A new roof is among the largest bills a homeowner faces, so the question of insurance comes up early. The straight answer is that a standard policy pays for loss caused by the events it lists, and it does not pay for a roof to be renewed because it is old. A claim for a whole new roof is therefore only as strong as the evidence that an insured event, and not age, did the damage.
Policies differ, and the wording of yours decides what you can claim. This guide does not say what any insurer will do. It explains how the common routes work: what a policy is for, how repair differs from replacement after an insured event, what happens when a roof was already tired, what evidence supports a claim and where to turn if a claim is refused.
Our part is practical. We survey the roof, photograph the damage and describe in plain words what we think caused it. Whether a claim is paid is for you and your insurer to settle, and not for us to forecast, for homes in Farnborough and across the area around it.
Insurance covers events, not age
A home insurance policy is a contract to pay for loss caused by listed events, subject to its terms. Storm, flood, fire and impact are typical examples. It is not a maintenance plan, and it does not budget for the day a roof wears out.
What that means for a roof
If a gale strips tiles from a sound roof, the loss comes from an insured event and a claim may be made. If tiles are failing across a slope because the nails have rusted and the timber behind them has gone soft, the cause is the age of the building, and policies generally exclude it. The Financial Ombudsman Service lists wear and tear, and slow deterioration, among the exclusions it often sees.
Other exclusions to look for
Many policies also exclude poor workmanship, a lack of maintenance and damage that began before the policy did. They set an excess, which is the amount you pay first, and sometimes limits on what is paid for one event.
Whose policy it is
Check which policy covers the roof. A freehold owner normally holds buildings insurance. In a flat, the freeholder or a management company often arranges it for the whole block, and your own policy may cover only contents. A landlord and a tenant have different responsibilities.
Nobody outside the insurer can say whether it will pay. A roofer can describe the roof and the damage, and the insurer decides the claim.
Read the roof, storm and exclusions sections of your own policy, or ask the insurer to explain them in writing.
Repair or renewal after an insured event
Even when a claim succeeds, it normally pays to put right the damage that the event caused. That is often a repair, not a whole new roof, and it is where owners are most often surprised.
The usual approach
An insurer may send a loss adjuster or ask for a report. They look at what is damaged, whether it matches what the event does, and the state of the rest of the roof. They then decide whether to pay for a repair, a replacement of the damaged part or, in a serious case, a larger renewal.
Matching and like-for-like
If the tiles cannot be matched, the question of how much to replace arises. Some policies deal with matching in their wording and others do not, so the answer depends on the policy. A roofer can say whether a matching tile exists and what a repair would look like.
When the rest of the roof is failing
If the damaged area belongs to a roof that is close to worn out, a successful claim may pay for the damage and leave you to decide about the rest. Our guide to signs you need a new roof sets out how that decision is made.
What replacement costs, as published
Which? shows £7,000 to £21,000 ex VAT for an entire re-roof of a three-bed house (Nov 2025). HomeBuilding gives £10,000 to £15,000 for plain concrete tiles on a 65 m² semi (Sep 2025), and MyJobQuote around £5,250 (Oct 2026). The sources sit far apart, and none says what an insurer would pay. Our guide to roof replacement cost explains the gap.
How a storm claim is judged
Many roof claims rest on storm cover, so how storms are judged matters. Insurers write their own definitions, and the Ombudsman looks at how those apply.
The Ombudsman's guidance
The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that a storm normally brings strong wind together with rain, hail or snow, yet it accepts that exceptional rain, hail or snowfall can count by itself. It considers the Beaufort Scale of wind force, and it observes that some insurers set a wind level below which they do not treat weather as storm-force.
What it weighs
In a refused claim, it asks three things in turn. First, whether a storm happened. Second, whether the damage looks like the work of such an event. Third, whether storm conditions were the principal cause, as opposed to a condition already present. Each answer needs evidence.
Your own policy's wording
Some policies state a wind speed, and others describe storm in general terms. We do not quote a speed for any insurer, since each sets its own. Look in your own policy for the definition of a storm, and ask the insurer for its wording in writing if it is unclear.
Showing there was a storm
Records of the date and the weather in your area help, and so do photographs taken that day. Damage to neighbours' fences, trees and roofs points the same way. Our guide to storm damage to a roof covers the first steps after a storm.
The wording and the weather together decide the claim, and a claimant who understands both makes a better case.
When the roof was already tired
This is where many roof claims stall. A real storm meets an old roof, and the insurer asks which one caused the loss.
What the Ombudsman has said
The Ombudsman has indicated that a complaint will struggle where the roof was already poor when the weather arrived and its owner was aware, or where the weather only uncovered a fault that was already there. In both cases, the loss is treated as caused by condition.
What counts as existing damage
- Cracked or slipped tiles that were visible before the storm.
- Damp patches or stains in the loft or on ceilings that were never investigated.
- A survey that described the roof as near the end of its life.
- Earlier repairs that left the cause untouched.
Records that help
A dated survey with photographs, taken before the event, shows the state of the roof. Maintenance receipts show it was looked after. Without them, the insurer will lean on age.
Age alone is not the test
A roof being old does not by itself stop a storm claim. HomeBuilding (Sep 2025) gives typical lives of 40 to 50 years for concrete tiles and 60 to 80 years for clay, as ranges and not guarantees of life. Those figures describe wear, and say nothing about cover.
Plain dealing
Describe the roof as it was. A claim that overstates the storm or leaves out defects you knew about can unravel at the first inspection.
If you are unsure how tired your roof is, a survey with photographs now gives you a baseline for any future claim.
Building evidence for a claim
Claims are decided on evidence, and the evidence is easiest to gather on the day, not weeks later.
Before anything happens
- Dated photographs of the roof from the garden, taken once a year.
- Survey reports, inspection notes and maintenance receipts.
- Records of previous repairs and who did them.
On the day of damage
- Photographs and video as soon as it is safe, taken outside and from the loft hatch.
- The date, the time and the weather.
- Fallen tiles and debris, photographed where they landed before they are cleared.
- Damage to anything else, which suggests an event and not a slow failure.
The Institution of Structural Engineers describes photographs as vital to a claim, because they are visual proof of the damage.
Telling the insurer
Tell the insurer before arranging repairs beyond making the house safe. Ask what it needs and whether it wants to inspect first. Keep every receipt, and hold on to broken tiles until the insurer has seen them or says they can go.
Keep a timeline
Write down what happened and when: the date of the storm, when you noticed the damage, when you told the insurer, who visited and what they said. A short, dated log made at the time is more convincing than a recollection months later, and it helps if the claim has to be explained to a second person.
Neighbours and records
If neighbours lost tiles or fences in that storm, a short note of what they saw can support the idea that a storm did the damage. Local weather records for the day are another useful piece, and they cost nothing to look up.
A roofer's report
We can survey the roof, photograph the damage and set out, with measurements, what we think caused it. That is evidence about the roof. We do not handle claims or forecast their results.
If the claim is refused or cut
A refusal is not always final. There is a route to challenge it, and the last step is free.
Get the reasons in writing
The insurer should name the term or exclusion it relies on and the evidence behind its view. Compare that with your policy and your records. If the reason is wear and tear, ask what in the inspection shows it.
Use the complaints procedure
Write to the insurer's complaints team with your evidence, and consider an independent roofer's report. A second look sometimes changes the outcome.
The Financial Ombudsman Service
If you are still unhappy, take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which charges nothing; the helpline is 0800 023 4567. You may go to it when eight weeks pass without a final response from the insurer, and once you hold a final response you have six months to bring the complaint.
Other help
The Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133, gives general advice on disputes with traders and businesses.
Realistic expectations
Which? reported that only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 resulted in a payout. It is a reason to prepare evidence early and to read your policy before you need it. A new roof has no national grant behind it, so a refused claim does not open a different source of money.
Our roof replacement service begins with a survey and finishes with one written total, claim or no claim.
