Insurance work & storm damage claims
In short
Insurers pay claims that are evidenced and described honestly, and decline the ones that bundle deferred maintenance in with storm damage. The useful things a roofer provides are photographs, a clear cause, and a scope that separates the two.
Also called: Roof insurance claim · Storm damage claim · Insurance roof repair · Claim for roof damage
Signs you need this
- Storm damage to slates, tiles, ridge or flat roof covering
- A tree or branch down on the roof
- Damage caused by a neighbouring property
- Water ingress following a specific weather event
- An insurer asking for a report or a scope of works
- A claim that has been queried or declined
Buildings insurance covers sudden, accidental damage — a storm taking slates off, a tree coming down, impact damage. What it does not cover is gradual deterioration, and the whole of the difficulty in roof claims sits at the boundary between those two.
Insurers are experienced at telling them apart, and they employ loss adjusters to do exactly that. A claim that describes a genuine storm event, with photographs from the day and a scope covering the damage that event caused, gets settled. A claim that quietly includes a roof which was already at the end of its life gets declined — and a declined claim makes the next one harder and can affect the policy.
So the honest approach is also the effective one. The report should say what failed, why, and — where relevant — that part of the roof was already worn and is not being claimed for. That is a stronger document than one that claims for everything, and it is far more likely to be paid without argument.
Evidence taken on the day is worth more than anything produced later. Photographs from ground level before anything is touched, showing where material landed and what the damage looks like. The date and rough time. Any local record of the weather. Insurers frequently check wind speeds against Met Office data for the location, and some policies define 'storm' by a threshold, so knowing what actually happened matters.
Mitigation is a policy condition and it is one people fall foul of. Most buildings policies require the policyholder to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage — which means getting a temporary covering over an open roof rather than waiting for the insurer to authorise the permanent repair. Keep the invoice: the cost of making safe is usually recoverable, and failing to do it can reduce a settlement because the additional damage was avoidable.
One point worth making about claims management companies and 'no cost to you' roof claim services: they take a share, they sometimes inflate scopes, and an inflated scope is what gets a claim investigated. Dealing directly with your insurer, with an honest report from a roofer you chose, is normally the cleaner route — and it is the one least likely to end in a dispute.
What the job covers
- Damage photographed and documented on the day where possible
- An honest description of cause, separating storm from wear
- A written scope an insurer can price against
- Temporary covering to meet the duty to mitigate
- Invoices and evidence suitable for the claim file
- The permanent repair carried out once the claim is agreed
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your roofer has to honour it. On roofing it would also be close to meaningless: access is often the biggest single factor, and it varies enormously house to house. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
Will my insurance cover the damage?
Storm damage is covered by most buildings policies, subject to an excess and sometimes to a wind-speed definition of 'storm'. Gradual deterioration is not. The question in nearly every roof claim is which of those it was, and the answer comes from evidence — photographs, the date, and an honest description of what failed.
Should I claim for the whole roof while I am at it?
No — that is what gets claims investigated and declined. Insurers use loss adjusters precisely to separate storm damage from deferred maintenance, and a scope that bundles the two in gets scrutinised. An honest report that says plainly which parts are storm and which are wear is more likely to be paid without argument.
Do I have to wait for the insurer before doing anything?
The opposite — most policies require you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Getting a temporary covering over an open roof is exactly that, and the cost is normally recoverable. Waiting while more water comes in can actually reduce your settlement, because that extra damage was avoidable.
What about companies offering to handle the claim for free?
They are paid out of the settlement one way or another, and some of them submit inflated scopes — which is the thing most likely to get a claim challenged. Going direct to your insurer with an honest report from a roofer you chose is usually simpler, and it keeps the claim clean.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local roofer — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.