The short answer
A roofer lays a heavy-duty sheet over the damaged area, takes it across the top of the slope where the shape allows, and fixes it to timber battens screwed through the sheet into the rafters or existing battens, with nothing driven through sound tiles. The work needs ladders, edge protection and a steady head, so it is a job for a professional, not a householder on a wet, windy evening.
What a roofing tarpaulin is for
A tarpaulin is a temporary waterproof cover. It is not a repair. Its job is to shed rain over a hole, a stripped slope or a gap left by missing tiles until the proper work can be carried out, usually after the weather settles and the materials arrive.
The sheet used by roofers is far heavier than the blue camping type sold in hardware shops. It is woven, reinforced at the edges and treated against sunlight, with eyelets or hems that can be fixed without tearing. Thin sheeting rips in the first strong gust and then beats against the roof, loosening more than it protects.
On a leaking roof the priority is to stop water reaching the ceilings, the insulation and the electrics. If you are not sure the damage is bad enough to need a cover, our page on whether a roof leak is worth claiming helps you think about the bigger picture.
How a tarp is secured without harming the roof
The method matters more than the material. The aim is to hold the sheet down against wind lifting it from underneath, while leaving the surviving covering intact.
A careful roofer begins by clearing sharp debris and loose fragments so nothing punctures the sheet. The tarp is then unrolled from the ridge downwards, carried over the top where the shape of the roof allows, and pulled taut so it cannot pocket with wind. Timber battens are laid along the edges and across the sheet, and fixed through the tarp into rafters, the roof frame or sound existing battens. Where a batten has to cross tiles, it is bridged or packed so the tiles are not cracked.
Nails through the middle of a slope, or ropes tied to a chimney pot, are the signs of a rushed job. Weights such as bricks or sandbags on top slide, fall and injure people below. Holes made carelessly become new leaks, and the surrounding covering may need replacing as a result.
Why you should not do it yourself
Putting a tarp on a roof means working at height, on a surface that is wet, often in wind and in poor light. Falls from roofs and ladders cause serious injuries, and a sheet of plastic acts as a sail in a gust, pulling the person holding it off balance. Slate and tile are slippery when damp, and damaged areas may not carry your weight.
There are other hazards you cannot see from below. The structure may be weakened by a fallen tree, rafters can be cracked, and cables or a satellite dish may be live or loose. Never lean a ladder against guttering, which will not take the load, and do not reach out from a window onto the roof.
If water is already coming in, put buckets under the drips, move valuables and turn the electrics off at the fuse board when the water is anywhere near a light fitting or socket. Then call a roofer. Our page on what an out-of-hours roofer costs explains what affects the price of an urgent visit.
What affects the cost of a tarp job
The price depends on how much needs covering, how high the roof is and how the area can be reached. A small gap on a single-storey extension is a quick visit. A broad slope on a three-storey house with no safe approach may need a scaffold tower or a mobile platform, which changes the figure considerably. National guides put a typical two-storey house scaffold at around £850 to £1,200, according to MyBuilder's scaffolding guide, updated in August 2026.
Timing and the state of the weather add to it, since urgent evening work is dearer than a booked visit. For storm repairs in general, MyBuilder gives a range of £500 to £1,500 in its roof repair guide, also updated in August 2026. Treat those as general UK guide figures only; what your roof needs is settled by the survey, and the price arrives in writing after it.
Our page on what emergency roof repairs cost breaks down what moves the bill.
Tarpaulins and your insurance
Most home policies expect you to take reasonable steps to stop damage getting worse, and a temporary cover is one of the usual ways to do that. Whether the cost comes back to you depends on the policy and on whether the cause of damage is covered at all. Insurers often apply a storm test based on gusts reaching 55mph or more, as Which? reported in November 2025, and our page on what counts as a storm for insurance explains how that works.
Photograph the damage before the sheet goes on, keep the receipt, then telephone your insurer early.
What happens after the tarp is up
A tarp buys time, but it does not last. Sun, wind and rain wear the fixings and the fabric, and a sheet left in place week after week begins to fail, trap moisture against the timbers or slip. The next step is to arrange the permanent repair while the cover is still doing its job.
When we are called to a leaking roof, we make it safe, survey the damage and take photographs of the slope itself, and only then put a price on paper. If a small repair properly cures the fault, that is what we recommend, and we do not suggest a bigger job than the roof needs. The full range of urgent work is on our emergency roof repairs page.