The short answer
Keep everyone out of the rooms below and away from the tree, and call the emergency services if anyone is hurt or a wire is down. Then tell your insurer, photograph the damage from the ground, and have a roofer make the structure safe. Do not climb up, cut the tree yourself or start permanent repairs before the insurer has been told.
Safety first, inside and out
A fallen tree is heavy, and a roof under that weight may fail without warning. Move everyone out of the rooms directly under the impact and out of the garden near the trunk. Close those doors and leave them shut.
Look for other dangers before you do anything else. A broken branch can drag down a service cable, and a cracked gas or water pipe may run through the affected part of the house. If anyone is injured, if a line is down, or if you smell gas, call the emergency services at once, and keep clear.
Check upstairs ceilings from the doorway, not from underneath. Cracks, bowing plaster and sagging timber are signs that the structure is carrying load it was not designed for. If you see them, do not enter the room again until someone qualified has looked.
Stay off the roof, and keep ladders away from it too. The roof may be weakened in places you cannot see, and branches under tension can spring back when moved. Our guide to covering a leaking roof explains why even a simple cover should be left to a roofer.
Tell the insurer, then record everything
Contact your insurer before any permanent work starts. Ask what cover applies to a falling tree, because policies differ on both the event and who pays to remove the tree itself. Make a note of the date, the time, the name of the person you speak to, and any reference number.
Photographs matter. The Institution of Structural Engineers describes them as vital to a claim. Take wide shots from the garden and the road that show the tree, the house and how they relate. Then take closer ones of the broken tiles, the dented ridge, the bent gutter and any visible timber. From the loft hatch, without stepping in, you can capture the underside of the roof.
Keep every receipt, including any paid for emergency work. Make a list of damaged contents too, and photograph those.
Payment is the insurer's decision and cannot be forecast. What we can do is record what we find on your roof in clear pictures and a written report, and our answer on storm damage and home insurance explains the steps in order.
Make-safe, then the proper repair
A make-safe is the first job, and it is about stopping further damage, not finishing the repair. A roofer will usually assess the roof from a secure position, remove loose debris from the roof and cover the opening with a properly fixed temporary cover. Large trunks and heavy limbs need a tree surgeon, and the two trades often work in sequence, because the tree cannot be moved until someone has judged how much of the roof it is holding up.
Once the weight is off, the damage becomes clear. There may be cracked rafters, a broken ridge, crushed battens or a distorted wall plate, the timber that spreads the roof load along the top of the wall. In a serious case, a structural engineer or a building surveyor may inspect before the permanent repair, and the insurer will want to see that report.
The permanent repair depends entirely on that survey. Some roofs need a patch and new tiles. Others need a section rebuilt. We explain which, with pictures, and give one written price.
Our temporary roof repair page describes the stopgap, and the roof repairs page lists the permanent work.
Questions that arise afterwards
Neighbours are often involved. If the tree came from next door, say so to your insurer when you report the damage, and avoid discussing blame before you have all the facts. The tree's ownership, its condition before the fall and the weather on the day can all affect who bears the cost, and a claim may involve more than one insurer.
If the tree belonged to you, the insurer may want to know about its condition beforehand. Keep any records you have of previous tree work or inspections.
Some trees are protected, so before anyone cuts up what remains, ask the tree surgeon or your local council whether any restriction applies.
Keep the damaged materials until the insurer says you can dispose of them. Broken tiles and splintered timber help show what happened and when.
Finally, ask for written confirmation of what has been agreed. A short email after every phone call is enough, and it gives you a record to rely on if memories differ later. Keep a folder, paper or digital, with the photographs, receipts, reference numbers and every message together. If the claim stalls or is refused, the Financial Ombudsman Service helpline is 0800 023 4567, and its service is free.
