Why repairs pile up after Gold Coast storms
Christmas 2023, suburb by suburb
After the storms of Christmas evening 2023, 60 Gold Coast localities were activated for disaster recovery assistance, among them Helensvale, Oxenford, Upper Coomera, Coomera, Nerang, Mudgeeraba and Wongawallan. Within days, the city accounted for more than 10,000 of the first 18,000-plus claims lodged across three states.
Gusts that find the weak spots
When ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred pushed gusts over 100 km/h across the Gold Coast on 7 March 2025, it tore the roof off an apartment building. Most houses don't lose a whole roof, but wind like that works loose whatever was already tired: crumbling ridge mortar, rusted screws, lifted flashings.
Trees come down too
Alfred also felled large pine trees in Kirra. A branch through the tiles or a crushed gutter is exactly the sort of damage your insurer will want photographed before anyone moves it.
What usually needs fixing
Most storm repairs come down to a handful of jobs: swapping cracked or slipped tiles, rebedding a run of ridge capping (relaying the mortar that holds the caps along the top), refixing or replacing metal sheets and screws, and resealing flashings around walls, vents and skylights.
Monier, the tile maker, says storm-damaged tiles can be replaced one at a time rather than redoing the roof. On metal, a roofer should check the laps where sheets overlap, because BlueScope notes a bent overlap can let water in. Our national roof repairs page and the guide to hail and storm damage go deeper.
Watch for door-knockers after a storm
The Insurance Council warns that 'disaster chasers' door-knock after storms, say they've spotted damage or that they represent your insurer, and are often unlicensed. Insurers won't send a tradesperson without telling you first.
If you agree to work at your door when you didn't invite the trader, Australian Consumer Law generally gives you 10 business days to cancel, and they can't start or take payment in that time. Speak to your insurer before signing anything.
What to ask a Gold Coast roofer about a repair
- What's your QBCC licence number, and which class? Tiles and metal sheeting are different licence classes.
- Is this storm damage or wear and tear, and will you put that in writing for my insurer?
- Can you send photos of the damage and of the finished repair?
- If the job goes over $3,300, will I get a written contract?
- Is anything else loose up there that the next storm will find?
What you can do, and what to leave
You can
- Photograph the damage from the ground, plus any ceiling stains, before anything is moved
- Put a bucket under drips and shift valuables out of the way
- Call your insurer early and ask whether they can arrange a tarp
- Call the SES on 132 500 if the roof is open to the weather
Leave to a roofer
- Anything on the roof, wet or dry
- Replacing tiles, ridge mortar, sheets or screws
- Temporary covers until the proper fix
- Older roofs that might be asbestos cement
What we'd do
We'd get small storm damage fixed fast, ideally before February, the Gold Coast's wettest month. If it's an insurance job, we'd ring the insurer first and keep every photo. And we wouldn't sign with anyone who turned up at the door after a storm, however good the price sounded. The Gold Coast hub has the wider local picture.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.