Roofs in Leiria after storm Kristin: rules, support and tarpaulins
Leiria is on the list of municipalities in calamity for storm Kristin. In July 2026 some homes were still under tarpaulins. See the rules and support, with dates.
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The roofs of Leiria
Leiria has 47,172 buildings in the 2021 Census. 17.7% date from before 1961 and 81.3% were built by 2000. 3.3% need deep repair, against 4.6% nationally. These are figures from before the 2026 storm.
Leiria and Marinha Grande are on the list of municipalities in calamity of RCM 15-B/2026 (no. 2). The Leiria Region intermunicipal body (CIM) did a six-month review on 28 July 2026. It says some homes still have no permanent roof or are still covered by tarpaulins and plastic, and names two causes: lack of sufficient, timely financial support, and a shortage of skilled construction labour.
We found no official exact count of damaged roofs in Leiria. The application figures in circulation are for requests for support to rebuild homes, not for roofs, and they change with the date.
SourcesDecree-Law 40-A/2026 (Official Gazette) · RCM 15-B/2026 (CCDR Centro) · Leiria Region CIM, six-month review · Leiria council, Telhado Solidário · INE, Census 2021 (0011482)
The buildings of Leiria
47,172 buildings counted in 2021
- 81.3% built up to 2000 (country: 82.1%)
- 17.7% built before 1961 (country: 23.1%)
- 3.3% with deep repair needs (country: 4.6%)
The vertical mark on each bar is the share for the whole country.
Source: INE (Statistics Portugal), Census 2021, indicator 0011482, updated 12/11/2022. CC BY licence. The figures are for whole buildings, not roofs. An old building may have a renewed roof, and a recent building can have problems. The repair need is for the whole building, as assessed in the Census.
Rain, wind and sun in Leiria
IPMA’s 1991-2020 normals list has no station in Leiria. The nearest with a data sheet is Alcobaça / Estação de Fruticultura (neighbouring municipality): 825.2 mm of rain a year, a 15.2 °C mean and 22.5 days with a minimum below 0 °C. Nearer the coast, São Pedro de Moel (Marinha Grande) gives 565.1 mm, 14.8 °C and 1.0 frost day.
The gap between the two stations shows that we should not extrapolate to Leiria. So we give no rain or frost figure for the town here. If your insurer asks for the wind record of your area, ask IPMA for it.
Houses and roofs in Leiria
Historic centre
In the centre of Leiria, a SIPA record (Casa do Barão do Salgueiro) describes three- and four-slope roofs with canudo tile. We saw it only in a search result. The council refers to a historic-centre rehabilitation area approved in 2012.
Detached houses
After Kristin, on many houses and blocks the roof was covered with a tarpaulin. A tarpaulin is temporary: see our first-48-hours guide and the insurance guide before you take it off.
Rules and permits in Leiria
Decree-Law 40-A/2026, article 7, says that reconstruction, alteration, maintenance and demolition works on buildings damaged by the storm are not subject to a licence or prior notice. The owner tells the council electronically that works are starting within a month. The works remain subject to land-use plan rules and technical building standards.
The decree lapses one year after entering into force (13 February 2026), in mid-February 2027, with exceptions. Decree-Law 79-A/2026 (20 March) amended it and extended the measures to the whole territory where there is special and abnormal damage.
Areas near Leiria
Do you not live in Leiria itself? These are the places around it. Each has its own page.
Cannot find your area? Write it in the form.
Support in Leiria: what exists and what we do not yet know
State support for repairing own permanent homes covers 100% of the remaining eligible cost, up to 10,000 euros per home; up to 5,000 euros no inspection is needed and the estimate may rest on photographs or video. On 3 February 2026 Leiria municipality launched the “Telhado Solidário” operation, to contract firms to repair roofs (tile or tarpaulins) of people without means. We do not know whether it is still open. The CIM says municipalities set up offices to help with applications.
According to the mayor, quoted in the press on 27 and 28 July 2026, there were about 10,807 applications on the CCDR Centro platform, with 8,457 analysed. They are applications to rebuild homes, not roof counts. The title of a CCDR Centro page says the application deadline ended on 7 April 2026; we could not open it.
General notes
If the building was damaged by the storm, Decree-Law 40-A/2026 waives the licence and prior notice: tell the council electronically that works are starting within a month. Respect land-use plans and technical standards. The regime ends in mid-February 2027.
For own permanent homes, 100% of eligible costs after insurance and other aid, up to 10,000 euros per home. Up to 5,000 euros the estimate may rest on photographs. See the aid guide and check the deadline with CCDR Centro.
An operation launched by Leiria municipality on 3 February 2026 to contract firms to repair roofs, with tile or temporary cover, on homes of people who cannot do it because of age, physical condition or lack of means. We do not know whether it is still open.
We found no official count of roofs. The Leiria Region CIM said in July 2026 that some homes still had no permanent roof or had tarpaulins. The number of support applications (about 10,807, according to the mayor) counts requests to rebuild homes, not roofs.
Related guides
- Storm Kristin: the €10,000 roof aid and what you can still doWhat the aid of up to €10,000 for permanent homes after storm Kristin was, who qualified, how it was paid, what changed in building rules and what to do today.9 min
- Damaged roof or rain coming in: what to do in the first 48 hoursThe right order after a storm: safety, whom to call, photos, temporary cover, notifying the insurer and invoices to keep, with what the law says and what is just common sense.8 min
- Home insurance and storms: what it covers on the roof, deadlines and exclusionsTime to notify the insurer, time to pay, what multi-risk cover usually includes, exclusions that catch many people and why a declared calamity does not remove cover.8 min
- Choosing a roofing contractor: licence, insurance, quote and warning signsHow to check an alvará or certificado with IMPIC, which insurance to ask for, what the quote and contract must contain, and the warning signs of doorstep offers.8 min
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