The short answer
A storm chaser is someone who calls on houses uninvited after bad weather, often says they have spotted damage from the road and pushes for an immediate start and a cash payment. You are under no obligation to let them on the roof. Take their details, say you will arrange your own survey, and never pay upfront or hand over bank details on the doorstep.
What a storm chaser looks like in practice
The pattern is familiar. Strong winds hit, and within a day or two a van appears on the street. Someone knocks and says they were passing, noticed a loose ridge or a slipped tile on your roof and can sort it for a small sum while they are in the area. The offer is often attached to a story: the materials are left over from another job, or the price holds only today.
Genuine local roofers do get busy after storms, and some will leave a card. The difference lies in how they behave when you say you want time. A reputable firm gives you a written quote, lets you compare it and comes back when you are ready. A chaser leans on urgency, because delay gives you the chance to ask questions.
Roofs often do take storm damage, which is what makes the approach work. A caller who points at a real loose tile is not proof of honesty, and the same loose tile can be photographed from the ground by anyone.
Pressure tactics to recognise
Several moves turn up again and again. A caller may say the damage is dangerous and cannot wait, or that water will come in tonight. They may show you a photograph on their phone and claim it is your roof, when you cannot tell from the picture whether it is. Some ask to go up and take a look first, then come down with a list of problems you cannot verify.
Another favourite is the price that rises on the roof. A small repair becomes a larger one once they are up there, and the discovery is always urgent. Requests for payment in cash, for a deposit to buy materials or for a card payment on the spot are warnings in their own right.
A sudden lift to your sense of alarm is the point of the technique. If the problem is as pressing as they say, a call to a firm you choose yourself will confirm it, and a temporary make-safe can be arranged for the interim. Our page on insurance and temporary roof repairs shows why rushed paperwork can hurt a later claim.
Checks to make before anyone touches the roof
Slow things down and ask for specifics. A real business has a name, a registered address and a landline or office number you can call back. Look them up independently rather than trusting a card or a van sign, and check that the name on the quote matches the name on the vehicle.
Insist on a written quote that names the work, the part of the roof and the materials, and take it indoors to read. Ask who will actually carry out the work and whether the firm will be on site. Anyone carrying waste away from a job needs to be a registered waste carrier, and you can ask to see that.
Do not agree to payment in advance beyond a modest, documented deposit, and never pay in full before the work is finished. Never let someone remove roof coverings before a scope of work is agreed, because a stripped roof is a hostage. If they will not wait, that tells you what you need to know.
Your cancellation rights
When you agree a contract at your own home, the law treats it as an off-premises contract. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 you get 14 days to cancel a service. Work normally waits until the 14 days are up, and starts sooner only if you request that in writing. Our page on the 14-day cooling-off rule sets the detail out.
If you cancel after an early start you requested, you pay only for the work done so far. Traders must also tell you about the right to cancel; if they do not, the period can run on for up to twelve months. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 adds that any service must be performed with reasonable care and skill.
These rules are not a reason to sign quickly. They are a reason to read what you are given, to sign nothing you do not understand and to keep copies. Our guide to checks to make after a storm covers what to look at on your own property first.
Damage that is real, and what to do about it
Turning away a caller does not mean ignoring the roof. Walk round the house from the ground after a storm and look for slipped tiles, debris and wet patches indoors. If something looks wrong, photograph it from the garden and arrange a survey with a firm you have chosen.
Where the problem is a loose flashing or lifted lead, our page on flashing that has blown off explains what that involves and why it should not be left. For damage that is not caused by weather, such as a ladder knock or a dropped tool, see accidental damage to a roof.
If a particular caller worries you, pass the details to the consumer advice service, and warn neighbours who may be less sure of themselves.
How we handle storm work
We do not knock on doors after storms. If you phone or message us, we prioritise leaks and storm damage, stop the water first, then survey the roof and photograph what we find. A written quote comes afterwards, and if a modest repair is enough, that is what it will describe rather than a bigger scheme.
Our 10-year workmanship guarantee is written down, and we tidy up and remove our waste when we leave. You can see our approach to urgent callouts on the emergency roof repairs page.