Roof Insurance Claims: How to Get a Fair Settlement

Standard buildings cover includes damage from storm, flood, fire, impact such as a falling tree or a vehicle, and escape of water. Roof damage from a named storm is the most common roofing claim by a wide margin.

It also usually covers the resulting internal damage: ceilings, decoration, and often contents under a separate section of the policy.

It does not cover gradual deterioration, frost damage to already-failing mortar, or defects caused by poor previous workmanship. Those are maintenance, and the policy will say so.

Photographs taken before you tidy anything up, showing where debris landed and how it relates to the building. A wide shot that clearly identifies your property matters, because adjusters see a lot of generic close-ups.

The date and, where applicable, the name of the storm. Met Office data for wind speeds on that date at the nearest station is publicly available and insurers accept it.

A written contractor report describing the damage, the likely cause, and whether the roof was in reasonable condition before the event. That last part carries real weight, and it is the single most useful document you can supply.

Notify the insurer promptly, ideally within a few days. Most policies impose a time limit and late notification gives them a reason to query the claim.

Carry out reasonable emergency works to prevent further damage and keep the invoice. This is not optional, it is a condition of most policies, and the cost is normally reimbursed.

The insurer will either accept on the strength of your evidence or send a loss adjuster. The adjuster works for the insurer, not for you. Be present when they visit, have your photographs and your contractor's report to hand, and ask for their findings in writing.

Insurers often push their own approved contractor network. In most policies you are entitled to use your own contractor provided the price is reasonable, and it is worth asking the question directly rather than assuming.

The advantage of your own roofer is that you have chosen them, you can check their reviews, and they answer to you rather than to a claims volume contract.

If you do go your own way, get a written itemised quote that maps clearly onto the damage described in the claim. Insurers settle far more readily against a clear scope than against a lump sum.

Ask for the reason in writing, including the specific policy wording relied on. Vague references to wear and tear should be challenged with evidence to the contrary, such as a survey report or photographs from before the event.

You can commission your own independent report. Where a roofer can show the covering was sound, the fixings intact and the damage clearly wind-driven, insurers frequently revise their position.

If that fails, use the insurer's formal complaints process and then the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free to consumers and does overturn declined roofing claims where the evidence supports it.

Keep a maintenance record. Dated invoices for gutter clearing, inspections and small repairs are proof that the roof was being looked after, and they undercut any later argument about neglect.

Have the roof inspected every few years and keep the report. It establishes condition before an event, which is exactly what is missing in most disputed claims.

Fix known defects promptly. An insurer can decline a storm claim if the damage arose from a fault you were already aware of, and a loose ridge tile you have known about for two years is a difficult thing to argue around.