Atlantic storms reach Inverness faster and harder than most parts of the UK. If you've had roof damage overnight, here's what to do — in the right order.
This is not hedging — it's the most important instruction. A storm-damaged roof is structurally unpredictable. Tiles that appear secure may be resting on failed nails. Ridge tiles that have shifted may have displaced the tiles below them. Felt that has been lifted by the wind may have torn battens away from the deck beneath.
More than half the serious roofing injuries we're aware of in the Highlands involve homeowners who attempted to check their roof during or immediately after a storm. Call a professional.
If water is actively entering, move valuables away from the affected area. Place containers under active drips. If you have a water-sensitive area — electrics, a home office, stored documents — prioritise getting those clear first.
Do not go into the loft if the roof structure may have been compromised. Water in the loft space is not an emergency in itself; a weakened roof structure that you walk under is.
Call a roofer first to make the building safe. Call your insurer second to report the damage. This order matters: an insurer's assessor needs to see the damage before extensive repair begins, but they also need the building to be safe enough to inspect. Making safe — tarping, re-fixing loose tiles, temporary sealing — is appropriate before an insurance visit. Full repair is not.
We provide written damage reports and photography for insurance claims as standard on all emergency call-outs. We work with most major UK home insurers and can liaise directly if needed.
Emergency make-safe typically involves one or more of: heavyweight weatherproof tarp secured over the damaged area, mechanical re-securing of displaced tiles to prevent further movement, temporary lead or flashing seal on isolated flashing failures, and removal of any tiles or ridge pieces that pose a falling hazard.
Make-safe is designed to protect your property through the next weather event while the full repair is planned and scheduled. It is not a permanent repair.
In order of frequency for Inverness and surrounding areas: ridge tile displacement — mortar-bedded ridge tiles that have any weakness in the pointing are the most vulnerable element in high winds. Felt lifting on older flat roofs and low-pitch sections. Lead flashing pull-away on exposed chimney stacks. Tile loss on concrete tile roofs with nail sickness — nail-sick tiles become projectile risks in storm conditions. Aerial or satellite dish fittings pulling away and taking tiles with them.
Storm damage across Inverness and the Highlands. We cover a 25-mile radius from our Inverness base, 24 hours a day.
Call 01463 262835 — Available NowInverness and the surrounding Highlands sit in the path of Atlantic weather systems that track northeast from the Azores and across the British Isles. The storm season runs from October through to April, with the most intense events typically arriving in January and February. Named storms — those significant enough to be tracked and named by the Met Office — reach Inverness several times each winter.
The storms that cause most roofing damage in the Highlands are not necessarily the highest-wind events. Cold, dry easterly storms from the North Sea in January and February are particularly effective at displacing ridge tiles — the dry cold makes the mortar more brittle and the sustained wind loading works at weakened joints progressively. Wet Atlantic fronts from the southwest cause more surface damage — lifted felt, displaced slates on steep pitches — but often work more slowly.
If you live in Inverness, Nairn, Forres or anywhere on the Moray Firth coast, you should have an emergency roofer's number saved before storm season begins. Waiting until damage has occurred to find a roofer means competing with every other affected homeowner for limited availability.
When we make a storm-damaged roof safe, the primary goal is preventing further water ingress until the permanent repair can be completed. The secondary goal is preventing further structural movement — a ridge tile that has shifted partially may shift further in the next wind event, and a tile that has lifted may become a falling hazard or allow wind-driven rain directly onto the deck.
Tarp make-safe on a significantly damaged roof section typically holds through two or three subsequent Atlantic fronts when correctly weighted and secured. It is not a 6-month solution, but it provides the time needed to schedule a proper repair appointment without your property being exposed to every storm in the interim.
For isolated failures — a single lost ridge tile, a localised failed flashing — we can often carry out the permanent repair on the same visit as the emergency call, particularly if we have the required materials in the van. We will always quote the permanent repair on-site and proceed with your agreement before committing to the work.
If you intend to make an insurance claim, the documentation of damage matters. Before any make-safe or repair work begins, photograph the damage from every accessible angle — ground level, from an upstairs window if relevant, and any interior damage including ceiling stains and wet insulation. Date-stamp the photographs if your phone allows it.
Do not dispose of any fallen tiles, ridge pieces or debris until after your insurer's assessor has visited or confirmed they do not need to attend. The physical evidence of what fell and from where can be relevant to the claim assessment.
We provide a written damage report and a photographic record of all emergency call-out work as standard. This report includes our assessment of the cause of damage, the extent of the failure, the make-safe work completed, and the scope of permanent repair required. Most Inverness home insurers accept our reports directly as part of the claims process.
The best protection against storm damage is a roof that has no pre-existing weaknesses to exploit. Before each storm season — ideally in September or October — check:
A September inspection visit costs a fraction of an emergency call-out. We carry out pre-winter roof health checks across Inverness and the Highlands — free of charge as part of any other survey, or as a standalone £95 inspection report for properties we have not surveyed before.
"Storm hit overnight. Used this guide at 6am before calling anyone. Stayed off the roof as advised. Called the roofer, made safe by noon, full repair the following week. Exactly the right sequence."
"The documentation advice was valuable — photographed everything before any work started. Insurance claim went through without challenge. Would not have thought to do that without reading this first."
"Knew from this that ridge tiles were the likely failure point before anyone confirmed it. Correct — three had shifted. Understanding the problem made the conversation with the roofer much more productive."
No. A storm-damaged roof is structurally unpredictable. Call a professional roofer to assess safely.
Most home insurance policies cover sudden storm damage. Call your insurer after making the building safe. We provide written damage reports for insurance claims.
We cover Inverness 24/7. Response time is typically 30–60 minutes for Inverness city, longer for outlying areas. Call 01463 262835.
Based on call-out patterns, the most storm-affected areas are: Nairn and Fortrose on the Moray Firth coast (direct Firth exposure), Scorguie and Westhill on elevated plateau positions (higher wind speeds), and any property with a chimney stack showing pre-existing mortar weakness. Smithton and Balloch also generate high call volumes after storms due to the volume of nail-sick concrete tile that becomes mobile in high winds.
Most home insurance policies have a separate storm excess — often £250–£500 or more — which applies to storm damage claims. This excess is in addition to your standard policy excess. Check your policy schedule before deciding whether to claim. For minor storm damage costing under £500, it may be more economical to self-fund the repair than to claim and potentially affect your renewal premium.
Properly weighted and secured tarp make-safe is designed to withstand 2–3 subsequent weather fronts — typically 2–4 weeks in the Highland storm season. It is not a 6-month solution. We schedule permanent repair appointments within 5–10 working days of make-safe visits wherever possible.
Yes — we monitor the Met Office Highland forecast in storm season. A named storm with sustained gusts above 50mph warrants pre-checking any known vulnerable elements on your roof before it arrives. If you are in Inverness and a named storm is forecast, call 01463 262835 on the day before — if we have time, we will carry out a quick check visit.
No call-out fee. No obligation. A straight answer from a local roofer.
01463 262835