Storm and hail damage roof repairs in Brisbane’s inner north

What to do first when a storm damages your roof

• If anyone’s life is in danger, call Triple Zero (000).
• For a damaged or badly leaking roof, call the SES on 132 500. The Queensland SES takes calls “for non-life threatening flood and storm emergency assistance”, including when “There is damage to your roof or it is leaking significantly” or the house is “in need of temporary repair that you cannot repair yourself”. It warns that demand in a severe storm “can lead to long wait times”, and you can also request help through the SES Assistance QLD app.
• Stay away from fallen power lines and report them to Energex on 13 19 62, as Brisbane City Council advises.
• Tell your insurer early. The Insurance Council of Australia says to contact your insurer “as soon as possible” and “Let your insurer know if you’ve sustained roof damage”.

We’d rather you didn’t climb onto a storm-damaged roof: wet tiles and sheets are slippery, and broken tiles and loose sheets can give way. This quote form isn’t monitored for emergencies. Use it for the permanent repair, once the house is safe.

What storm and hail roof repairs cover

The SES does temporary work; Brisbane City Council’s guide lists 132 500 “for temporary roof repairs or sandbagging”. The SES flyer says to contact your insurer “to make a claim or arrange permanent repairs”, or “Contact a private contractor”. The permanent repair is what a roofer quotes for.

Hail damage

Hail cracks and holes concrete and terracotta tiles, chips the pointing on ridges, dents metal sheets, flashings and gutters, and smashes old skylight domes. Some cracks don’t show from the ground, so the roofer inspects from the roof and the roof space.

Wind damage

Strong gusts lift sheets at the edges and laps, pull out loose screws, dislodge ridge capping and tear flashings and gutters. The roofer refixes or replaces what has lifted and checks the battens and fixings underneath.

Fallen branches and leaks

A branch through the roof means broken tiles or sheets, and sometimes damaged battens or rafters. Once the branch is removed, the roofer replaces the covering, and any structural damage is assessed before the roof is closed up.

Storm damage roof repair costs in Brisbane

Storm repairs are priced on what the roofer finds: how many tiles or sheets, which flashings and gutters, and access. For an insured repair, your excess and what the insurer approves matter more than the published bands.

Storm and hail roof repair prices in Brisbane

Checked 22 October 2026. Brisbane Roof and Paint is a Sunnybank contractor; its leak guide (updated 18 March 2026) doesn’t say whether GST is included, and says “emergency, after-hours call-outs will typically incur an additional fee” without giving one. whatsthedamage.com.au is a national cost-guide website that sells listings to roofers; its Brisbane row (updated 8 October 2026) includes GST. No one in Brisbane publishes a price for tarping or make-safe work.

The roof repair cost guide has more published repair figures and what pushes a price up.

Storm damage insurance claims: photos, approval and door-knockers

• Before you clean up, “document the damage with photos and videos to support an insurance claim” (Insurance Council of Australia).
• Speak to your insurer before you “attempt or authorise any building work, including emergency repairs, and ask for the insurer’s permission in writing, as unauthorised work may not be covered by your policy.”
• Be wary of storm door-knockers. The ICA says “insurers will not send a tradesperson or builder to your home without telling you first”, and to “Always speak to your insurer before you sign a contract for repairs or rebuilding work.”
• The QBCC says to “Only use QBCC licensed contractors for repair work, so you have cover with the Home Warranty Scheme”, and to “Make sure you have a written contract for the repairs.”

Ask the roofer for photos of the damage and a written, itemised scope; your insurer or its assessor decides what the claim covers.

Hailstorms in Brisbane and repairs to character houses

On 27 November 2014 a supercell brought “hail the size of tennis balls” to Brisbane, according to the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. It records “damage to at least 22,000 homes”, SES volunteers and firefighters tying tarpaulins onto roofs, and an Insurance Council update that “100,223 claims have been lodged by property and motor vehicle owners” with estimated insurance losses of “$1,040 million”.

Storm season still brings hail. The Insurance Council declared a Significant Event for the hailstorm across the wider Brisbane region on 26 October 2025, with 11,000 claims at the time, and an Insurance Catastrophe for South East Queensland’s hail and wind of 23 and 24 November 2025, with more than 16,000 claims in its first days.

Many inner-north houses sit in Brisbane City Plan character overlays. Council’s severe-weather fact sheet says rebuilding or repairing a weather-damaged house like-for-like doesn’t need a development application (DA), “providing the previous building was lawful”. External repairs with different materials “May require DA in some circumstances” where the house is in the Traditional Building Character or Pre-1911 Building overlay, and structural work may need a building approval from a private certifier.

Who can repair storm damage to a roof in Queensland

The QBCC says you need a contractor licence for building work “valued over $3,300”, in the right class: roof tiling for tiles, bedding and pointing; roof and wall cladding for metal roofs, flashings and gutters. Check any roofer, including one who knocks on your door, on the QBCC licensee register.

What to have ready

• When the storm hit, and any temporary work already done by the SES or anyone else
• Roof material (tiles, corrugated iron, Colorbond or fibro) and one or two storeys
• Photos from the ground and of any water or ceiling damage inside
• Whether you’ve lodged an insurance claim, and any claim number or assessor’s report

Common questions