Emergency Roof Repairs In Dartford
Water coming through the ceiling right now?
Storm make-safe, temporary covers and urgent leak repairs for Dartford homes
Emergency roof repairs in Dartford tend to arrive in batches. A named storm comes up the estuary, the QEII Bridge shuts, and by the afternoon the same calls are coming in from across town. Ridge tiles in the back garden. A strip of tiles gone above the rear bedroom. Flashing peeled off a chimney like a sardine tin. Our first job is to stop water getting in. That might mean a tarpaulin battened down over the gap, a few tiles refixed, or a loose ridge lifted off before it falls on somebody. After that you get a written quote for the permanent repair, plus dated photos you can send straight to your insurer. Ring 01322 946667, Monday to Saturday between 8am and 6pm, and tell us what you can see from the ground.
Report storm damage
A roofer rings you back to arrange a visit.
What an emergency call-out from us gets you
When the roof is open to the weather, you want three things: the water stopped, the danger removed and a fair price for the rest. This is how we handle the first visit.
01
Water stopped first, paperwork later
When rain is getting in, the quote can wait an hour. We cover or patch the damaged area, check the loft for wet insulation and only then talk about the full repair. Nobody asks you to sign anything on the doorstep.
02
Loose pieces taken down before they drop
A ridge tile hanging over the gutter after a gale can fall two storeys onto a path, a car or a child. If something up there is loose and can't be refixed safely in the wind, we bring it down and keep it for refitting.
03
A cover that survives the next gust
Tarps flap. A badly fixed one tears in a night and you're back where you started, with a wetter loft. We batten the edges down and lap the sheet over the ridge line, so it sits tight and rain runs off rather than under it.
04
Evidence an insurer will accept
Dated photos of the damage before anything is moved, a short note on the cause and a written quote for putting it back. Insurers want to see that the damage was sudden and that you acted quickly to limit it. This gives them both.
05
No storm-day mark-up
Making a roof safe in Dartford typically costs £200 to £500. That doesn't climb because the weather made the news. The permanent repair is priced like any other job, once we've had a proper look in daylight.
06
We check next door too
Wind rarely picks one house on a terrace. If damage is visible on the roof beside yours, we tell you and them while the ladders are up, because fixing your side alone can leave an open gap at the join.
1,000+
Roofs repaired, renewed and rebuilt
10 yrs
Written guarantee on every re-roof
5★
The only rating anyone has left us
£0
For the survey and the written quote
Storms on the estuary, and what they do to roofs here
The Dartford crossing gives a decent rule of thumb. The QEII Bridge closes to all traffic when crosswinds above 60mph are forecast. It shut during Storm Eunice on 18 February 2022, the day London saw its first ever red 'danger to life' wind warning. It shut again for Henk, Isha and Jocelyn in January 2024. When the bridge is closed, roofs across town are taking a beating, and our phone usually starts ringing within the hour.
What breaks first is fairly predictable. Ridge tiles held only by old mortar. Single tiles near the eaves, where wind gets underneath and levers them up. Lead flashings that were already lifting before the storm. On homes built in the last twenty-five years, dry-fix ridge and verge parts can work loose once they've had a couple of decades of weather. Almost all of it is quick to secure if someone gets to it before the next band of rain does.
"Most of the storm calls we take are for a ridge or a few loose tiles, and the bigger bills nearly always come from roofs left open for a week afterwards."
What happens after you call us about an emergency roof repair
- 1
Tell us what you can see
From the garden or an upstairs window: where the gap is, whether water is getting in and which room is affected. A photo on your phone helps a lot. We'll give you a straight answer on when a roofer can get there.
- 2
Secure the area underneath
On arrival we look for anything loose that could fall, and keep people away from the path or drive below it. Then we go into the loft to see how much water has come through and whether ceilings or wiring are at risk.
- 3
Get up only when it's safe
We won't climb onto a roof in winds that make it dangerous. If it's still blowing hard, we do what we can from ladders and inside the loft, then return the moment it eases. A roofer blown off a ridge helps nobody.
- 4
Refix or cover
Where tiles can simply go back, they do. Where the gap is bigger, a heavy reinforced tarpaulin goes over it, battened across the top and down the sides. Loose ridge tiles are lifted off and stored safely.
- 5
Photograph everything
Before, during and after. The pictures are dated and show the damage clearly, which is what a loss adjuster looks for first. You get copies the same day, ready to forward with your claim.
- 6
Price the permanent repair
Once things have dried out, we quote the full repair in writing. Sometimes it's a morning's work. Sometimes the storm only exposed a roof that was already failing, and if that's the case we'll show you why.
- 7
Finish properly
The temporary cover comes off, the proper repair goes in and every bit of debris leaves with us. If an insurer is paying, the invoice is laid out the way they usually want to see it.
10
Years' cover on a new roof
1,000+
Roofing jobs finished
Paperwork in your hand on the last day. Not posted out "in due course".
What the 10 year guarantee on a re-roof actually covers
Re-roof a house in Dartford with us and you get 10 years of cover on the workmanship. It's a written document. It has your address on it, lists what was done, and is dated the day the roof is signed off. If water gets in because something was fitted wrong - a batten, a fixing, a lap, a flashing - a roofer comes back and puts it right. You don't pay for that.
Why are we happy to promise ten years? Because of how the roof goes on. Every tile or slate is mechanically fixed to BS 5534, the current British Standard. Ridges and hips are fixed too, not just sat in mortar. A breathable membrane goes down first. Where a roof meets a wall, a chimney or the house next door, it gets proper lead or a tested dry system. Shortcuts there are what make a guarantee expensive, so we don't take them.
Tiles, slates and membranes also carry the maker's own warranty. Those vary by product, and your paperwork tells you which ones apply. If a job is too unusual to guarantee in the normal way, you'll hear that at quote stage.
How to pick an emergency roofer in Dartford, and avoid the wrong one
You called them, not the other way round
After big storms, rogue traders work along streets looking for damaged roofs. In March 2022, after the February storms, Kent's community wardens put out a warning through Ash Parish Council about a pensioner who had paid more than £3,000 for shoddy roofing work. The wardens kept their advice short: never assume, never believe, always confirm. A decent emergency roofer is one whose number you looked up yourself, not one who appeared at the door the morning after the wind dropped.
They make safe now and quote later
A sensible roofer separates the urgent bit from everything else. Making a roof safe should be a modest, fixed charge. If someone insists on a whole new roof or a big cash deposit while it's still raining, step back. The permanent repair can wait a few days for a written quote, and you're entitled to get a second one before you agree to anything expensive.
They can show you the damage
Ask for photos of what they found. A genuine roofer will have them and will point out exactly which tiles moved and why. Check they have a proper address and a landline, not just a mobile number on a van. Kent County Council runs Trading Standards Checked, a list of vetted local traders, and its site at tschecked.kent.gov.uk is worth a look if you're unsure about anyone.
Temporary cover or permanent fix? What each one does
You'll hear a few different terms when a roof is damaged. Here's what they mean in practice, and roughly what each one costs on a Dartford house.
| Comparison point | Tarpaulin cover | Make-safe refix | Permanent repair | Re-roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Sheet battened over the damaged area | Loose tiles and ridges secured or removed | Fault fixed for good in matching materials | Whole covering stripped and replaced |
| Typical cost | Part of a £200 - £500 make-safe | £200 - £500 | £180 - £1,600 for most faults | From £8,000 on a terrace |
| How long it holds | Days to a few weeks | Until the permanent repair | As long as the rest of the roof | Decades |
| Best for | Big holes and missing sections | A few slipped or loose pieces | A sound roof with storm damage | An old roof the storm finished off |
| Insurance | Often covered as emergency work, check your policy | Often covered, check your policy | Usually covered if damage was sudden | Wear and tear is rarely paid for |
| Weather needed | Can go on in rain and moderate wind | Wind has to drop first | A dry spell, ideally | Settled forecast and scaffold |
Tarps, tiles and the kit storm work needs
Storm work is mostly simple materials used well. Heavy reinforced tarpaulin. Timber battens to hold it. Common tile profiles, ridge clips, lead and fixings. A roofer turning up to an emergency should have all of that on hand, because losing a day to sourcing materials is a day of rain going into your loft.
Chimneys take more knocks than people expect, and a pot rocking after a gale is a genuine hazard to anyone below. If a storm has cracked the flaunching or shifted a pot, our chimney repairs page explains what the proper fix involves.
Chimney repairs after a storm
Emergency roof repair costs in Dartford
A make-safe visit, covering or securing the damage, usually costs £200 to £500, and that price is agreed up front. The permanent repair is quoted separately. For most storm faults it falls in the same £180 to £1,600 band as our ordinary repairs. If scaffold is needed, it's shown on its own line.
Emergency roof repair questions
What should I do while I wait for a roofer?
Look after yourself first. Don't go onto the roof or up a ladder in high wind. If water is near lights or sockets, switch that circuit off at the consumer unit. Put buckets under drips and move what you can. A ceiling sagging with water may need a small hole made in the lowest point to drain it into a bucket, which does far less damage than letting it give way. Then take photos.
Will my insurer pay for storm damage to my roof?
Most home policies cover sudden storm damage. Insurers usually check that wind speeds near you reached storm level on the day, and that the roof was in reasonable condition beforehand. That second point is where many claims fall down. Photos taken before anything is moved, plus a roofer's written note on the cause of the damage, give you the best chance of a clean claim.
Does Dartford Borough Council need to approve emergency repairs?
No. Securing tiles, covering a hole or refitting what blew off counts as repair, and like-for-like repair is exempt from planning permission. For a listed home, Dartford Borough Council will still expect matching materials when the permanent repair goes in. The same goes for houses within the Town Centre conservation area, which is Dartford's only one. A temporary cover is fine anywhere.
Can you come out at night?
Our hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Working on a roof in the dark during a gale is how roofers get hurt, and a tarp fixed by torchlight rarely lasts until morning anyway. If water is coming in overnight, follow the steps above, then call first thing. Jobs with water coming through a ceiling go to the front of the list.
My neighbour's chimney pot damaged my roof. Who pays?
If tiles or a pot from next door came down on your roof, your own insurer will usually handle the claim and may recover the cost from your neighbour's insurer. Photograph where the debris landed before anyone moves it. On a terrace it often makes sense for both houses to be repaired at the same visit, which we can quote for if you both agree.
Could the storm have caused damage I can't see?
Quite possibly. From the ground you'll spot missing tiles and fallen ridges. You won't spot lifted flashings, hairline cracks or a ridge tile that's loose but still in place. After a big storm, a quick look from a ladder and a check in the loft catches those before the next rain does. Ask us to do it while we're there for the main damage.
Related: Roof repairs · Chimney repairs · Leadwork
Reviews from Dartford homeowners
Every review left for us so far has been five stars. We're adding them here as they come in.
Reviews only tell you so much anyway. When a roofer comes out to Dartford, ask to see photos of a recent job on a house like yours. A good roofer will have plenty and won't mind you asking.
Roof damaged in the wind?
Call 01322 946667 and describe what you can see. We'll make it safe, photograph it for your insurer and put the permanent repair in writing before any of it starts.