Storms in Newcastle and the Hunter tend to bring three problems at once: strong wind, heavy rain and, sometimes, hail. A roof in good order usually rides them out. A roof with a cracked tile, a loose ridge cap or a blocked gutter is the one that ends up with water through the ceiling. The good news is that most storm damage starts with small faults you can find and fix well before the weather turns.
This guide walks through what to check, what to leave to a roofer, and what to do if a storm does get in.
Start with safety
You do not need to climb onto the roof to do most of this. Tiles break underfoot, metal is slippery when damp, and falls from roofs cause serious injuries. Everything in the checklist below can be done from the ground, from a window, from inside the roof space with a torch, or from a ladder at the gutter line if you are steady on one and have someone holding it. Anything that needs walking on the roof is a job for a roofer.
Step 1: Clear the gutters and downpipes
Blocked gutters are behind a large share of storm leaks. When heavy rain arrives faster than a gutter can drain, water backs up, spills over the back edge of the gutter and runs into the eaves or down inside the wall.
- Remove leaves, twigs and sludge from gutters, paying attention to corners and the area around each downpipe outlet.
- Run a hose into each gutter and watch where the water goes. It should flow steadily to the downpipe without pooling.
- Check that downpipes are not blocked. Water that bubbles back up at the outlet points to a blockage further down.
- Look for gutters sagging away from the fascia, joints that drip and rust spots that have become holes.
Homes near the lake or backed by bushland often collect more leaf litter than homes in open streets, so gutters there may need clearing more often. Gutter guard can reduce how much debris gets in, though it still needs occasional cleaning. Our gutters and downpipes page covers repairs, replacement and guards.
Step 2: Look at the roof from the ground
Walk around the house on a clear day, ideally with binoculars, and look for:
- On tile roofs: cracked, chipped or slipped tiles, gaps in the tile rows, and ridge caps that look out of line.
- On ridges and hips: pointing that has cracked, crumbled or fallen away, leaving the bedding exposed.
- On metal roofs: sheets that have lifted at the edges, screws that are missing or backing out, and rust at laps, around fixings or along the bottom edge of sheets.
- Around penetrations: flashings around chimneys, vents, skylights and solar mounts that have lifted, cracked or pulled away.
- In valleys: debris sitting in the valley, or visible rust in metal valley irons.
Take photos of anything that looks wrong. They are useful for a roofer and, if a storm hits later, they help show what the roof looked like beforehand.
Step 3: Check inside the roof space
On a bright day, go into the roof space with a torch if it is safe to do so, and stand only on the ceiling joists. Look for:
- Daylight showing through the tiles where it should not.
- Water stains, tide marks or dark patches on timber, sarking or insulation.
- Damp or mouldy smells.
Stains show where water has come in before. They do not always sit directly under the fault, because water can travel along battens and rafters, but they tell a roofer where to start looking.
Step 4: Deal with trees and loose items
- Have overhanging branches trimmed, particularly large limbs above the roof. Use a qualified arborist for anything big, and check your council's tree rules before removing or heavily pruning a tree.
- Branches that brush the roof in the wind can wear through coatings and dislodge tiles.
- Tie down or store outdoor furniture, trampolines and bins. Wind can throw them into the roof or through windows.
- Check that TV antennas, satellite dishes and solar panels are firmly fixed.
Step 5: Fix the small faults before they become big ones
The faults that let a storm in are usually cheap to fix compared with a wet ceiling. Cracked tiles, failed pointing, loose metal fixings and lifted flashings can all be repaired in a single visit. As a guide, a September 2026 Newcastle market guide puts most minor leak repairs between $240 and $760, and most tile replacement repairs between $285 and $950. Those are modelled estimates, not our quotes, and the right price for your roof depends on its size, pitch and access, material, condition and the repairs needed. We confirm the price in writing after a free on-site inspection.
If the whole roof is tired, with ridge pointing failing along every ridge or rust spreading across a metal roof, patching one spot at a time may not be the best use of money. A roof restoration deals with the whole roof in one go.
Property details that change the checklist
Homes close to the coast
Salt in the air can speed up corrosion on metal sheets, screws, flashings and gutters. If your home has a clear line to the ocean or the harbour, pay extra attention to fixings and to the underside of sheet laps, and rinse areas that rain does not reach, such as under eaves. How much this matters depends on the individual property and its exposure.
Older terraces and character homes
Older homes often have box gutters, parapet walls and internal valleys that can overflow in heavy rain. These details are worth having inspected because an overflow there tends to run straight into the building. If the home is heritage listed or in a heritage area, repairs that change the appearance of the roof may need council approval.
Post-war brick veneer homes
Many of these homes have concrete tile roofs of a similar age, where ridge pointing and bedding are the common weak spots. That is a general pattern, so check your own roof rather than assume.
Consider a pre-storm inspection
If you cannot see the roof well from the ground, or you are not sure what you are looking at, a roof inspection is the simplest option. We get on the roof, check tiles or sheets, ridges, flashings, valleys, gutters and downpipes, and explain what we find. The inspection is free, and so is the quote for any repairs.
If a storm damages your roof
- Stay safe. Do not go onto the roof during or straight after a storm. Keep clear of fallen power lines and report them.
- Get help if you need it. The NSW SES is the agency for emergency storm help, such as covering a damaged roof when water is pouring in.
- Limit the damage inside. Move belongings away from leaks, put buckets under drips and turn off power to affected areas if water is near light fittings.
- Record everything. Photograph the damage inside and out, and keep any broken tiles or debris.
- Contact your insurer and ask what they need from you.
- Book a roofer for a proper repair. Many insurers ask for a report on the cause of the damage, and a storm damage repair visit can include one.
Flooding is not the same as a roof leak
Water coming in at ground level after heavy rain is usually a drainage or flooding issue, not a roof fault. Roof work cannot fix creek or overland flooding. The reverse is also true: a flooded yard does not mean the roof is damaged. If you have water on a ceiling or running down an internal wall, that points to the roof, gutters or flashings, and that is what we can inspect.
Book before the weather turns
Roofers get busy once storms start, so the best time to check and repair a roof is before you need to. Call (02) 4047 0860 or contact us to book a free on-site inspection.