Roof Tarp vs Permanent Repair: When to Tarp and How Long It Lasts

Not every leak needs a tarp. A cracked pipe boot, a few missing shingles or a lifted flashing can often be fixed outright in the same visit, which is cheaper than paying for a tarp now and a repair later. A good emergency roofer arrives ready to stop the water the same day, either with a permanent fix or a temporary one.

A tarp is also the wrong answer when it becomes the plan. Sheeting left on for months traps moisture against the shingles, flaps in wind, collects snow and ice, and eventually tears. By spring, the tarp itself can be the cause of new damage, and the delay can complicate an insurance claim.

Tarping happens at the worst possible time to be on a roof: right after a storm, on wet or damaged shingles, often in wind. A large tarp acts like a sail. Falls are the leading cause of death in construction, according to OSHA, and that is for trained workers using fall protection.

A homemade tarp also tends to cause damage of its own: nails through good shingles, a top edge that funnels water in, or a sheet that tears loose and strips more shingles. Damage you cause yourself may not be treated like the original storm damage. From the ground, you can still do a lot: move belongings, catch water, photograph everything and call.

Most Michigan homeowners policies are built on standard forms such as the ISO HO 00 03. Its Duties After Loss section asks you to protect the property from further damage, and if repairs are required, to make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect the property and keep an accurate record of repair expenses. The same form's Reasonable Repairs coverage pays the reasonable cost of necessary measures taken solely to protect covered property from further damage when the damage came from a covered peril. It also excludes loss from neglect, which it defines as failing to use all reasonable means to save and preserve property at and after the time of a loss.

Michigan's Department of Insurance and Financial Services gives the same advice in plain terms: most policies require reasonable steps to prevent further damage, such as covering a damaged roof with a tarp; save receipts for emergency repairs, which may be reimbursable; and do not begin permanent repairs until the insurer has inspected or tells you to proceed. Your own policy controls, so read it or ask your agent. We do not promise claim outcomes.

Stellar's phone is watched around the clock, by call or text. For a true emergency we are usually on site within 24 hours, weather permitting and if the roof is safe to access, and we come prepared to stop the water the same day. Emergency repairs typically start around $850.

Once the roof is protected, the permanent repair is scheduled like any other. We schedule standard repairs every week for the following week, and nearly all are completed within two to three weeks, year round. That keeps a temporary measure from turning into a winter-long one.