The short answer
Usually not for age or weathering. Buildings insurance generally covers sudden, accidental damage, such as a storm that breaks sheets, and excludes wear and tear, gradual deterioration and lack of maintenance. If an insured event damages an asbestos garage roof, some policies pay towards repair or safe removal, but terms differ widely. Read your policy, ask your insurer directly in writing, and do not start work before they have inspected.
What home insurance generally covers
Buildings insurance is designed for sudden events: storm, fire, flood, impact, escape of water. A claim usually starts with something that happened on a particular day. It is not a maintenance plan. An asbestos cement garage roof that has weathered, cracked or gone mossy over decades is gradual deterioration, and insurers commonly exclude it. A roof that simply needs replacing because it is old is not an insured event.
Outbuildings add a wrinkle. Some policies cover garages and sheds as part of the buildings sum insured. Others limit cover, set a lower value for outbuildings or exclude certain types of construction. The schedule and the policy booklet tell you which applies. Our wider guide on claiming on house insurance for a leaking roof covers the general principles.
When a claim might succeed
If a storm, a falling tree or an impact damages the sheets, the damage is sudden and the cause is clear. In that case a claim may be possible, and the question becomes what the policy will pay for. Because of the hazards of broken asbestos cement, some insurers treat the safe clearance of debris and the replacement roof as part of the claim, while others cover only the cost of making the structure safe. Terms vary, and you cannot assume.
The insurer may decide that the cost of the work exceeds the value of the garage. They may also apply an excess, and they may want to use their own approved contractors. Ask for their requirements in writing before you book anyone.
What to ask your insurer
Phone or write with specific questions. Does the policy cover damage to outbuildings made of asbestos cement? Does it pay for the safe removal and disposal of asbestos debris after an insured event? Does it require the work to be done by a particular type of contractor? What is the excess? What documents do they need? Keep a record of the answers, with names and dates.
Do not throw anything away or start dismantling until the insurer has had the chance to see the damage. Clearing up first can undermine a claim. If the roof is open to the weather, take sensible steps to prevent further damage, such as covering it with sheeting, but do not touch broken sheets. Our guide on the real danger from an asbestos roof explains why.
Reported costs
It helps to know the size of the figure involved. Third-party cost guides report that removal of an asbestos cement garage roof runs about £1,200 to £2,000 for a single garage and £2,500 to £4,500 for a double, though that comes from a single vendor. A new covering is extra, and a fixed quote only follows a survey. These are typical UK ranges, not Beacon prices. If the policy pays nothing for age-related replacement, the cost falls to you.
Documents that help a claim
A claim is easier when the evidence is good. Take dated photographs of the damage from the ground, without climbing or touching broken pieces. Write down when the weather event happened and what you noticed. Keep any earlier inspection reports or quotes for the roof, because they show its condition before the event. If you had the roof tested for asbestos, keep the lab report. Ask the insurer to confirm in writing what they will accept as a contractor quote, and whether they need two. A calm, well-documented claim is easier for an assessor to deal with than a vague one.
If the claim is refused
A refusal is not always the end. Ask for the reasons in writing, check them against the policy wording, and use the insurer's complaints process if you disagree. If that fails, the Financial Ombudsman Service is the next step. In the meantime, do not leave a damaged asbestos roof to deteriorate, because a roof that is cracked and open to the weather sheds more debris.
Selling, mortgages and disclosure
Insurance is separate from the question of what a buyer or lender thinks. An asbestos garage roof may be queried by a buyer's surveyor. Our page on selling a house with an asbestos garage roof covers that, and the guide to asbestos garage roof removal explains how the work is done.
Our part in a claim
If you have a claim in hand, we are happy to survey the roof for free and give you photographs of the damage to send to the insurer, with a written description of what we found. The fixed quote can then go to them as supporting evidence. We do not promise an outcome, because that rests with the insurer. Where repair or removal is needed, the work is done under the non-licensed rules for careful removal, with a written ten-year workmanship guarantee on the new roof. See garage roof replacement for the other options.
Every roof is different. A free survey with photos settles it for yours.
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