emergency roofer arriving at a house in heavy rain at night

Emergency roofer callout charges: what you'll pay

Real 2026 callout fees, hourly rates and make-safe costs, plus how to spot the storm chasers who exploit emergencies. Prices updated July 2026.

Quick answer: an emergency roofer callout costs £80 to £150 in normal hours in 2026, rising to £100 to £250 evenings and weekends, plus £60 to £120 per hour on site. A make-safe tarp over storm damage typically totals £150 to £400.

Emergency pricing feels opaque because you are buying speed, not just labour, and because you are ringing round at the worst possible moment. The table below shows what fair looks like in 2026 so you can commit fast without getting stung. If water is coming in right now, go straight to our emergency roof repairs page.

Emergency roofer charges (2026)

Charge	Typical cost
Callout fee (daytime)	£80 – £150
Callout fee (out of hours / weekend)	£100 – £250
Emergency labour per hour	£60 – £120
Tarp / make-safe over damage	£150 – £400
Temporary batten and membrane patch	£150 – £350

Many firms roll the first hour of labour into the callout fee. Always ask what the fee includes before they set off, and get the numbers by text or email so there is a record.

What an emergency visit actually does

An emergency visit is a make-safe, not a repair. The roofer stops the water with a tarp or temporary patch, secures anything loose, and makes the area safe. The permanent repair is quoted separately and done in dry daylight, when the roofer can see the full extent of the damage and fix it properly. That two-step sequence is the correct professional approach, not an upsell: nobody can carry out a lasting repair on a wet roof in the dark. Once you are safe and dry, the leaking roof repair cost guide and the wider roof repair cost guide show what the follow-up work should cost.

tarpaulin battened over a storm damaged section of roof

What counts as a genuine emergency

Active water coming through a ceiling, especially near light fittings or electrics.
Structural movement: a sagging or shifted roof section after a storm or impact.
Storm-loosened tiles or slates over public areas, paths, pavements or a neighbour's drive, where falling debris could injure someone.

A damp patch that is not growing, or a slipped tile in dry weather, is urgent but not an emergency. Booking a normal-hours visit saves the out-of-hours premium and gets you a better repair.

Storm-chaser warning: be wary of anyone who knocks on your door straight after a storm, demands cash up front, or refuses to put their name, address and price in writing. Those are the red flags of a callout scam, and storms are their harvest season. Our guide to roofing scams covers exactly how they operate.

Will insurance cover it?

On a valid storm claim, make-safe costs are usually recoverable, and most policies expect you to act quickly to prevent further damage. Keep the invoice, photograph everything before and after the make-safe work, and notify your insurer as soon as practical. The insurance and roof leaks guide walks through the claims process step by step.

What to do while you wait

Contain the water indoors: buckets under drips, towels along the edges, and pierce a bulging ceiling bubble with a screwdriver over a bucket to release the water in a controlled way.
Kill the electrics to affected fittings: if water is anywhere near lights or sockets, switch off those circuits at the consumer unit.
Never climb on the roof: a wet roof at night is how emergencies become tragedies. Move cars and people away from anything that might fall and leave the rest to the professional.

More on handling the leak itself in our leaking roof guide. When the emergency has passed, get free quotes for the permanent repair from vetted local roofers.

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Emergency callout FAQs

Emergency roofer questions, answered

An emergency roofer callout costs £80 to £150 in normal working hours in 2026, rising to £100 to £250 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. On top of the callout fee, expect £60 to £120 per hour for time on site. A typical make-safe visit, tarping or patching storm damage, totals £150 to £400 all in.

No, and they are not meant to be. An emergency visit makes the roof safe and watertight with a tarp or temporary patch, then the permanent repair is quoted separately and carried out in dry daylight when the roofer can properly inspect and fix the damage. Make-safe first, permanent quote after is the correct professional sequence, not an upsell.

For active leaks, usually yes. Reputable local firms prioritise same-day make-safe visits when water is coming into a home, because they know the damage compounds by the hour. After a major storm demand spikes and you may wait a day or two, which is when tarping the damage becomes the priority rather than the full repair.

Usually, yes, on a valid storm damage claim. Most home insurance policies treat reasonable make-safe costs as part of the claim because they prevent further damage, and some insurers require you to mitigate. Keep the invoice, photograph the damage before and after the make-safe work, and notify your insurer promptly. See the insurance and roof leaks guide.

If water is actively coming in, no. Soaked insulation, collapsing plasterboard ceilings and water in light fittings and electrics rack up damage far faster than the £50 to £100 out-of-hours premium you would save. If the leak has stopped and the forecast is dry, waiting for a normal-hours visit is a reasonable way to save money.