Does home insurance cover a leaking roof?

Buildings policies are written around insured events: storm, a fallen tree, fire, impact. A roof that loses tiles in a gale has suffered an event. A roof that has let water in slowly over several winters, because the underlay has perished or the lead has cracked or the moss was left, has suffered wear, which most policies treat as upkeep rather than insurance.

The line is not always clean. A gradual leak made worse by a storm may be partly covered, and a sudden event on a roof already in poor condition may be argued over. An insurer will want to know the cause, and a roofer's report that describes the cause in plain terms helps. We do not advise on what your policy covers; the wording and your insurer decide that.

Most policies list exclusions for wear and tear, gradual deterioration, faulty workmanship or design, and lack of maintenance. Read those sections before you ring. They are often a sentence or two long, yet they settle most roof claims.

It follows that a roof with a paper trail is in a stronger position. A dated survey, photographs from before the damage and records of past repairs show that the fault is new. Our page on making a storm damage claim shows how that evidence fits together. Some policies also define a storm in their own words, so check how yours does it.

If a claim is declined, ask the insurer to explain in writing. If you still disagree, you can raise a complaint, and the Financial Ombudsman Service handles cases the insurer cannot settle.

Make the building safe, then record what you can. Move belongings, catch drips and avoid any ceiling holding water. Photograph the damage inside and out, with the date, before anything is moved or repaired. Keep slates, tiles or fragments that have fallen.

Next, arrange the make-safe. Insurers generally expect you to limit further loss, and the reasonable cost of doing so is often something they will consider. Keep the invoice and the photographs of the work. Making the roof safe is the first thing we do on site, and we photograph it before and after so you have pictures to attach to a claim.

Hold off agreeing a permanent repair or clearing away damaged material until the insurer says what it needs. Report promptly, because some policies ask for notice within a set time.

A roof belongs to the building, so the roof itself falls under buildings insurance, which covers the structure. Belongings damaged by a leak, such as carpets, furniture and electrical items, fall under contents cover. Many households hold both with one insurer, but some tenants and leaseholders have only one, and a leaseholder's building may be insured through the freeholder or managing agent.

If you rent, the landlord is normally responsible for the roof, and a leak should be reported to them in writing. If you own a flat, check who arranges the buildings policy before you call a roofer.

Some of the commonest leak sources sit in the grey area. A lead flashing that has lifted in a gale may be covered as storm damage; the same flashing that has split from age usually is not. A valley that overflowed because of leaves is generally seen as a maintenance matter. A gutter that blocked and soaked a wall is the same.

That is why a survey that records the condition of each part matters. We describe what we see and let the photographs speak. Arguing the policy is not our place. Our part is to show clearly what is on your roof and in what state.

Every claim carries an excess, which you pay first. A small repair can cost less than the excess, in which case a claim gains nothing and may affect later premiums. National ranges give a sense of scale: MyBuilder's 2026 guide puts minor roof repairs at £100 to £300 and storm-damage fixes at £500 to £1,500.

A bigger claim, such as a lost section of covering with water damage inside, is a different sum. Ask your roofer for a written quote that makes clear what is repair and what is improvement, because an insurer pays to restore the roof, not to upgrade it. Matching the existing materials is where the figures start, and on an older stone or slate roof that can matter a great deal.

A survey produces photographs of your own roof, a note of what has failed and why, and a written quote for the work. Those are the papers an insurer will want. We report the cause as we find it, whether storm, fallen branch or age, and we will not describe the roof in a way the photographs do not support.

Where tiles have come off, our page on what to do when tiles blow off gives the order of steps. If you are unsure how long work will take once a claim is agreed, our answer on how long a roof repair takes helps you plan. The ten-year workmanship guarantee is written down, and our roof repairs page covers the repairs we carry out around Stroud.