Does Home Insurance Cover Roof Damage?

The Short Answer

Home insurance usually covers sudden storm damage to roofs. It usually doesn't cover damage caused by wear, tear, poor maintenance or age. The distinction matters enormously — and insurers are increasingly adept at identifying which category your claim falls into.

What Home Insurance Typically Covers

Storm Damage

If a storm strips tiles, breaks a section of ridge, lifts flashing or otherwise damages your roof through the direct action of wind, rain or hail, most home insurance policies will cover the repair or replacement cost, subject to your excess. This is the most common successful claim we see among Horsham homeowners following the winter storms that cross the Low Weald each year.

To make a successful storm damage claim, you'll need to show that a storm actually occurred — insurers check weather data for your postcode — and that the damage is consistent with storm action rather than pre-existing deterioration.

Falling Trees or Objects

If a tree or branch falls onto your roof and causes damage, this is typically covered as an accidental damage event. Document the damage photographically before anything is moved or cleared.

Subsidence

If roof damage is caused by or associated with subsidence of the property, this falls under a separate and usually more complex part of your policy. This is relatively uncommon in Horsham but worth knowing.

What Home Insurance Usually Doesn't Cover

Wear and Tear

A tile that falls because the nail holding it has corroded over 40 years is not storm damage — it's wear and tear. Insurers increasingly use this argument to decline claims on older Horsham roofs, particularly on the concrete tile estates in Roffey and Littlehaven where roofs are now at or beyond their design life. If your roof was already losing tiles regularly before a storm, the claim will be harder to support.

Poor Maintenance

Most policies contain a clause requiring you to maintain your property in a reasonable state of repair. A flat roof that has been leaking for two years without repair, or gutters that haven't been cleared in a decade, can provide an insurer with grounds to reduce or decline a claim. Regular maintenance — including annual gutter clearing and periodic roof inspection — provides some protection against this argument.

Gradual Water Ingress

A slow roof leak that has been present for months is not covered as an event — it's a maintenance issue. The staining on your ceiling that you've been meaning to get looked at isn't an insurable event unless a specific identifiable incident caused it.

How To Maximise Your Chances of a Successful Claim

• Photograph all damage immediately — before any repairs or tidying
• Keep records of recent maintenance (gutter clears, previous repairs)
• Get a written damage report from your roofer specifying the cause
• Report the claim promptly — most policies require notification within a set period
• Don't carry out permanent repairs before the insurer has assessed the damage (temporary emergency repairs are fine and necessary)
• Check your policy's storm definition — some require minimum wind speeds

Getting a Damage Report for Your Insurer

When we attend a Horsham property for emergency or post-storm repair, we can provide a written damage report specifying what was found, what evidence suggests the cause, and what work was carried out. This documentation significantly strengthens insurance claims and is something we provide as a matter of course — ask for it when you call.

Should You Use an Insurance-Recommended Repairer?

Insurers sometimes offer their own approved contractors. You are not obliged to use them — you have the right to choose your own contractor for the repair work. The insurer pays the agreed cost regardless of who carries out the work, provided the contractor is reputable and the work is appropriate to the damage found.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by Horsham Roofing Experts.