How Insurance Handles a Leaking Roof

Homeowners insurance generally covers damage from a leaking roof if the leak occurs due to a covered peril. Examples of covered perils include thunderstorms, hail, and fallen trees.

Your policy typically won’t cover leaks caused by poor maintenance, normal wear and tear, or failure to fix small roofing problems before they cause additional damage. Before the next storm hits, learn more about how insurance companies handle this type of claim.

Understanding Roof Leak Insurance

When you buy a homeowners insurance policy, it includes coverage for several perils, or unexpected events, that can damage your property. Your insurance is likely to cover roof leaks caused by one of the perils included in your policy.

To be covered, the damage must be accidental. Here are some examples:

• Hail: Even tiny hailstones have a lot of force behind them, so they can dent your roof during a storm. You may see black spots or small divots, indicating that the materials underneath don’t have as much protection as they should. Hailstones can even cause the underside of a shingle to crack [1]. Since hail is usually a covered peril, your insurer should cover roof leaks resulting from hailstorms.
• Fallen trees: During a storm, high winds may cause tree branches to break off and hit your roof. Even small branches can damage shingles, slate tiles, and other roofing materials. Some storms are so severe that they rip trees right out of the ground, causing them to fall on your home.
• Lightning: If lightning hits your home, the intense heat may scorch your roof’s shingles, flashing, or insulation. The force of a lightning bolt is also capable of tearing away your gutters or knocking off pieces of your chimney. All three types of damage increase the risk of a leak. Lightning is generally a covered peril, so your insurance company should cover leaks related to lightning damage.
• Falling objects: Category 1 hurricanes produce wind speeds ranging from 74 to 95 miles per hour [2]. Tornadoes and other types of storms also cause heavy winds. If a storm rips through your neighborhood, the accompanying winds may pick up patio furniture, garbage cans, and other objects, causing them to fall on your roof. Wind damage is generally considered a covered peril, so your homeowners insurance may cover wind-related roof leaks.
• Other accidents: If your neighbor’s child hits a baseball at a high rate of speed, it’s possible for the ball to land on your roof, denting shingles, tiles, or other roofing materials.

Roof Leak Damage and Home Insurance

If you have damage from a leaking roof, you may have to deal with structural damage, contents damage, and/or temporary living expenses. The coverage available for each type of loss depends on the terms of your insurance policy.

Structural Damage

Structural damage is any damage that affects the structural integrity of your home [3]. If you have a severe roof leak, it may cause your ceiling to collapse, putting the rest of the structure at risk. Another example of structural damage is when a roof is so damaged that it no longer covers the joists, ridge boards, or rafters of your home.

Your insurance company may pay for structural damage associated with a covered peril. However, homeowners insurance doesn’t cover structural damage related to normal wear and tear. Asphalt shingles typically last for 15 to 25 years, while slate, wood shakes, and clay tiles last much longer [4]. If you don’t maintain your roof properly or replace materials that have reached the end of their useful life, your insurer may deny any leak-related claims.

Note that some areas of the country have so many storms that homeowners must replace their roofs every 5 years. In other areas, it’s more common to replace a roof every 20 to 30 years.

As a homeowner, you also have a duty to mitigate any damage caused by normal wear and tear. For example, if your roof develops a leak, you’re obligated to repair it in a timely manner. Otherwise, water could pool behind the walls, causing wood rot and other types of damage. Leaks may even lead to mold growth, putting your family’s health at risk.

Contents Damage

“Contents” is a broad term for all the valuable items in your home. Even if a leak doesn’t cause structural damage, it may damage furniture, electronics, appliances, and other objects. Contents coverage works much the same way as coverage for structural damage. Your insurance company may pay for damage related to covered perils, but it probably won’t cover damage related to poor maintenance or normal wear and tear.

Temporary Living Expenses

If you have a severe roof leak, you may have to vacate your home until it’s repaired. Homeowners insurance typically includes some coverage for temporary living expenses, which are the extra costs associated with staying elsewhere. For example, your insurance company may pay for you to stay in a hotel while contractors work on fixing your damaged roof.

Homeowners insurance generally covers temporary living expenses arising from covered perils. Your insurer isn’t likely to pay for temporary living expenses incurred due to poor roof maintenance or normal wear and tear.

Roof Leak Insurance Policies and Coverage Limits

Many insurance companies offer endorsements, giving you the opportunity to purchase additional coverage. If you purchase certain endorsements, your insurer may cover damage from a leaking roof even if the damage isn’t covered by your standard policy.

For example, homeowners insurance typically doesn’t cover earthquakes and landslides. However, you may be able to buy an earthquake endorsement, extending your existing coverage. Your standard policy may also exclude damage caused by hurricanes and tornadoes. Purchasing a windstorm endorsement may help you get reimbursed for roof leaks related to these events. These policies cover the structure of your home, but they don’t cover its contents. If you want contents coverage, you’ll have to pay an additional premium. 

It’s also important to understand your coverage limits and deductibles. In the insurance industry, a coverage limit is the maximum amount of money an insurer will pay out for a claim. Your deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of your own pocket before your insurance company starts to pay. For example, if you have a $2,000 deductible, you have to pay for the first $2,000 worth of repairs.

If a leak causes significant damage, contact your insurance company right away per the terms of your policy.  You’ll need to complete a claim form and provide supporting documentation. ClaimGuide.org has more information about the full claims process.

Some insurance policies cover the actual cash value (ACV) of damaged property, while others cover the full replacement value. ACV is usually less than the cost of repairing or replacing a roof, so keep this in mind when filing a claim. If you have ACV coverage, you may receive much less than you need to repair the damage.

Practical Guidance and Next Steps

In some cases, it’s possible to prevent roof leaks by performing regular maintenance and taking extra precautions during storms. If a covered peril causes significant damage, however, you may need to file a homeowners insurance claim.

Preventing Roof Leaks

Shingles, insulation, and other roofing materials work together to protect your home from the elements. Regular maintenance prevents these materials from failing, reducing the risk of leaks in the future. At a minimum, you should clean your gutters regularly, keep trees trimmed away from the roofline, and do your best to limit moss and algae growth. Roof damage isn’t always obvious to a layperson, so consider hiring a professional to inspect your roof and let you know if it needs any repairs.

If your roof sustains damage during a storm, make repairs as soon as possible. It’s easier and less expensive to replace a few shingles than to deal with a leak later on. If you’re not comfortable doing the work yourself, get estimates from several licensed contractors.

Before storms, it’s important to secure sports equipment, patio furniture, potted plants, and other items. Otherwise, they may get picked up by strong winds, causing them to fall on your roof and damage it. 

Filing a Roof Leak Insurance Claim

If a leak occurs despite your best efforts, contact your insurance company right away. The claims process generally works like this:

1. Once you report the damage, your insurance company will assign an adjuster.
2. The adjuster investigates your claim. They may contact you for additional details, so check your email and voicemail messages regularly. Respond as soon as possible to prevent delays.
3. You must provide documentation related to the damage. For example, you may need to submit photos of the damaged roof, an explanation of how the damage happened, and a description of what you did to mitigate the damage.
4. If you don’t want to use the contractor recommended by your insurance company, get estimates from multiple roofing professionals in your area.
5. Once your claim is approved, your insurer will send you a check for the agreed-upon amount. 

Protect Your Most Valuable Assets

In general, homeowners insurance covers roof leaks caused by covered perils. You can protect yourself even further by purchasing endorsements and taking common-sense steps to prevent leaks.

Review your policy at least once per year to determine if you need to increase your coverage limits or purchase additional coverage. Stephanie Makowski, an underwriter in the insurance industry, says, “It is important to review and understand the insurance coverages.  Not all policies are made the same, and working with your licensed agent will help explain the differences to know you have the right coverage in place when you need it.”

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Reviewed by Stephanie A. Makowski

Stephanie A. Makowski has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. She began her insurance career working for a large independent retail agency within their personal lines department. She then crossed over to the commercial lines department working with the construction and agriculture sectors.