Roof leaking in a storm: what to do now

Stay inside and stay safe. The roof can wait.

The answer in 2 lines. Never climb onto the roof: catch the water inside, switch off the power to that room if the water is near lights or sockets (only if the consumer unit is dry and your hands are dry), and photograph everything. If a ceiling bulges or sags, leave the room and call 999 if it looks like it may collapse. After the storm, a roofer makes the roof watertight, and you tell your home insurer as soon as possible. If you rent, tell your landlord straight away: roof repairs are their responsibility.

The first 3 steps

Move people and furniture away and cover things with plastic sheeting or bin bags. If the water is near a light, spotlights or a socket, switch off that circuit at the consumer unit, only if it is dry, with dry hands, without standing in water.
Catch the water: buckets, bowls and towels under every drip.
Film the water coming in and the ceiling, and note the date and time.

Stop: danger

Never go on the roof, during or just after a storm: wet slates, wind and lightning. Falls from roofs cause serious injuries.
Water running near a ceiling light, spotlights or a socket: switch off at the consumer unit (that circuit, or the main switch), only if the consumer unit is dry.
Ceiling bulging, cracking or sagging: do not stand under it, keep everyone out, and call 999 if it may come down. A soaked ceiling can collapse.
Burning smell or sparks: switch off if you can do so safely, get out and call 999.

What you can do yourself, and where to stop

The loft: only go up if there is a fixed, safe ladder and boarded floor, never during the storm. A bucket or sheet under the leak can limit the damage. Do not step between the joists: you could go through the ceiling.
Gutters and drains: clear them from the ground only, after the storm.
Stop there: any work on the roof itself is for a roofer, once the weather has calmed.

Possible causes

Slates or tiles moved or broken by the wind.
Water running down by the chimney or a roof window: flashing (the seal around it) damaged.
Gutters or downpipes blocked and overflowing.
Flat roof: felt or membrane split or lifted.

What not to do

Climbing a ladder in wind or rain.
Piercing a bulging ceiling yourself.
Throwing away damaged items before your insurer has seen photos.

Who pays and who to tell

Your home insurer: tell them as soon as you can, with photos and videos. Storm damage is often covered by buildings insurance, but check your policy and its definition of a storm.
If you rent: tell your landlord straight away, in writing. In England, landlords must keep the structure and exterior of the home, including the roof, in repair (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11). Your own contents insurance covers your belongings.
In a flat: the roof is usually the freeholder's or managing agent's responsibility: contact them.

Good to know

Check Met Office weather warnings before a storm, and clear gutters in autumn.
Have the roof and gutters checked after a windy winter.
Power cut during the storm? Call 105, free.

During a storm in Newcastle, water drips from the bedroom ceiling of Sam, who rents a terraced house. He switches off the upstairs lighting circuit, puts a bucket under the drip, films the ceiling and emails his landlord that night. A roofer replaces two slates the next day.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 18 October 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the safety steps and the landlord's repair duty in England; medium for insurance cover, which depends on your policy. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.