What to do if…
you notice your roofline sagging after severe weather

What to do now

1. Move people and pets away from the risk zone. Stay out of rooms directly under the sagging area and keep everyone out of the loft or attic space.
2. Look only from safe positions. From the ground, a doorway, or another safe place, check for new ceiling cracks, cracks around doors or windows, doors or windows that suddenly stick, roof tiles that have shifted, a bowed gable, or a chimney that looks out of line.
3. Leave and call 999 if there may be immediate danger. For example, do this if the sag is rapidly worsening, debris is falling, there is loud or continuous cracking, a wall or gable is visibly bowing, or any part of the roof appears to be separating.
4. Contact your local council urgently about a potentially dangerous structure. In England and Wales, use the GOV.UK dangerous building or structure service to find the right council contact. In Scotland or Northern Ireland, contact your local authority directly and look for dangerous buildings, building standards, building control, or emergency out-of-hours contact.
5. Arrange a prompt structural assessment. Ask for a qualified structural engineer or building surveyor with experience of roofs, storm damage, or post-weather structural movement.
6. Tell the relevant property contact. If you own the home and have buildings insurance, call your insurer’s emergency or home-claims line and ask what they want you to do next. If you rent, contact your landlord or letting agent. If you are a leaseholder, also contact the freeholder, managing agent, or building owner.
7. Document only what you can safely see. Take photos or videos from ground level outside and from safe indoor positions. Note the date, time, weather event, what changed, and whether any cracks, noises, sticking doors, or leaks appeared at the same time.
8. If the home is a new build or has recent roof work, pull the paperwork together without delaying safety action. Find the completion date, builder or roofer details, building-control documents, warranty details, and any NHBC or similar new-home warranty documents. Report the issue through the builder or warranty route as well as the insurer or property contact, but do not assume the cause yet.
9. Treat utility hazards as separate emergencies. If you smell gas or suspect carbon monoxide, get everyone into fresh air and call 0800 111 999 in Great Britain, or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland. If there is a dangerous electrical issue, damaged outside electrical equipment, or a power-cut hazard, keep away from it and call 105 in England, Scotland, or Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.