Guildford sits in a position where south-westerly storm systems cross the North Downs and funnel through the Wey Valley with real force. After any significant storm, your roof may have taken damage that isn't immediately obvious — but if left unchecked, will cause serious problems by the next downpour. This guide tells you what to look for, what you can assess safely from the ground, and when to call a roofer immediately.
The first and most important rule: do not climb onto your roof to inspect it yourself. After a storm, roof surfaces are wet, potentially loose, and the fixing condition of tiles you'd walk on is unknown. A roofer has the right equipment and training to work at height safely. What you can do safely is a thorough ground-level inspection using binoculars if you have them.
Walk a complete circuit of your property and observe each slope from the pavement and garden. Take photographs on your phone — you'll want to refer back to them and they help when describing damage to a roofer over the phone.
The most obvious sign. Look for gaps in the tile pattern — you'll typically see the darker roofing felt or bare timber batten underneath. On Guildford's clay tile properties, slipped tiles often still look present but have dropped below their neighbours, breaking the bond. Ridge tiles at the apex of the roof are particularly vulnerable to high winds and should be checked specifically.
Broken tile or slate fragments in your garden, on paths, or visible in gutters are a clear indication of impact or fracture damage above. Pieces of lead flashing, mortar fragments from ridge beds, or sections of felt membrane are all cause for immediate inspection. Any debris in a valley or blocking a gutter outlet creates immediate water management risk.
Step back and observe the profile of your roof ridge line and slopes. A straight roof line that now has a dip or bow may indicate structural damage — either a broken rafter from falling debris, or existing weakness that the storm has made visible. This is a priority call situation.
Guildford has significant chimney presence on its Victorian and Edwardian stock. After storms, check whether chimney pots remain upright, whether the stack appears vertical, and whether lead flashing around the stack base has lifted or displaced. A leaning or partially collapsed chimney stack is an emergency — it's both a leak risk and a structural safety issue.
Strong winds regularly pull gutter brackets from fascia boards and separate gutter sections at joints. Overhanging sections of guttering that have dropped away from the fascia will channel water directly down the wall rather than to the downpipe. Check all visible runs from the ground.
After checking outside, go into your loft if you have access. Wait for a bright day or use a torch. Signs of storm damage inside include:
Important: If you see daylight through the roof covering, the property is exposed. Call a roofer the same day — don't wait for rain to confirm the leak. By the time water tracks through felt, insulation, and ceiling plasterboard, significant damage has already occurred above.
Elevated properties on the Downs face unobstructed south-westerly exposure. Ridge tile displacement and mortar blow-out is more common here than in the valley. Hip ends — the angled corners of pitched roofs — are particularly vulnerable as wind wraps around the building corner and lifts the hip tiles from below.
Older properties across Sydenham Road, Josephs Road and the town centre streets have clay tile that, while durable, relies on mortar bedding and nibs (small lugs that hook over battens) rather than mechanical fixings. A displaced clay tile won't blow away — it'll slip and sit on the tile below, appearing intact from the ground but creating an open gap above. Binoculars help significantly here.
Properties from the 1960s–70s have interlocking concrete tiles that were mechanically fixed on installation. Where those fixings have corroded — nail sickness — storm conditions can displace tiles that were already marginal. If your property is from this era and hasn't had a roof inspection in the past five years, a post-storm check is warranted even if nothing is visible from the ground.
Call the same day (01483 346 440) if you see: missing tiles or obvious gaps in the covering; daylight through the loft; water actively coming through the ceiling; displaced or leaning chimney stack; large sections of guttering hanging away from the building; or any structural sagging in the roof line.
Book within a week if you see: debris in gutters but no obvious tile loss; small mortar fragments on the ground; a single cracked tile; minor gutter joint separation; or your loft shows slightly increased dampness without active drips.
If you have an active leak coming through the ceiling, place buckets and protect furniture and floor coverings. If water is near light fittings or consumer units, turn off the relevant circuits at the fuse board and call an electrician in addition to a roofer.
Do not attempt temporary repairs with sealant sprays, tile adhesive or expanding foam. These products are not rated for outdoor conditions and will make the proper repair harder and more expensive. A professional temporary repair — a correctly fixed tarpaulin or temporary lead patch — is always the right approach.
Guildford's Atlantic south-westerly storm events create predictable damage patterns across different property types and locations. On the exposed western slopes of the North Downs — Merrow Hill, Boxhill Road, Epsom Road as it rises toward the Downs — properties face the strongest sustained winds of any Guildford location, and ridge tile displacement is the most common single damage type following significant storm events. The ridge is always the most exposed linear element of the roof covering and the one most dependent on mortar integrity for its security against wind uplift.
In the valley floor suburbs — Bellfields, Burpham, Shalford — the storm damage pattern is different. Wind speeds are moderated by the valley topography, but the combination of elevated pre-storm moisture saturation and the rainfall intensity of valley-channelled storm events creates a higher rate of valley gutter overflow than on equivalent properties in more exposed but better-drained positions. Properties in the valley floor that experience ceiling staining after storm events should have their valley gutter outlets inspected as the first diagnostic step, rather than assuming tile or lead failure.
No — a wet roof after a storm is hazardous. Inspect from the ground with binoculars and from the loft interior. Call a professional for any ridge-level assessment. We provide same-day storm damage assessments across Guildford — call 01483 346 440.
Document the damage with photographs from ground level before any temporary repairs are made. Contact your insurer promptly — most policies have reporting time requirements. We provide written reports documenting the damage, its cause and the repair work carried out, which are typically required for claim processing. Call us before starting any repairs if you intend to claim.
Storm events can open previously sealed mortar joints, lift lead flashing edges, and move tiles that then reseat in a slightly different position — all of which can create new water entry points without any externally visible displacement. A professional inspection at ridge level is required to find entry points that are not visible from ground level or the loft.
We provide 24/7 emergency response with no call-out fee. Typical attendance time is 60–90 minutes for central Guildford, 90–120 minutes for outer villages. After major storm events affecting multiple properties simultaneously, we prioritise active water ingress cases first and provide an attendance time when you call.
We cover all of Guildford and the surrounding area 24/7. No call-out fee, honest assessment, and temporary weatherproofing where needed.
📞 01483 346 440