Atlantic storms reach Inverness fast and hard. If you have roof damage right now, call us. We respond within 30–60 minutes across the city and surrounding Highland towns — any time of day or night.
Step 1: Stay off the roof. A storm-damaged roof can be structurally unpredictable. Tiles that appear secure may be sitting on failed nails. Call us — we assess safely before anyone climbs.
Step 2: Protect the interior. Move valuables from the affected area. Place containers under active drips. Prioritise anything sensitive to water — electrics, documents, stored items.
Step 3: Call us first, your insurer second. We make the building safe. Your insurer needs to see the damage but also needs the building to be safe enough to inspect. Make-safe work before the insurance visit is appropriate. Full repair before the insurance visit is not.
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 failures, and removal of any tiles or ridge pieces that pose a falling hazard. We photograph all damage before and after make-safe and provide a written report for your insurance claim on the same visit.
The Inverness storm season runs from October to April. Named Atlantic storms arriving from the southwest cause the most widespread damage across the city. Cold North Sea easterlies in January and February — dry and persistent — are particularly effective at shifting ridge tiles with any mortar weakness. Elevated plateau sites (Westhill, Scorguie, Culloden) receive higher wind speeds than sheltered city centre properties. We monitor the Met Office Highland forecast during storm season and maintain deployment capacity for named storm events.
| Call-out fee | None |
| Emergency make-safe (standard, daytime) | £150–£400 |
| Emergency make-safe (overnight / named storm) | £250–£600 |
| Written insurance damage report | Free |
| Permanent repair | Quoted on day |
Storm damage right now? Call immediately — we're available 24/7.
⚡ Call 01463 262835When a named storm is forecast for Highland Scotland, we prepare in advance. Team availability is confirmed for extended hours during and after the event. Materials for the most common storm repairs — ridge tile bedding compound, lead sheet, EPDM patch, heavyweight tarp, stainless fixings — are stocked at the start of the storm season. Vehicle locations are distributed across the Inverness coverage area to minimise response distances after a large-scale event generates multiple simultaneous call-outs.
After a named storm, we receive the highest call volumes from three consistently predictable areas: Scorguie and Westhill (exposed plateau, highest wind speeds in the city), Smithton and the Culloden estates (nail-sick concrete tile that is unfixed and mobile in storm conditions), and the Nairn coast (sea-spray damage alongside wind loading). We triage call-outs by severity — structural failures and active water ingress in occupied buildings take priority over aesthetic damage to unoccupied outbuildings or garages.
Protect the interior — move everything valuable out of the affected area, lay down waterproof sheeting over flooring and furniture, place containers under active drips. Switch off any electrical circuit where water is near a fitting. If you have a loft hatch, opening it briefly to check the scale of water ingress helps us understand whether temporary interior protection will hold until we arrive. Do not attempt to go on the roof, remove debris from the garden, or make any other external assessment during a storm or while wind speeds remain elevated. These are our jobs, carried out with appropriate access equipment and safety protocols.
"Storm hit overnight — ridge tiles down, open section of roof. Called at 7am, team arrived by 8am. Made safe before the rain arrived. Insurance report ready same day. Exactly what you need in a crisis."
"Nail-sick tiles displaced in the January easterly. Three from the front pitch on the ground. Made safe same day, full re-roof the following week. Understood the nail sickness problem clearly."
"Nairn seafront — storm took lead flashing off the south chimney. Emergency call at 10pm. Team there by midnight. Tarp secured. Insurance accepted the report without question."
Typically 30–60 minutes for Inverness city. 40–75 minutes for Nairn, Dingwall, Culloden and nearby Highland towns. We cover a 25-mile radius from our Inverness base 24 hours a day. Call 01463 262835 — we answer any time.
Make-safe secures your property against further water ingress and prevents falling hazards. It typically includes: heavyweight tarp over significant damage, mechanical re-securing of displaced tiles, temporary lead or flashing seal on isolated failures, and removal of tiles or ridge sections posing a falling hazard. We photograph before and after. Make-safe is designed to hold through the next weather event while permanent repair is planned.
Most home insurance policies cover sudden storm damage. The key is documenting the damage before any repair begins. Call us first to make safe — then call your insurer. We provide a written damage report and photographic evidence for all emergency call-outs, which most Inverness insurers accept directly.
Exposed plateau sites — Westhill, Scorguie, Culloden — receive higher wind speeds than sheltered city centre properties. Coastal sites — Nairn, Fortrose — receive salt-spray alongside storm wind. Properties with nail-sick concrete tile on the Smithton and Dalneigh estates are particularly vulnerable to tile loss in high winds because the tiles are no longer mechanically fixed. We see above-average storm call volumes from these areas during named storm events.
Correctly weighted and secured tarp make-safe holds through 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 within 5–10 working days of the make-safe visit where possible.
No — stay off the roof. A storm-damaged roof can have structural instability that is not visible from below. Tiles that appear secure may be resting on failed nails. Call us and we will assess safely. The most serious roofing injuries we are aware of involve homeowners who attempted to check their roof during or after a storm event.
In order of frequency: ridge tile displacement (mortar weakness under sustained wind loading), nail-sick concrete tile displacement (tiles that were no longer fixed become mobile), felt lifting on older flat roofs and low-pitch sections, lead flashing pull-away on exposed chimney stacks, and aerial or satellite dish fittings pulling away and taking tiles with them.
No call-out fee. Written assessment within 24 hours. No obligation quote before any work starts.
Written quote, itemised by scope and materials. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Written workmanship guarantee. Specified for Highland conditions — not southern UK average specification.
Based in Inverness. Our team surveys your Inverness property and does the work — no subcontractors.
Storm damage anywhere in Inverness or Highland. No call-out fee.
01463 262835