Same-day make-safe, then the photographic evidence and written report your insurer will ask for. We handle the roof; we also make sure your claim is properly documented from the first visit.
An emergency is water entering a living space, roof structure exposed to weather, or anything at risk of falling. Everything else can safely wait for daylight and a proper quote.
When it is not the answer: A few displaced tiles with no water coming in is not an emergency. We will tell you that on the phone and book you in properly rather than charging emergency attendance. Read the full guide.
Storm damage is different from a normal repair because there are two processes running at once — getting your roof watertight, and getting your claim paid. Handled in the wrong order they work against each other.
Your policy requires you to mitigate further damage. If a tile has come off and rain is entering, leaving it until an assessor visits next week will likely see the resulting water damage excluded. But your policy also expects the damage to be assessable. Stripping the affected area and completing a permanent repair before anyone has seen it makes the claim considerably harder to prove.
The correct sequence is: photograph from ground level, notify the insurer, arrange emergency make-safe with a contractor who photographs everything before and after, and hold off on permanent repair until the insurer confirms position. Most policies cover the make-safe cost as part of the claim.
What insurers dispute is causation. The ABI defines a storm by wind speed — generally gusts of 47mph or above — alongside comparable thresholds for rain, hail and snow. If wind speeds at your postcode on the date of loss did not meet that threshold, the insurer will argue the failure was wear and tear. This is where honest documentation matters, and where a contractor who inflates the claim does you real harm.
These two estates generate more storm damage callouts per household than anywhere else we cover, and the reason is geography rather than build quality. Both sit on elevated ground immediately above the M3, and the motorway cutting funnels westerly weather systems across their southern rooflines at speeds noticeably higher than the surrounding area records.
The damage pattern is consistent: ridge tiles and hip tiles lifted and displaced, verge pointing stripped, and occasionally whole courses of tile lost on the windward slope. Pack Lane, Homesteads Road, Brighton Way and Douro Close are the streets we attend most after a named storm.
For insurance purposes this exposure cuts both ways. It makes genuine storm claims more likely to succeed, because the wind speed threshold is more readily met. It also means insurers scrutinise repeat claims from these postcodes closely, and a stack that has already failed twice will attract questions about maintenance.
On Popley, South Ham, Oakridge and Black Dam the picture is more complicated. When tiles come off a sixty-year-old roof with advanced nail sickness, the storm was the trigger but the corroded fixings were the cause. Insurers know this and will often decline or reduce.
We will not tell you otherwise to win the work. What we will do is document accurately — if the fixings were sound and the wind genuinely took the tiles, our report says so clearly and supports your claim. If nail sickness is the underlying cause, you are better served knowing that before you spend time on a claim that will not succeed, and putting the money toward a re-roof instead.
Where mature tree canopy overhangs the roofline, storm damage frequently arrives as a falling branch rather than as wind uplift. Impact damage produces irregular, localised destruction — cracked tiles, a punctured flat roof, dislodged ridge sections — and is generally easier to claim for because causation is obvious.
Tree damage claims can involve a third party where the tree belongs to a neighbour or the council. We photograph the branch, the impact point and the tree source as standard on these jobs.
Storm repairs on conservation area properties must still use matched materials, which means a claim settlement calculated on concrete tile rates will not cover a reclaimed clay peg repair. We document material requirements explicitly on Old Basing reports so the settlement reflects what the repair actually costs.
Emergency make-safe is charged at our standard rates with no storm surcharge and no after-hours premium. Where a permanent repair follows, the make-safe cost is credited against the final invoice — you do not pay twice for the same damage.
We do not inflate estimates for insurance purposes. An inflated claim that gets rejected costs you time and credibility with your insurer, and it is fraud. Our estimate is the same figure we would quote you privately.
Key Fact: The Association of British Insurers defines a storm for claims purposes as involving wind gusts of at least 47mph, or equivalent thresholds for torrential rain, hail or heavy snow — and insurers routinely check recorded conditions at the property postcode on the date of loss before settling. Source: Association of British Insurers — Storm Damage Claims Guidance
What to do if your roof is leaking →
Storm damage? Call now for same-day make-safe and full photographic documentation.
Call 0125 624 2410Clear steps from first call to completed work. No call-out fee, no obligation, and a written quote before anything starts.
Before anything is touched, photograph the damage from the ground and from inside if water has entered. Do not climb the roof — the conditions that caused the damage make it genuinely dangerous.
Contain water with buckets and towels, move furniture and valuables clear, and isolate any electrical circuit near the ingress point. Your policy requires you to limit the damage.
Report the loss promptly and get a claim reference. Tell them you are arranging emergency make-safe — this is expected and usually covered — but that permanent repair awaits their position.
Call a local roofer who photographs before and after and provides a written report. Keep every invoice and photograph. Hold off on permanent repair until the insurer confirms.
Ready to start? Call 0125 624 2410 for your free survey.
You speak to a roofer, not a call centre. We assess severity and tell you honestly whether this needs us now or tomorrow morning.
For active leaks and structural risk we aim to be on site within two to three hours anywhere in Basingstoke.
Stop the water, secure anything loose, protect the interior. Priced and agreed before we start — no blank cheque.
Photographs before and after, dated, with a written note of cause. This is what your insurer will ask for.
Booked for suitable conditions, with the emergency cost credited against the final invoice.
| Job | Typical duration |
|---|---|
| Phone triage | Immediate |
| Attendance, active leak | 2–3 hours |
| Make-safe on site | 1–3 hours |
| Temporary weatherproofing | Same visit |
| Permanent repair | Scheduled, typically within 2 weeks |
During major storm events demand spikes and we attend by severity — structural risk and internal water first. We tell you a realistic time rather than a comforting one.
Emergency work uses ladders and roof ladders wherever it can be done safely. Scaffold is specified for: any permanent repair that follows; make-safe itself rarely waits for scaffold - always itemised in your written quote, never a hidden extra, and we arrange it.
Most Basingstoke estate housing has generous verges and driveway space, so scaffold and skips drop straight onto private ground. The older streets around the Top of Town are the exception, with narrow frontages and controlled on-street parking. Pavement scaffold and skip permits go through Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council; allow a few working days on streets like Wote Street, Church Street, New Street where space is tight.
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency make-safe | £200–£450 | Same day, full photographic record |
| Temporary weatherproofing | Included | Rated for high wind, not lightweight sheeting |
| Ridge or hip replacement | £280–£650 | The most common storm repair |
| Storm tile replacement | £180–£520 | Matched profile, quantity dependent |
| Flat roof storm repair | £250–£900 | Lifted membrane or impact puncture |
| Insurance report | Free with repair | Dated photographs and causation opinion |
Worked example: Storm-displaced ridge section on a detached on Brighton Way, Brighton Hill: same-day make-safe at £280, permanent dry ridge conversion the following week at £520, with the make-safe credited — £520 total.
No deposit on emergency attendance — you pay on completion. Where make-safe is followed by permanent repair, the make-safe cost is credited so you never pay twice. All prices include VAT.
Covering RG21, RG22, RG23, RG24 and surrounding postcodes.
Permanent repairs carry the full 10-year workmanship guarantee. Temporary make-safe is exactly that, and we say so plainly rather than dressing it up.
If a fault appears in covered work, we come back and put it right. No quibbling, no re-charge.
Fast, focused work, often in poor weather. We protect the interior beneath the ingress point and clear anything that has come down. You do not need to stay home for external work - we just need power and access agreed in advance.
We work in the conditions that caused the damage. Make-safe materials are rated for high wind, unlike the lightweight sheeting adequate on a calm day. Basingstoke sits on chalk downland at around 80 metres, so drying is quick after rain but frost nights run longer than the Hampshire coast.
"Storm took a section of ridge off at two in the morning. On site by nine, tarped and photographed, full report emailed to me that afternoon. Insurer settled without a single query."
"They told me straight that our tiles came off because of nail sickness rather than the storm, and that a claim probably would not succeed. Saved me weeks of arguing and we put the money toward a re-roof instead."
"Neighbour's branch came through our extension roof. They photographed the branch, the impact and the tree, which made the third-party claim straightforward. Repaired properly a fortnight later."
Photograph the damage from ground level before anything is touched, contain any water entering inside, and notify your insurer within 24 hours. Do not climb onto a damaged roof. Then arrange professional make-safe from a contractor who documents before and after.
If the damage was genuinely caused by storm conditions, usually yes. The ABI threshold is wind gusts of at least 47mph or equivalent rain, hail or snow, and insurers check recorded conditions at your postcode. Damage caused by pre-existing wear such as nail sickness is normally excluded as maintenance.
Emergency make-safe yes — your policy requires you to prevent further damage and the cost is usually recoverable. Permanent repair no. Completing the repair before assessment makes the claim considerably harder to prove. Make safe, document, then wait for the insurer's position.
Yes, and free of charge where we carry out the repair. The report includes dated photographs, a damage assessment, an opinion on causation and an itemised estimate. A standalone report without repair work costs £180–£320.
Brighton Hill and Kempshott, without question. Both sit on elevated ground above the M3 corridor, which funnels westerly weather across their southern rooflines at higher speeds than the surrounding area. Ridge and hip tiles are the usual casualties.
No. Our rates are the same whatever the hour and whatever the weather. There is no call-out fee and no storm surcharge. Where make-safe is followed by permanent repair, the make-safe cost is credited against the final invoice.
Then the claim may lie against them or their insurer rather than yours. We photograph the branch, the impact point and the tree source as standard, which is what a third-party claim needs. Where the tree is council-owned, the same evidence supports a claim against the local authority.
Not sure who to trust? Read our guide: How to choose a roofer in Basingstoke →
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local Basingstoke roofer who turns up when they say they will.
0125 624 2410Last updated: August 2026