A tree on the roof is one of the few roofing emergencies where the house itself may not be safe. A heavy limb or a whole trunk can crack rafters, push walls out of line and tear a hole that lets rain straight into the rooms below. It can also bring down gutters, cables and chimneys with it, and the weight that now sits on the roof may be holding the damaged timbers up. Taking the tree off in the wrong way can make things worse.
So the order of events matters. Make sure everyone is out and safe first. Look at the damage from outside and from a safe place inside, without going near anything that has moved. Get a tree surgeon to take the weight off in a controlled way, and a roofer to make the hole weathertight. Tell your insurer early and keep proof of everything. This guide walks through those steps in order, explains the structural signs worth noting, deals with the common question of a neighbour's tree, and says what to photograph and keep for a claim.
Safety in the first few minutes
Before anything else, check that nobody is hurt and that everyone is out of the rooms under the damage. If anyone is injured, or the tree has brought down an overhead cable, ring the emergency services. Treat any cable as live, keep well clear and keep other people away too. A fallen tree on a service cable is not a roofer's job or yours.
Should you go back inside to check?
Only if it is clearly safe. Stay out of any room where the ceiling has dropped, bulged or cracked, where you can hear creaking, or where the roof is open to the sky. A sagging ceiling may be carrying pooled water and wet insulation, and it can drop without warning. Switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if water is coming through near lights or sockets, but only when you can reach the unit without crossing the damaged area. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas emergency number from outside.
What about the weather and the tree itself?
Do not climb on the roof or the tree. A trunk resting on rafters is under tension, and cutting or moving a branch can release it suddenly. A storm that dropped one tree may drop another, so stay away from any other trees or branches that look loose. If you must stay in the house overnight, sleep in a room that is not under the damaged part of the roof. Take photographs from the ground, from a distance, before anything is moved. Those first pictures show what the tree did, and they are the clearest record you will have once the repair starts.
Checking for structural damage
A tree can look like a small problem and still have shifted the frame. The roof is held up by rafters, which run from the ridge down to the walls, and by ties and braces that stop the roof pushing the walls apart. A heavy impact can break any of them. Your job is not to diagnose it, only to spot the signs that mean stay out and ask for help.
Which signs point to a structural problem?
From outside, look for a ridge line that has kinked, a slope that dips, tiles or slates that have slid in a band, and a chimney that leans or has moved. Walls under the damage may show new cracks, especially above windows and doors. Inside, upstairs doors that suddenly stick, ceilings that bow, new gaps where a ceiling meets a wall, and creaking or cracking noises are all warnings. In the loft, if it is safe to look from the hatch, snapped or split rafters are easy to spot.
When do you need an engineer?
If you see any of these signs, ask a structural engineer or surveyor to inspect before the roof is rebuilt. The Planning Portal gives that kind of advice when a roof's weight changes, and a fallen tree is just as good a reason to bring in an expert before rebuilding. A roofer can often tell you what looks wrong, and we point out what we find when we survey, but a structural opinion is a separate job. Our guide to tiles blown off in a storm covers lighter damage where the frame is untouched.
Tree surgeon first, roofer second
A fallen tree should come off before the roof is repaired, and the person who removes it needs to be a tree surgeon rather than a roofer. Tree work at height is a specialist trade with its own equipment and skills, and a trunk lying across a damaged roof is among the hardest jobs in it.
Why does the removal need planning?
The tree may be resting on a roof that is now partly unsupported. Cutting it in sections and lowering each piece reduces the load in steps. Taking the weight off all at once can make a bent rafter spring back and tear what remains, and a lifted tree can swing into the house. For large trees a crane may be used. Gatwick Airport asks for a permit when a crane is used within 6km of the airport, unless the equipment stays under 10m or sits hidden behind taller cover, so in this part of the county the tree surgeon should check that early. Ask who is dealing with it and whether cutting will happen from the ground, the roof or a lifting platform.
What does the roofer do and when?
Once the tree is off, or while it is being taken off in stages, a roofer can make the hole safe. That usually means clearing broken tiles and debris, covering the opening with sheeting fixed to sound battens or boards, and securing loose slates or tiles. Our order of work is to stop the water first and agree the permanent repair afterwards. Our page on what a roof make-safe involves explains that visit. If scaffold is needed and part of it will sit on the public highway, the highway authority issues a licence for it, and we sort that out alongside the scaffolder.
Birds, bats and the debris
Fallen trees often bring wildlife with them. A broken crown may have held a nest, and a roof that has been opened up may expose a space where bats were roosting. Both are protected, and it is worth knowing how before work starts.
What does the law say about nests and bats?
A nest with eggs or chicks in the crown of the fallen tree falls under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, where the test is whether anyone intentionally harms it. Bats get stronger protection: GOV.UK says every species is fully protected along with its breeding and resting spots, and a roof repair can count as disturbing them. Bats may roost in older tiled roofs, particularly in gaps under ridge tiles and behind fascias. If you see a bat, or droppings, tell the tree surgeon and the roofer before any repair, and do not handle the animal. Natural England has a role here, and the GOV.UK pages give the current guidance.
What happens to the debris?
Broken tiles, wet insulation, snapped timber and ceiling board all need to be taken away safely. Keep samples or photographs of anything that looks damaged. For a house built or refurbished before the year 2000, the HSE says to assume asbestos is there until shown otherwise. That includes older cement sheets, soffit boards and roofing, so do not sweep or break up suspect material yourself. Tell the roofer before work begins so they can look first. Leave anything that might be cement sheet where it lies, and keep children and pets off the area where debris has fallen until a professional has checked it.
A neighbour's tree and who is responsible
Many homeowners find the tree belonged to somebody else. The first reaction is often anger, but the practical steps are the same whoever owned it, and it helps to keep things calm and in writing.
What should you do if the tree is next door's?
Tell your neighbour what has happened as soon as it is safe, and ask whether they have buildings or home insurance and the details. Photograph the tree at the base and the broken points. Keep notes of what you saw, when, and what was said. Do not agree who pays in the first conversation. Whether anyone is liable depends on the circumstances, such as the condition of the tree beforehand and whether the neighbour knew of a problem, so that is a question for insurers, and where needed a solicitor, rather than for a roofer.
Does your own insurer deal with it first?
In practice you tell your own insurer first and let them work out who pays, because your cover is the quickest route to getting the roof made safe. A storm or a tree that fell without warning is often treated differently from one that was known to be dead or leaning, so avoid guessing the cause in writing. If the tree was protected, or stands in a protected area, ask the council's planning team before anyone cuts or removes more of it, because the rules differ from place to place. Your insurer may also choose the tree surgeon and the repairer, or allow you to pick your own, and our guide on choosing your own roofer for a claim sets out how to ask.
Insurance, photographs and the repair itself
Contact your insurer as early as you can. Which? reported in November 2025 that most insurers run emergency helplines, so you can ring straight away. It also quoted Financial Conduct Authority figures: only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 resulted in a payout. That is a reason to give the insurer full and accurate information rather than a reason to assume the result.
What should you keep?
In its storm advice, IStructE describes photographs as vital to a claim, since they record the damage as it was. Take them before anything moves, then again as work progresses. Keep every receipt for temporary repairs, tree work, scaffold and emergency accommodation. Ask each contractor for a written note of what they found and what they did. If you complain about how a claim was handled, the Financial Ombudsman Service exists for that purpose. We cannot promise any outcome from an insurer, and nobody should.
How does the permanent repair follow?
After the temporary cover is on and the tree is gone, we carry out a full survey, walk you through photos taken on site and give a single written total for the permanent work. Rafters, battens and underlay are usually part of the repair, as are the tiles. The roof may need approval or checks before it is rebuilt, so the roofer should ask building control if the work is large. If you send us photographs of the damage from the ground, and any insurer reference, we can plan access and materials before we arrive. Our emergency and general roof repairs page lists the other urgent jobs we cover.
Part of our Emergency & General Roof Repairs in Crawley
Fallen tree questions
Can I stay in my house after a tree hits the roof?
Only if the rooms you use are well away from the damage and no structural signs show, such as sagging ceilings, new wall cracks or creaking. If you are unsure, stay with friends or ask your insurer about alternative accommodation. A roofer or engineer can say whether the frame is safe once they have looked.
Do I need a tree surgeon or can the roofer remove the tree?
A tree surgeon should remove a tree that is lying on a roof, because the cutting order and the load on the damaged timbers need specialist judgement. The roofer then covers the hole and repairs the roof. Many jobs run together, with the roofer waiting while the tree comes off in sections.
Who pays if my neighbour's tree falls on my roof?
That depends on the facts, including the condition of the tree and what the owner knew. Start by telling your own insurer and keeping photographs and receipts, then let the insurers sort out responsibility. Do not agree anything with your neighbour in the first conversation, and avoid blaming anyone in writing.
