The short answer
Sometimes. The answer turns on your policy wording and on whether the underlying damage is covered. Many policies ask you to take sensible steps to prevent further loss, and some include emergency costs within a claim. Nothing is automatic. Read the wording, ring your insurer before spending more than a basic make-safe, and keep every receipt and photograph.
Why policies talk about emergency measures
An insurer pays for a loss, and it does not want that loss to grow. A tile missing today is a repair; a tile missing for a month with rain pouring into the loft is a repair plus a ceiling, insulation, redecoration and possibly a rotten timber. For that reason, home policies commonly include a duty to take reasonable care of the property and to limit damage once it has happened.
Some policies go further and state that necessary emergency repairs form part of the claim, usually within a set sum. Others say nothing specific, leaving it to the general conditions. A few name an emergency helpline or approved contractors, and may ask you to use them.
The terms differ widely, which makes your own schedule and policy booklet rather than rely on what a neighbour was paid. the right place to start. Look under headings such as storm, escape of water, emergency access, claims conditions and duty of care.
What industry advice says about temporary repairs
The Association of British Insurers published storm guidance for Storm Eunice on 18 February 2022. It urged householders to ring their insurer promptly. Where it was necessary, they could organise temporary emergency repairs to prevent more damage, provided they spoke to the insurer first, and they were to retain any receipts because those would feed into the claim.
It was advice issued for one named storm, so treat it as general guidance and not as a promise about what your own policy will do. The practical message is clear all the same: ring first, protect the building, document the work.
The call matters for another reason. The insurer may be able to send its own contractor, or tell you which costs it will consider and which it will not. A call made before spending is a better position than a query raised afterwards. Our page on what to do when a roof leaks sets out the first steps in order.
Receipts, invoices and photographs
If the cost of a make-safe is to be considered, you need to prove what was done and why. Request an invoice from the roofer that gives the address, the date, a plain description of the work and the amount, and says that it was a temporary measure. Keep card slips and bank records as well, since an invoice with no payment trail is weaker.
Photographs from before and after the work show the insurer the condition on arrival and the steps taken since. Dated pictures of the damage, the covering in place and the inside of the house tell the story without anyone having to remember it.
Keep every document in one place, add a short note of each phone call with the date, and save the reference number you are given. If a dispute follows, that folder is your case.
Why payment is never guaranteed
Even when the policy mentions emergency repairs, the claim as a whole still has to be accepted. If an insurer decides the damage came from gradual deterioration instead of a sudden event, it may decline the claim, and the temporary work with it. Which? warned that wear and tear is often outside a standard policy, and passed on Financial Conduct Authority figures showing that only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 resulted in a payout.
Excess, policy limits and exclusions all reduce what comes back, and a policy may set a lower limit for emergency costs than for the claim as a whole. A small temporary job may cost less than your excess, which means there is no payment at all even if the claim is accepted.
Leaving a roof open to the weather is not the answer. These points are a reason to understand the position before you commit. If the answer you receive seems wrong, our page on accidental damage to a roof explains how some losses fall under different cover, and the Financial Ombudsman Service handles unresolved complaints.
Doorstep offers and rushed decisions
A claim can make you vulnerable to pressure. Callers who appear after a storm and offer to fix everything today, claiming to know what the insurer will pay, are not speaking for your insurer. Our page on storm chaser roofers describes the approach and the checks to make.
Likewise, a temporary cover should not turn into an open-ended arrangement. Our page on how long a tarp can stay on a roof explains why the permanent repair needs to follow, and why delay can add to the damage.
How we approach an emergency call
The claim itself sits between you and your insurer, and we cannot forecast any payment. When you contact us about a leak or storm damage, we prioritise it, make the roof safe and then survey it, with photographs of the damage. Our price arrives in writing once the survey is done, and it describes the work needed. You may hand a copy to your insurer if you wish.
For a temporary job we write down what was done and why, so the paperwork is clear. For permanent work we put forward only what the fault really requires, and a 10-year workmanship guarantee is written into the paperwork. Afterwards we clear the site and remove the waste. Our emergency roof repairs page has the detail.