Is a leaking skylight covered by insurance?

Buildings insurance is written to pay for events, not for ageing. A policy usually names the events it pays for, with a list of exclusions alongside. A skylight that leaks because a storm tore off a flashing or a branch cracked the pane belongs to the first pile. One that leaks because the rubber gasket has hardened, the sealant has shrunk or the glazed unit has lost its seal belongs to the second.

That sorting is done by a loss adjuster or claims handler, using the policy wording and the evidence. Wording varies between insurers and between policy levels, so nobody can give you a guarantee in advance. The one safe observation is that the dividing line is almost always about cause and about the condition the roof was in before the loss.

Gradual leaks are the hardest to claim. If water has been getting in for months, marking a ceiling and swelling a reveal, an insurer may argue that the damage was foreseeable and that the window was not maintained. A single dated event is easier to describe and to prove.

These are the kinds of cause that people commonly find are treated as insured events, subject to the wording on their own policy:

• Storm damage that lifts or tears a flashing or breaks the glass.
• Impact from a fallen branch, a slipped slate or a dislodged chimney pot.
• Accidental breakage of the pane by a falling object.

Even then, a policy may require the damage to be sudden, and it may apply an excess. Some policies treat the glass as a separate item, so check whether glass breakage is included in your buildings cover. Once a claim is accepted, payment might go towards the window, the damage indoors, or both. It will normally want to see the cause, not just the stain.

One thing to know about our role: we are a roofing contractor, not your insurer or a claims adviser, so we describe what we find and leave coverage decisions to the company that wrote the policy. What we can do is explain the cause plainly, in writing, with photographs.

Policies tend to exclude gradual deterioration, defective workmanship and lack of maintenance. Skylight leaks often come from exactly those. Common causes include:

• A hardened or cracked gasket around the sash.
• A flashing kit (the metal collar joining frame and roof covering) that was fitted badly or has corroded.
• A sealed glazing unit with a failed edge seal, which shows as misting or a damp ring between the panes.
• Sealant lines that have dried out and split.

Condensation is also mistaken for a leak, and a claim made for what is really moisture on the inside surface is unlikely to succeed. Our guide on why roof windows leak in Stroud and how they're fixed sets out how to tell the difference.

If the window was installed badly in the first place, the route is usually not insurance. It is the person who fitted it, under whatever guarantee they gave. That is one reason to get the guarantee in writing. Ours is a 10-year workmanship guarantee, and it is a workmanship guarantee only, not insurance.

Act in this order, because evidence disappears quickly.

1. Contain the water. Move furniture, set a bucket beneath the drip and lift any wet carpet if you can.
2. Photograph the ceiling, the window and the surrounding wall with the date visible, before anything is dried or repaired.
3. Check your policy for the claim procedure and any time limit for reporting a loss.
4. Call your insurer or broker and describe the event as it happened, without guessing at the cause.
5. Get the opening protected so that no further damage follows.

That last point matters. Insurers generally expect sensible steps to stop a loss growing, and a temporary cover over a leaking window is sensible. We give leaks priority, and our first visit aims to keep the weather out. Keep any parts that have failed, such as a cracked gasket or a displaced flashing piece, since the claims handler may want to see them.

Hold off on any lasting repair until the insurer has looked at the window or told you to go ahead. Keep every receipt.

A written report from the person who has been up on the roof carries weight with a claims handler. A useful one names the part that failed, describes how it failed, and includes photographs taken from outside and inside the loft. It states when the damage seems to have occurred if that can be told, and separates an event from slow wear. It does not argue the claim for you.

For national context on cost, On cost, MyBuilder's 2026 repair guide gives small roof repairs as £100 to £300 and storm-damage fixes at £500 to £1,500, national ranges rather than prices from us. Our own written quote, written after a survey, lets an insurer see what is repair, what is making good and what is access.

If the leak is on a flat roof, the cause may sit in the upstand or the membrane, and our answer on why a flat roof skylight is leaking covers that. If the trouble is a drumming sound in rain rather than a drip, see whether roof windows are noisy in the rain. For fitting, repair and replacement across the range, start from our roof windows and skylights page.