Question answered
Is a conservatory roof covered by insurance?
The short answer
It can be, but the cause decides. Policies are written for sudden events, so a gale that cracks a panel or lifts a sheet is what a storm clause is meant for. A roof that leaks because it is old, brittle or neglected is normally treated as wear and tear and left out. Your policy wording and your insurer settle the outcome, so read the policy and ring them before any permanent work begins.
Sometimes. A sudden storm event can be covered, while a roof that has just reached the end of its life usually is not. The cause of the damage matters more than the roof type, and your policy wording has the final say.
Why the cause matters more than the roof
An insurer does not much care whether the roof is glass, polycarbonate or tile. It cares about what made the roof fail. The Financial Ombudsman Service, the free body that rules on disputes between policyholders and insurers, sets out the tests it applies to storm complaints. It asks whether a storm really happened on the day, whether the harm looks like the sort storms cause, and whether the weather was the chief reason, or the damage might have turned up anyway. Each answer gets checked against the date, the forecast and the policy.
That final test is where conservatory roofs so often come unstuck. A sheet already brittle, a capping already sprung or a seal already perished can each be named as the real culprit, with the gale merely revealing it. The Ombudsman says the insurer has to prove an exclusion applies, but you are in a far stronger position if you can show the roof was sound beforehand.
What counts as a storm for a glazed or polycarbonate roof
In the Ombudsman's view a storm tends to mean fierce wind, often alongside rain, hail or snow. Which? reported in November 2025 that insurers commonly rely on their own definition, and that definition can include a minimum gust speed. So a blustery night followed by a damp patch may fall short, whereas a named storm that flattened fences along your road is a much better fit. Ask the insurer for its definition in writing, so you know the test before you argue it.
These roofs fail in particular ways. Wind can pry up a polycarbonate sheet held down only by worn cappings, and hail can split an old sheet that would have shrugged it off when new. Glass resists impact better, but a branch or a slipped tile from next door can still break a pane. Note the date, the conditions and whether neighbours had damage too, because the insurer is likely to test each point.
Why an old leaking roof is usually a wear claim
Policies commonly leave out harm that builds up slowly, the Ombudsman points out. Which? offers an example close to a conservatory: rain getting into a house through a roof nobody has looked after counts as wear and tear. Drips along the glazing bars, green algae under the sheet edges and cloudy, crazed polycarbonate all suggest slow decline rather than a single event.
Age is the other clue. Guides from HomeBuilding and the Eco Experts suggest roughly 10 to 15 years for a polycarbonate conservatory roof, so a leak beyond that point is likely to be put down to age rather than to the last wet week. Keeping the roof clean, the gutter clear and the cappings tight shows it was looked after, and that is worth having on record. Our page on what a new conservatory roof does for value looks at what replacement can change.
What to do before anyone touches the roof
Tell your insurer promptly. Industry advice released for Storm Eunice in 2022 urged householders to arrange emergency temporary repairs so the damage does not spread, while checking with the insurer beforehand. Take dated photographs of the roof, the room below and any water marks before anything is moved, and keep any broken panel or capping until the insurer confirms it can go.
When rain is already coming in, our first step is to make the roof safe. The survey that follows gives you photographs of the fault itself, with a written quote that shows what failed and where, and why it matters for the claim. You can pass those photographs to your insurer, though the claim itself stays between you and them. Hold off agreeing any permanent repair until the insurer has said what it will cover, since an early start can complicate matters.
If the claim is refused or the cover falls short
Start by complaining to the insurer. Should its final answer not arrive within eight weeks, or leave you unhappy, the Financial Ombudsman Service will look at the case at no charge, provided you contact it within six months of that final answer. Which? reported, using regulator figures, that just 32% of storm claims made in 2024 ended in a payout, so a refusal happens often enough that it is worth testing, particularly when the cause is well documented.
If the policy will not stretch to a new roof, price the work yourself. MyBuilder gives a typical UK range of £2,000 to £10,000 or more for replacing a conservatory roof (guide updated 21 August 2026). Our conservatory roof cost guide covers what moves the figure within that range, and the conservatory roof replacement page lays out the choices.
Insurance and the broken panel
Should I keep a cracked conservatory panel until the insurer has seen it?
Yes. The damaged piece shows how it failed, and whether the break looks like impact or old age. Photograph it where it lies, then store it somewhere dry. Throwing it away early can make the claim harder to prove. If it turns out only one sheet needs changing, our guide to replacing individual conservatory roof panels explains when that is enough.
Will the insurer pay for a solid roof in place of the old polycarbonate?
Do not assume so. Ask in writing what the policy covers, and whether an upgrade is included or only a like for like replacement. A solid roof also needs a building control application, so ask who pays for that as well, and compare any figure offered with a written quote after a survey.
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