Does home insurance cover roof tiles blown off?

Storm damage is a standard buildings insurance peril, but insurers often apply a wind speed threshold and will decline where the real cause was pre-existing wear such as corroded nails or perished mortar. Report it promptly, keep photographs and the fallen tiles, and ask whether they want to appoint the contractor.

How many tiles need to be clipped down?

It depends on your site. BS 5534 works from wind exposure, roof pitch, building height and tile type to set the fixing specification, and in exposed locations that can mean every tile. It is not a fixed number, which is why a roofer should calculate it rather than copy what was there before.

The tiles came off a fairly new roof — is that normal?

No. A recently laid roof shedding tiles in an ordinary UK storm points to the fixing specification not being met. Keep the evidence, check whether the work is covered by a guarantee or a competent person scheme, and get an independent roofer's written opinion.

Can I leave it until the weather improves?

Not safely. The underlay was never designed to be the outer surface — it tears under sustained wind and lets water into the loft. Temporary sheeting by a roofer is much cheaper than replacing soaked insulation and ceilings.

High risk

Updated 30 August 2026

Roof Tiles Blown Off In High Wind

A named storm or a gusty night has stripped tiles or slates off the roof and left bare underlay showing.

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What's happening?

Wind does not push tiles off a roof; it lifts them. Air accelerating over the ridge and around the gable creates suction on the outer face of the covering, strongest at the edges — ridge, eaves, verge and hips. BS 5534 sets out how many tiles must be mechanically fixed for a given site exposure, pitch and building height, and it was strengthened precisely because relying on tile weight and mortar was failing in UK storms. Roofs laid to older practice, or laid to the standard but with the perimeter fixings skipped, are the ones that shed tiles. Once one tile goes the ones around it lose their lap and the failure spreads downwind.

What usually causes it?

Insufficient mechanical fixing at the perimeter — verge, eaves, ridge and hip courses left unclipped where BS 5534 requires them fixed
Site exposure worse than the roof was designed for: coastal, hilltop, or a house that lost the shelter of a neighbouring building or mature trees
Mortar-bedded verges and ridges relied on as the only fixing, with the mortar now cracked and no clip or screw behind it
Corroded nails across the whole slope, so tiles were already only held by their own weight
A single missing tile from an earlier storm opening the lap and letting wind under the course above
Battens too thin, split, or fixed with too few nails to hold clips under uplift
Dry-fix components fitted without their clips or with the wrong length screws

Is it dangerous?

Yes, and on two counts. Tiles already on the ground and tiles still hanging half off are both falling hazards — clear the area below, move cars, and keep people away from the elevation until it is checked. The roof is now open, so the second risk is the building: exposed underlay under continuing wind and rain tears, and water gets into the loft, the insulation and eventually the ceilings. If tiles have come off, treat the roof surface as unsafe and do not send anyone up without proper access. Never go onto a roof during or immediately after a storm.

Can I fix it myself?

Secure the ground, not the roof. Cordon off the area beneath, move vehicles, and collect fallen tiles only if it is safe to walk there — keep them, because matching a discontinued tile is easier with a sample. Photograph everything from the ground including the fallen tiles and the bare patch; date-stamped photos are what an insurer wants. In the loft, move stored items clear and put a container under any active drip, but do not pull at wet insulation. Do not attempt a tarpaulin yourself; sheeting a roof in wind is a specialist job and the sheet itself becomes a sail.

When should you call a roofer?

Call a roofer the same day. This is one of the few roofing faults that genuinely does not wait, because the underlay is now the only barrier and it will not hold for long under continuing weather. Ask for temporary weatherproofing if a permanent repair cannot be done immediately. Call your insurer in parallel and ask whether they want to appoint their own contractor before you instruct one, since some policies require that.

What will the roofer actually do?

Make the roof safe first — remove or secure tiles hanging loose that could fall, and sheet the open area if the permanent repair cannot happen that day
Establish how far the damage extends by hand-checking the courses around the hole, because wind damage is always wider than the visible gap
Source matching tiles or slates, using a salvage supplier where the profile is no longer made, then re-lay the covering with the mechanical fixings and clips specified for your site exposure and pitch under BS 5534 rather than just the original fixing pattern
Repair or replace torn underlay and any split battens rather than laying new tiles over damaged substrate
Check and re-fix the ridge, hip and verge, since these are where uplift starts and where the original shortcut usually was
Provide a written report and photographs suitable for an insurance claim

Frequently asked questions

We’re happy to answer all your questions.

Sources & References

Slipped Roof TilesCaution Crumbling Mortar Along The Gable VergeCaution Loose Or Cracked Ridge TilesHigh risk

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