The short answer
Sometimes. Buildings insurance usually pays for sudden damage from an insured event such as a storm, but it normally excludes wear and tear, gradual deterioration and poor maintenance. Ridge tiles that blew off in a named storm are a stronger claim than ridge tiles that slowly loosened because the mortar crumbled with age. Your policy wording decides, so read the storm and maintenance clauses and keep photographs. We cannot give insurance advice, but we can describe the damage honestly.
The difference between storm damage and wear
Insurers separate a sudden event from a slow failure. If a gale lifts a ridge tile off a sound bed and drops it in the garden, that looks like storm damage. If the mortar under a ridge has weathered for years, cracked and let the tiles move, that looks like deterioration. The result on the roof can look much the same, so the explanation matters. A loss adjuster may ask when you first noticed it, what the weather was, and what condition the ridge was in before.
Many policies define a storm by wind speed or by severity, and some add an excess you pay on every claim. Others exclude damage to roofs in poor condition. The exact terms differ from one insurer to the next, so we cannot say what yours will do. Read the section on storm, wind and maintenance, or call your insurer for the wording before you commit to anything.
What helps a claim
Evidence is what counts. Photograph the damage as soon as it is safe, from the ground, with the date visible on the image. Note the date and weather of the event. If you have older photos of the roof showing intact ridge tiles, keep them. Get the repair surveyed and ask for a written description of the condition: what has failed, whether the tiles were sound, and what the bedding looked like. Do not throw away broken tiles or mortar before the insurer has seen them, if it is practical to keep them.
When we survey, we photograph your ridge exactly as we find it. We describe what we see, such as crumbled bedding, a cracked tile or a clean break, and we do not exaggerate a cause to suit a claim. We cannot say that a storm caused the damage unless the evidence shows it.
Make it safe first
Most policies expect you to take reasonable steps to prevent further damage. A ridge tile that is hanging or sliding is a risk to people below and a route for rain into the roof, so making it safe is sensible whether or not a claim follows. Our page on whether a fallen ridge tile is an emergency explains what to do on the day. Keep the receipt for emergency work, because many insurers reimburse temporary repairs that are part of a valid claim.
Repairs that are likely to fall outside cover
If the ridge is long overdue maintenance, an insurer may decline, and then the cost falls to you. Repointing, re-bedding and refixing a ridge are routine upkeep. Our pages on the signs of ridge tile failure and why ridge tiles come loose describe the usual causes, many of which are gradual. Small repairs can also cost less than the excess, so it is worth getting a quote before you claim, since a claim can affect your premium at renewal.
What the insurer may ask a roofer for
A loss adjuster sometimes wants a short written report from the roofer, covering what failed, whether the tiles themselves were intact and whether the bedding had already deteriorated. Give them the plain facts. If the mortar was crumbling beforehand, that is what the report should say, because an honest report protects you if the claim is reviewed later. If the tiles were sound and the bed was good, the report says that instead, and the case for storm damage is stronger. Either way, ask the insurer whether they want to inspect before work starts, and agree who pays for the scaffold or tower if one is needed to reach the ridge.
Who pays for what
If you rent, the landlord is normally responsible for roof repairs. If you are a leaseholder, the freeholder or management company usually insures the building and handles the roof. Check your lease. We work for homeowners and for landlords and managers, and we give each a fixed written quote after the survey so the figures are clear for any claim. For our full range of ridge, hip and verge work, see ridge, verge and dry-fix systems in Basingstoke.
Our guarantee is not insurance
We give a 10-year workmanship guarantee in writing on our repairs. That is a guarantee on our own work. It is not an insurance policy and does not replace buildings cover, so keep your own policy in force and check each year that the buildings sum insured still matches the rebuild cost of the house.
Every roof is different. A free survey with photos settles it for yours.
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