Storm Damage Roof Repairs in Brighton: First Steps

After storm damage to a roof in Brighton, do four things in this order: stay off the roof and clear the pavement below, get dated aerial photographs of the damage the same day, make the roof temporarily watertight before the next front arrives, and notify your insurer with a written report that separates storm damage from pre-existing wear. That last step is where most Brighton claims succeed or fail.

Storms come off the Channel fast and leave the same trail of damage across Brighton and Hove every time: lifted ridge tiles, stripped felt on flat roofs, and lead flashing peeled back from chimneys.

1. Stay off the roof

More people are injured after storms than during them. Do not put a ladder up in gusting wind, and keep the pavement below clear — falling slates from a Brighton terrace land on a public footpath, and as the property owner you carry a duty of care. Cordon the area with anything you have, warn neighbours, and if masonry or a chimney stack looks unstable, call the council's emergency line rather than approaching it.

Inside, move furniture and electronics away from any active drip, put down containers, and if water is near light fittings, isolate that circuit at the consumer unit.

2. Get aerial evidence the same day

Insurers want dated, clear photographs of the damage, and they want them before any repair covers the evidence up. A drone survey gets close-up imagery of ridges, valleys, verges and chimney flashing within an hour, with no scaffold and no access disruption to neighbours — which matters enormously on Brighton's narrow terraced streets where scaffolding needs a pavement licence and days of notice.

Photograph the interior damage too: ceiling stains, wet insulation in the loft, damaged possessions. Keep every receipt from the moment the storm hits, including for temporary accommodation or drying equipment.

3. Make it watertight before the next front

A temporary repair or sheeting stops the far more expensive problem: water reaching ceilings, plaster, insulation and wiring. Most policies require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage, so this is not just sensible, it is usually a condition of cover. Permanent repairs can wait for calm weather — trying to do a proper job between two Channel fronts produces a poor result.

4. Notify your insurer with a written report

• Date and time of the storm event, with the Met Office wind data for that day if available
• Annotated aerial photographs of each damaged area
• A written condition report separating storm damage from pre-existing wear
• Photographs and receipts for any temporary works
• A fixed-price repair quote for the permanent repair

That third point is where most Brighton claims stall. UK insurers routinely reject damage they classify as gradual deterioration rather than a single storm event, and on an ageing coastal roof both are usually present. A report that explicitly distinguishes the two — this ridge was lifted by uplift on the storm date; this moss growth is long-standing and unrelated — gets claims settled far more often than a repair invoice with no supporting evidence.

Notify your insurer promptly even if you do not yet know the full extent. Late notification is a common reason for reduced settlements.

5. Fix the cause, not just the symptom

If one ridge tile lifted, the bedding along the whole ridge is usually tired and the next storm will take three more. If flat-roof felt peeled at one edge, the perimeter detail is the problem, not that single metre. A survey that shows the whole roof lets you decide whether to repair the damage or fix the weakness — and lets you make that decision with the insurer's money on the table.

Beware the post-storm doorstep caller

Storms bring cold callers to Brighton and Hove within days, particularly in areas with older residents. Nobody who genuinely spotted a problem from the street needs you to sign today. Get independent evidence first.