The short answer
Hailstones can crack rooflights, split polycarbonate sheets, chip old or weathered tiles and slates, dent soft metal and break glass in skylights. Well-laid modern coverings usually shrug off ordinary hail. After a hailstorm, look from the ground for debris, cracks and fresh bright edges, then check ceilings and the loft for damp over the next few days.
Which parts of a roof are most exposed
Hail is solid ice falling fast, and it hits harder on horizontal or shallow surfaces than on steep ones. That is why the vulnerable parts of a house are rarely the main slopes. Rooflights and roof windows take the brunt, especially older ones with thin glass or plastic domes. Conservatory roofs, porch canopies and lean-to extensions covered in polycarbonate sheeting are next. Polycarbonate is a rigid clear plastic, and as it ages it grows brittle and can crack in a hailstorm that leaves the glass alongside untouched.
Garage and shed roofs, covered in thin bitumen felt, can be bruised or punctured, and flat roofs of any kind show hail marks sooner than pitched ones because stones lie on them and the surface gets hit at right angles. Greenhouse glazing, cold frames and plastic guttering are equally at risk, and vents or satellite dishes can be dented.
Tiles and slates in older condition
A modern concrete tile or well-fired clay tile is built to take impact, and ordinary UK hail seldom does it lasting harm. Older coverings are different. Tiles that have been weathering for decades can have hairline cracks you cannot see from the ground, frost-damaged faces, or edges worn thin, and a hailstone finds those faults. The same goes for slates that have started to laminate, splitting along their layers.
Moss-covered roofs can hide damage, and a tile cracked by hail may hold in place until the next wind lifts it. That delay is why a leak sometimes appears weeks after a storm, and why a dry loft the morning after is not a clean bill of health. Brittle, aged coverings are the main reason a survey is worth having after severe hail, even when nothing looks wrong at first glance. If you are unsure whether a stain is from the roof or the guttering, see whether it is the gutter or the roof leaking.
What you can safely check yourself
Stay on the ground. Walk round the house when it is dry and look up, using binoculars if you have them. You are looking for tile or slate fragments in beds and on paths, dents or splits in plastic guttering and downpipes, bright, freshly exposed edges on a tile, and cracked or crazed rooflights. Look at the sills and glass of any conservatory too.
Then go inside. Check ceilings under the roof for new stains, and look in the loft for daylight or damp on the underside of the covering. Pay attention over the following days, because water tracking along timbers can take time to surface. A stain that appears after the next shower, not the storm itself, is a normal pattern.
Take dated photographs of everything, including undamaged areas, as a record for later. Pictures of a clean, intact roof taken before the storm are even more useful if you have any, because they show the condition it was in.
Do not sweep ice or debris off the roof, and keep children and pets away from areas where glass or plastic may have fallen. Sharp fragments of polycarbonate and glazing can lie unnoticed in gutters, planters and long grass for weeks.
Making it safe, then fixing it properly
If a rooflight or polycarbonate panel has cracked, the priority is keeping weather out and keeping broken pieces from falling. A temporary cover can be fixed over the opening, much as described in our page on how long a tarp can stay on a roof. Cracked glass should be left to a professional, not pulled out by hand.
The lasting repair depends on the fault. Cracked tiles and slates are replaced individually. A split polycarbonate sheet is swapped for a new one, though if the whole roof is old, replacement of the lot often makes better sense. A damaged rooflight is replaced with one that meets current standards: Part L of the Building Regulations sets limits for new rooflights and roof windows, and which one applies depends on the product. We tell you which repair is proportionate.
Cost and who pays
Hail repairs span the whole range of roof work. MyBuilder's repair guide, updated in August 2026, bands minor repairs at £100 to £300, moderate at £500 to £1,000, and storm fixes at £500 to £1,500. Rooflight or conservatory roof replacement costs more, and MyBuilder's conservatory guide, also updated in August 2026, gives polycarbonate roofs at £2,000 to £5,000. These are national figures; your quote follows a survey.
If you are weighing a claim, hail can count as storm damage, but insurers look at the cause. The Financial Ombudsman looks at two things: is the damage typical of a storm, and did the weather itself cause it? Brittle old plastic that was already near failure may be treated as wear and tear. Our pages on neighbours' tiles damaging your property and emergency roof repair costs add detail.
When to ask for a survey
Book one if any rooflight or plastic roof has cracked, if you find tile fragments on the ground, or if a stain appears after the storm. We inspect from the roof, photograph each defect and send the pictures with a written quote that covers only what needs doing. We stand behind our work with a written 10-year guarantee. To arrange a visit, ring 01793 626096, write on WhatsApp or fill in the form. Our emergency roof repairs hub lists every other storm situation.