Can you replace a single cracked roof tile?

Each tile hangs from a batten by a nib, and the tiles in the courses above overlap it. To free a broken tile, the roofer lifts the overlapping tiles just enough to release it, takes out the pieces and slides a new tile into the gap. The new tile hangs from its nib on the batten and is held by a nail or clip, depending on the type. The tiles above are then lowered back into place.

With interlocking concrete tiles the side joints lock together, so the tiles either side must be freed too. On a small plain tile roof the work is less fiddly, but there are more tiles. A tile ripper, a long flat hook, can cut the nails holding a plain tile without lifting the course. Either way, a competent roofer can often finish a one-tile swap in a short visit, once on the roof.

Three conditions keep it quick. The batten under the broken tile must be sound, so the new tile has something solid to hang from. The tile must still be obtainable, or a good match must be to hand. And the roof must be reachable without a long set-up.

For a rough sense of scale, MyBuilder's 2026 guide has minor roof repairs at about £100 to £300. Checkatrade's 2026 guide gives £90 to £120 per m² for concrete tile repair and £110 to £160 per m² for clay, ex VAT and without access. All of that is national data from third parties. What you pay us is settled only after a survey, in a written quote covering materials, labour and access, so there is no guesswork beforehand.

If you see one cracked tile among many sound ones, there is usually no urgency, but do not leave it for long. Water can run through the crack to the underlay and the batten below, and a tile that has cracked can break further in frost. A hairline crack may look harmless, yet it lets moisture into the clay or concrete body, where freezing widens it over a winter or two.

Cracked ridge or hip tiles are a different matter, because they are bedded and fixed in a different way. Those follow BS 5534 and are covered in our pitched roofing pages rather than here.

Old roofs bring problems of colour and size. A new tile beside a weathered one will stand out, and an older tile profile may no longer be made. Reclaimed tiles can solve this, and our answer on matching old clay tiles covers where to look. In a pinch, a roofer can swap a good tile from a less visible slope, such as the back, to the front and put the new one at the back.

Access is the other cost. A tile in the middle of a steep slope, above a conservatory or high on a three-storey house, may call for a tower or a cherry picker before anyone can work safely. MyBuilder's 2026 re-roof guide gives about £1,125 for scaffold on a whole house, so a repair that needs full scaffolding stops being a small job. Steep lanes and terraced hillsides are worked into our quote in advance, and the survey notes where a tower, ladder or scaffold will stand.

A single crack may be the end of the story, or the first sign of something else. Common causes are a foot on the roof, a falling branch, hailstones, frost working into a porous tile and a tile that has been under stress because its batten has sagged. A tile cracked across its middle at the batten line often points to movement beneath it.

If two or more tiles have cracked in the same area, we look more closely. Check the loft for stains and daylight. Our answer on slipped roof tiles covers the related fault of a tile that has slid rather than broken, and our answer on minimum pitch for roof tiles explains why a shallow slope can let water back under the laps. Choosing between tile formats is covered in plain tiles or interlocking tiles.

Working on a pitched roof is dangerous without edge protection, and falls from roofs are serious. Tiles also break when walked on, so a well-meant visit can turn one broken tile into six. If you can see the damage from the ground, a photograph with a zoom lens is enough to show a roofer what you have, and the survey photographs we take show the rest.

While the course is open we also look at the batten and underlay, because that is the only chance to see them. The broken pieces are bagged and carried off the property rather than left in the gutter or on the lawn, a small courtesy that matters on a terraced street, and the repair is covered by a 10-year workmanship guarantee given in writing. Should the survey suggest the roof as a whole is near its end, you will hear that straight, with the larger option quoted alongside. For the wider service, see our pitched roofing page.