• By Liam Ridings
• In Blog, Metal Roofing, Renovation
• Tags roof repairs

Can I Claim Roof Repairs on My Insurance?

Claiming roof repairs on insurance can be an area of uncertainty for home and business owners whose property is affected by roof damage.

Roof damage and required roof repairs is a commonly faced problem by homeowners and business owners alike. Whether your roof is old or new, metal, tile, slate, or asphalt, you should consider your situation and whether it may be covered by your insurance provider before making any big restoration plans.

What many homeowners don’t realise is, there are plenty of roofing issues that can be covered depending on which insurance policy you have taken out. If these types of roof problems are covered, you may be able to submit a claim and be reimbursed for the repair expenses.  In saying that, every roof is different – as will be your insurance policies.

Does Home Insurance Cover Your Roof?

First, let’s start with the basics. Home insurance, in theory, should cover the cost of rebuilding or repairing your home and helps protect you against things that are out of your control. This includes natural disasters like storms, floods, and bushfires. Most homeowner insurance policies will provide compensation for roof damage caused by other unpreventable reasons such as vandalism too.

Although wind, rain, and hail are covered by insurance policies, there are a few factors that determine if the damage will be covered, and if so, how much you will be reimbursed for the necessary repairs. These basics are also applied to the exterior elements of your home that are attached to your roof, such as gutters and siding.

The easiest way to know what’s covered and what’s not is to contact your insurance provider. Coverage will often depend on the age of the roof, the area of the property, the shape of the house, the roofing materials and the frequency of claims. All of this information should be available to you within your insurance policy and your provider’s website. However, we understand each roof is unique and will face unique challenges that aren’t always simply explained. We’ve put together some common scenarios in which your roofing needs may or may not be covered by insurance policies.

Unpreventable Roof Damage & Roof Insurance

Generally speaking, most insurance providers will provide roof repair coverage insurance if unpreventable damage has been caused to your roof or gutters. This includes storms, fires, trees falling, burglary, vandalism or some sort of accident.

Unpreventable damage is the basic premise of why property owners take out home insurance. There are many accidents and scenarios in which a homeowner cannot be prepared for, and the damage is beyond the homeowner’s control. This is why most accidents and disasters will be covered by insurance providers.

However, it should be noted that it is common practice within insurance companies to only repair the “affected areas” of the damage – only the parts of the roof that were directly damaged as a result of the accident or storm. An example of this would be receiving compensation after a storm has blown off a number of slate tiles on your roof, that will only cover the repair of one or two tiles that are actually damaged.

A common misconception is that all storm damage will be covered by an insurance provider. This isn’t necessarily true. Just because your roof or gutters leak during a storm, does not mean it is as a result of the storm and they won’t necessarily be covered in a claim. The question homeowners need to answer is: did the storm actually create the roof or gutter problem? Or, was the problem already there but only came to the surface when the storm hit?

Lack of Maintenance & Roof Insurance

As your roof begins to wear with age, it will slowly deteriorate. This is entirely normal; however, the process can be slowed down with basic roof maintenance. A homeowner can quite easily extend the lifespan of their roof significantly, by taking good care of their roofing structure and materials. Insurance providers place the responsibility of home maintenance on the property owners, this includes roof and gutter maintenance.

Roofing materials or gutters that have deteriorated and worn, then subsequently leaked during a storm, will probably not be covered for roof or gutter repairs. Lack of maintenance resulting in roof damage is not often covered by insurance providers as the damage can usually be avoided. Signs of roof deterioration include rusted valleys or roof sheets, broken seals on roof penetrations, porous tiles, cracking of mortar along with ridge capping, and leaves or dirt blocking water flow in gutters.

While repair damage from deterioration is not always covered, it is not uncommon for insurance providers to reimburse some of the costs of resultant damages from lack of maintenance. This can mean claim outcomes that require you to make the necessary repairs with a contractor, pay the policy excess, and then they will decide on how much to reimburse you for the repair expenses. However, this will largely depend on the age of the house and the condition of the roofing materials.

Poor Workmanship & Roof Insurance

If by chance your roof is suffering damage subsequently from previous faulty workmanship or poor installation, the required repairs will not likely be covered by your insurance provider. This includes poor design, rushed or incorrect installation, and bad quality craftsmanship. This is why it is of the utmost importance for you to make sure you always engage with qualified, experienced and professional roofing contractors for all roofing projects.

Here at Vertec Roofing, we provide qualified advice, assessment, and high-quality roof repair services. With over 15 years of experience in the roofing industry, our understanding is that the importance of home insurance with roofing lies in the regular maintenance and inspections of roofs. Most roof repairs that are accidental will be covered by insurance companies, provided the roof has been considerably well looked after.

The very first step when deciding whether to submit an insurance claim is to have your roof appropriately and properly inspected by a roofing professional. You’ll need to obtain a basic roof report that will include the following information:

• Why your roof is leaking or damaged
• What has caused the damaged roof
• How to fix the damage
• What it costs to fix the damage
• Relevant supporting evidence i.e. Photos

Every insurance provider will approach claims differently, so the best course of action following roof damage is to start with an inspection and then review your insurance policy fine print.

Vertec Roofing Sydney offers thorough and professional roofing inspections where we can identify any necessary repairs and potential problem areas. The Vertec Roofing team is professional, honest, and reliable roofing contractors who are committed to providing long-term roofing solutions. We stand behind every project that we complete and provide free quotes and inspections to help you make the right decisions for your Sydney roof repairs.