Tree on the roof
A tree has fallen on my roof: what should I do?
The short answer
Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house, keep away from the tree and any cables, and ring 999 if anyone is hurt or a power line is down. Do not try to move branches or climb up. Once it is safe, a roofer and a tree surgeon each have a job to do. Photograph the damage, tell your insurer, and the receipts kept for any emergency work.
What to do in the first hour, who deals with the tree and who deals with the roof, and how to keep your records straight.
Getting everyone safe
A tree on a roof is a danger to the people inside as well as to the house. Move everyone out of the rooms under the damage, and out of the building if the ceiling is sagging, cracked or lit by daylight where it should not be. Branches can shift without warning, and a trunk resting on a wall or roof structure can slide or roll when it settles.
Keep well away from the tree and look out for cables. A branch lying across an overhead line can be live, and so can the line itself. If you see a power cable down or touching the tree, stay clear. Ring 999 if anyone is hurt or in danger, and report any damaged power line to the network operator. Water may also be coming through the hole, so if it reaches light fittings or sockets, keep away from them and have the circuit isolated once the floor is dry. Then ring a roofer.
Do not move the tree yourself
It is tempting to start dragging branches off, but a fallen tree often holds tension. Cut one branch and the trunk can spring or twist, bringing more of the roof down or throwing a limb at you. The tree may also be the only thing holding up part of the damaged structure, and removing it can make things worse. Leave it where it is until a trained person has looked at it.
Lifting a tree off a house needs a tree surgeon with the right equipment, working alongside the roofer. In many cases the tree is lifted off in sections with a crane or climbing gear, after the roofer has made the structure safe to work around. If the tree belongs to a neighbour, or stands on land that is not yours, tell them straight away and keep a note of when. Our page on reporting a dangerous roof covers who to tell if the structure looks unsafe.
What the roofer does first
Storm damage moves to the top of our list, and the opening job is to secure the house and stop rain coming in. That might mean fitting a temporary cover over the hole once the tree is clear, or supporting broken timbers so the cover has something to rest on. If the damage is serious, a structural engineer may need to look at rafters or walls before a permanent repair is planned.
The roofer then surveys the damaged area and the roof around it. A fall can break tiles well beyond the impact point, bend the ridge, tear off lead and crack the gutters and fascia. Each fault is photographed, and the repair is priced as a single written total. What shifts the figure is the extent of the damage, the access needed and the work to the timber structure underneath. See our page on making a roof safe, which describes a first visit in detail.
Telling your insurer and keeping evidence
Contact the insurer early. Most policies come with an emergency helpline, and any repair you have to arrange yourself should be reported to them, with receipts kept. Damaged items should not be thrown out unless they threaten health, a point Which? makes. So leave the broken tiles and timber where they lie, within reason, until they have been photographed.
Photograph the tree where it lies, the hole, the inside of the room and any damage to cars, fences or outbuildings. Ask whose tree it was and note the answer. Responsibility for a fallen tree can depend on who owned it and on its condition, so do not assume the answer yourself. What a policy covers is for the insurer to say. For more on the process, our answer on storm damage insurance claims goes through the order of events.
From temporary cover to a permanent repair
Once the tree is off and the house is weathertight, the permanent repair can be planned, and the survey pictures show exactly where the fall did its damage. Where a tree has gone through the roof, the work often includes new rafters or battens, fresh underlay, replacement tiles or slates and re-dressed lead. Sometimes it also means repairs to the ceiling, plaster and decoration below, which other trades handle.
The price follows the survey and any structural check. Access can be a large part of the job, so ask whether scaffolding is in any figure you are given. A roof that has taken a tree needs a careful eye on the timbers, since hidden cracks in rafters or wall plates are easy to miss from outside. If you want to understand the stages for a damaged roof, read our storm damaged roof page, and for the overall service, the emergency roof repairs page explains how urgent work runs through to a finished repair.
Related questions
Fallen tree questions
Who pays to remove the tree?
It depends on who owned it and what state it was in, and your insurer will ask. Do not assume. Photograph it, find out whose land it stood on and tell your insurer early. A tree surgeon can give you a written price for the removal separately from the roof.
Is it safe to stay in the house?
Only if the damaged area is clearly separate from where you sleep and live. If a ceiling is cracked or sagging, or the structure has moved, leave the building and ask for it to be checked. A temporary cover and propping can make a house safe, but someone must confirm that first.