Storm damage in Tamworth
When a westerly comes through, Tamworth rings first. Make it safe, photograph it for the insurer, price it once it is dry.
After a bad night, Tamworth is consistently the first place on our list to ring, and it is not bad luck. The estates here are exposed — flatter, more open, less mature tree cover to break the wind — and a lot of the 1960s to 1980s stock still has original mortar verges and ridges. Exposure plus an edge detail at the end of its life is exactly the combination wind is looking for.
What goes is predictable. The verge lets go first, because it is the edge and cracked mortar gives the wind a handle. Once a verge has gone, the wind is under the edge tile, and from there it can take a whole row. Ridge tiles follow. Then lead flashings lift, and anything already loose that had been quietly holding on finishes the job. The pattern is consistent enough that we can usually guess what we are coming to from a description on the phone.
We work storm jobs in the opposite order to everything else. Make safe first — sheeted, secured, water stopped — and price the permanent repair once it has dried out and everybody can think. Trying to agree a number while water is running down your wall serves nobody.
The insurance part we take seriously because it is where people lose money. We photograph the damage, dated, before we touch it. We describe the cause in the terms a loss adjuster expects. We itemise the emergency make-safe separately from the permanent repair, because they are usually treated differently. And we will tell you honestly what we think your claim looks like — insurers pay for storm damage, not for a ridge that has been visibly loose for four years, and if that is what we are looking at we will say so rather than write you a letter we do not believe. Worth knowing: most policies want wind speeds around 47–55mph before it counts, the Met Office holds the record for your date and postcode, and the insurer will check it.
One honest limit. We are not a 24-hour outfit. There are five of us and we sleep. After a big blow we work down the list by how much water is getting in, and if we cannot reach you today we will tell you today rather than string you along until Thursday.
What people in Tamworth ask us.
The two we get most on this job round here. The full list is on our FAQ page, and the storm damage page goes into the trade in more depth.
Can you make my Tamworth roof safe today?
Sometimes — it depends how many people rang before you and how much water is coming in. We will give you a real answer on the phone rather than a comfortable one, and we would rather say no than not turn up.
Will my insurer pay for a blown verge?
If the wind speed on the day meets the policy threshold and the verge was in reasonable order, usually yes. If it had been visibly cracked for years, expect an argument. We will give you our honest read before you claim.