Why Are My Roof Tiles Lifting in the Wind?

Wind does not just push on a roof. It flows over the slope, and at the edges and ridge it creates suction that tries to peel the covering away. A tile is held down by its weight, the hook of its nibs over the batten, and any nail or clip. When suction beats those, the tile lifts at its tail, knocks against the next course, and may be thrown clear.

You often hear the problem before you see it: a clatter on windy nights, or a tile that taps with every gust. From the ground, look for tiles whose tails stand proud of their neighbours, a ridge line that looks uneven, or tiles lying in the garden after a blow.

Lifting tiles let rain in as well. Once a tile has risen, water is driven beneath it onto the felt and battens. That is why a few chattering tiles deserve attention before they escape. Our answer on why a roof leaks in wind-driven rain explains what follows when the covering stops shedding water.

Many older roofs were laid with tiles resting on battens with few fixings, because wind was met by weight and by the interlock between tiles. Over time, vibration loosens what little holds them. Clips, the small metal brackets that grip a tile's lower edge to the batten, may never have been fitted, or may have rusted away.

Edges are most at risk. Tiles at the verge (the finished side edge where a gable meets open air), along the ridge and at the eaves take the strongest suction, so these courses need more fixing than the middle of a slope. If they were only nailed now and then, the roof can look sound while being under-fixed exactly where gusts bite hardest.

Our answer on whether roof tiles need clips goes into where clips matter. A roofer should check every course for nails, clips and nibs, and for battens that no longer grip a nail. A tile can only be fixed as well as the batten behind it, so soft or split battens have to be handled in the same visit.

BS 5534, the slating and tiling standard, is listed by BSI as BS 5534:2014+A2:2018. It sets out how coverings should be fixed. A fixing schedule says how many nails or clips each tile needs in each part of a roof, depending on exposure and the height of the building. Tile makers publish their own guidance as well.

Marley explains that since the 2014 revision a mortar bed has not been accepted as sufficient alone for the ridge and hip, so a nail, clip or similar fixing is expected too. It also says that installing to BS 5534 is not required by law. The standard is therefore good practice that responsible roofers follow, rather than a statute.

The code itself accepts that a few old roofs, where the tiles are traditional or reclaimed, may not fit its recommendations neatly, so on those the roofer weighs up the best fixing on the day and explains the choice to you. For dry ridge and verge, BS 8612 is the test specification; our dry ridge and dry verge page explains the systems.

A repair can be small: refixing a handful of tiles with new clips and nails, replacing cracked ones, and securing the ridge or verge. If many courses are under-fixed, a roofer may recommend lifting and refixing a whole slope to a schedule. We photograph the fixings we find so you can judge their condition yourself, then give you a single overall price on paper once the roof has been inspected. Our pitched roofing page covers wider work.

If a gale has already damaged the roof, ring your insurer before anything else, then get a temporary fix done and hold on to every receipt along with dated photos of the damage. IStructE describes pictures as vital evidence for any claim. Which? cites the financial regulator's figures, saying only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 ended in a payout, so keep thorough records and do not take cover for granted. Writing down the day of the gale and the wind direction helps too.

Ask the roofer what will hold each tile, how the edges will be treated and whether the work follows the tile maker's guidance. Never climb up to check loose tiles yourself; a tile that shifts underfoot is a fall waiting to happen.