Question answered
What are roof tile clips and does my roof need them?
The short answer
Roof tile clips are small metal fixings that hook a tile to its batten so wind cannot pull it up. BS 5534 wants every single-lap tile secured mechanically at least once, and twice around the roof's edges. Working to the standard is optional in law, yet it is the recognised method, and many older roofs were laid before it.
Tile clips are small metal fixings that stop a tile lifting in a gale. Roofs built before today's standards often have few or none, and that is worth understanding before the next big blow.
What a clip does that gravity cannot
A roof tile is heavy, yet wind is stronger than it looks. Air forced across a roof creates suction over the slope, and a loose tile can rock, lift and slide away. A tile clip is a shaped strip of metal that locks the lower edge of the tile to the batten, or to the tile beneath. It stops the tile travelling up and out.
Nails do the same work in another way. A tile nail passes through a hole in the tile and bites into the batten. On many roofs nails and clips share the load, one holding the head of the tile while the other restrains the tail.
Which fixing suits which tile depends on its shape and weight. Each tile maker publishes a fixing specification for its products, and a good roofer works from that document, not from habit. Deciding between profiles is covered in our page on interlocking or plain tiles.
What BS 5534 asks for
BS 5534:2014+A2:2018 is the British Standard governing how slates and tiles are laid. Marley is clear that nobody is compelled by law to follow it. It is still the yardstick for sound fixing, and the one we price and build to.
Wienerberger's guidance is that every single-lap tile needs some mechanical fixing at all times, and that the details come from a site-by-site specification covering where the roof is, how high it sits and how much wind reaches it. Marley adds that the tiles along the perimeter, at the verges and eaves, get fixed twice. Close to an airport, the tile maker should be consulted on the specification.
That is why an exposed bungalow on an open road and a sheltered terrace behind it can need different fixings. The standard sets out a method, and the specification tailors it to the address.
Why older roofs often have none
Standards move on. Marley records that before the 2014 revision of BS 5534, a bed of mortar was still commonly all that held ridge and hip tiles. Plain tiles hung on their nibs with a nail every few courses, and interlocking tiles were nailed in places and trusted to their own weight elsewhere. A roof was judged sound because it had stayed up.
That does not make an older roof a failing one, and plenty have stood for decades. The risk shows in a hard gale, when an unclipped edge tile is the first to lift. Heritage roofs are a special case. The 2018 amendment concedes the standard's advice can be unsuitable for them, so Marley suggests speaking to the council's planning officers and a conservation adviser before any work.
At survey we check whether the edges meet current practice, and if they do not, we show you what bringing them up to it involves.
Where a clip helps, and where it is not enough
Adding clips to an existing roof is not a matter of pressing them on. The tile has to be lifted, or the right clip chosen for its profile, and a cracked or poorly seated tile will not be rescued by any fixing. If the batten beneath is soft, a clip has nothing to grip, which is why torn felt and failing battens turn up in the same survey.
Ridge and hip tiles are the other place where fixings count. Since the 2014 revision of BS 5534, a ridge or hip tile now needs a mechanical fixing on top of its mortar bed. Dry-fix ridge kits are tested against BS 8612:2018, and the better ones let the ridge breathe, which links to the loft airflow described under roof tile vents.
Where a roof is shared with a neighbour, as on a terrace, a fixing job on your side should still leave the party line watertight, so we look at the junction as well.
What to ask a roofer, and what we do
If anyone is relaying or re-covering part of your roof, ask which fixing specification they are following, and whether verges, eaves, ridge and hips are fixed mechanically. A proper answer points to the tile maker's data sheet, not a general reassurance.
On our surveys the perimeter comes first, because that is where wind does its damage. You get photographs of the fixings we find, and once we have seen the roof, you are given a written quote, one overall price, along with a plain account of anything we would change.
A roof that is stripped for any reason is the best moment to put the fixings right, since the tiles are off already. A seasonal check helps the rest, and tiled roof winter prep sets out what to look at. Everything else we do on tiled roofs is on the pitched roofing page.
Fixing tiles: further questions
Are clips needed where nails already hold the tiles?
It depends on the tile and its position. Plain tiles with a nail in alternate courses may be adequate in a sheltered spot, while the edge of the same roof may need a second fixing. The tile maker's specification for your address is the guide, and the survey shows what is fitted now.
Can clips be added without re-roofing?
Sometimes, within limits. Edge and ridge tiles can often be re-fixed with clips or a dry system without stripping the slope, provided the tiles and battens are sound. If the battens are rotten or the underlay has failed, the covering comes off and the fixings go in as part of that job.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
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