Wind that lifts tiles often tears the underlay beneath them, and torn underlay leaks under a perfect tile. Battens split where fixings have pulled through. A mortar-bedded ridge that has moved is better replaced with a mechanically fixed dry ridge, which meets BS 5534 and leaves no mortar to wash out next time.

Matching matters on older Hugglescote and Ellistown housing, where a 1960s concrete interlocking tile and a Victorian clay plain tile each need a like-for-like replacement. A minor roof repair typically runs £150–£350; larger repairs involving flashing, ridge tiles or scaffolding range £350–£900+, with full ranges on our roofing costs page. Call-out and make-safe are priced on attendance, the permanent repair is quoted free and in writing beforehand, and the work carries a 15-year written workmanship guarantee.

How does a storm damage insurance claim work?

Buildings insurance generally covers sudden, identifiable storm damage and excludes gradual deterioration. Most disputes turn on which side of that line a roof falls, which is why a written assessment of what failed, and why, matters so much.

What insurers usually ask for	Why it matters
Date and time of the damage	Ties the loss to a specific weather event
Ground-level photographs	The state of things before anyone intervened
Close-up or aerial images	What failed, not only what is missing
A written roofer's assessment	Separates storm damage from wear and tear
Make-safe invoice and photographs	You are expected to limit further damage
Policy number and excess	A small repair can cost less than the excess

Notify your insurer promptly and keep the broken tiles until the claim is settled — they are evidence. Any loss adjuster will want to see both the roof and the report.

How do I spot a storm-chasing cold caller?

They arrive a day or two after a named storm, usually in an unmarked van, and the script rarely varies: they were working down the road, they have noticed tiles missing or a leaning chimney, and they can sort it now while the ladders are on the rack. The pressure to decide today is the tell. So is cash up front, a mobile number with no trading address, a verbal-only quote, and any promise that the insurer will cover everything.

Ask for a trading address, a public liability certificate and a written quote, then look them up: Checkatrade, Trust a Trader and Google profiles take time to build. Our guide on how to choose a roofer in Coalville sets out the checks worth making.

Frequently asked questions

Is storm damage to my roof covered by home insurance?

Sudden storm damage is usually covered by buildings insurance, subject to your policy terms and excess. Gradual wear and tear, or a roof already in poor condition, is generally excluded.

Should I climb up and look at the damage myself?

No. Tiles are loose, mortar-bedded ridges lift as a unit, wet moss is as slippery as ice, and the wind often has not dropped. Look from the ground and check the loft from the hatch instead.

What does a temporary make-safe actually involve?

Securing or removing anything loose enough to fall, clearing debris, and covering the opening with heavy-duty sheeting battened or strapped down rather than weighted with bricks. It is a holding measure for days or weeks, not a repair.

A roofer knocked on my door after the storm — should I use them?

Be cautious. Cold callers appear across Coalville and the Charnwood villages after every named storm. Ask for a trading address, a public liability insurance certificate and a written quote, and never pay cash in advance.

How much does a storm damage repair cost in Coalville?

A minor repair such as replacing slipped or broken tiles typically runs £150–£350. Larger repairs involving flashing, ridge tiles or scaffolding range £350–£900+. Call-out and make-safe are priced on attendance.

Do I need to tell my insurer before repairs start?

Tell them as soon as you reasonably can. You are expected to prevent further damage, so a make-safe that stops water entering is normally supported. Keep the photographs and the invoice, because that spend usually forms part of the claim.

For a free, no-obligation quote on storm damage anywhere in Coalville and north-west Leicestershire, call Armour Shield on 07366 472857.