Question answered
What evidence do you need for a roof insurance claim?
The short answer
For a roof insurance claim you need dated photographs of the damage from the ground, the loft and every affected room, a note of the date and weather, a roofer's written report describing the cause, and receipts for any emergency work. Keep damaged parts until the insurer says otherwise, and record each conversation you have with them.
A claim is judged on what you can show. Dated photographs, a note of the weather, a roofer's findings and your receipts give the insurer something concrete to assess.
Photographs that answer the assessor's questions
An assessor is trying to establish three things: that rough weather actually hit your area on the date given, that the marks on the roof fit that kind of weather, and that nothing else explains them. Your pictures should speak to all three, so think about what each shot proves before you take it.
Take wide shots first, showing the house and the roof in context, then close-ups of each fault. Photograph fallen tiles where they landed, bent gutters, displaced ridge tiles and any debris in the garden. Indoors, photograph stains, bulges and wet insulation, with a tape measure or a coin beside a hole to show scale.
Use daylight where possible, keep the original files, and take more pictures than you think you need. Never stand on a wet roof or lean from a ladder for a better angle; a phone zoom from the ground or a window does the job, and a roofer can photograph the slope safely. If the light is poor, wait for morning rather than relying on a flash, which flattens stains and hides the texture of a fracture.
Dates, weather and a simple log
Record the day the problem first showed, how the wind and rain were behaving around then, and whether anything unusual happened, such as a loud bang in the night or a falling tree. Which? reports that insurers often use a storm definition including gusts of at least 55 miles an hour, so the date of the weather matters. If you have a weather app or a news report that mentions the gale, take a screenshot of it, with the date showing, and keep it in the same folder as the pictures.
Keep a short diary: each time you saw water, where it appeared and how much. Add the name, date and result of each call to the insurer. Save emails and screenshots of online forms.
The diary also helps with the question of gradual damage. Exclusions often cover harm that built up slowly, and a record showing the first sign came after a particular storm supports your case. The page on what counts as a storm goes into the wording.
A roofer's report adds weight
You are not expected to diagnose your own roof. A written report from a roofer, with photographs, says what is broken, what caused it and what the repair involves. It can separate a sudden break from long-term wear: fresh fracture surfaces, a displaced ridge or a flashing torn away look different from moss-covered, flaking tiles.
Our photographs of the roof itself arrive with the quote, each one tied to a plain-English note on the fault it shows. Whether a claim is accepted is for the insurer, but a clear record of the cause makes their job easier.
An independent view is useful if an assessor is sent out; the loss adjuster page explains who they are. If a claim is turned down on wear grounds, a rejected roof claim covers what to do next.
Receipts, damaged parts and temporary work
Keep every receipt connected to the damage: emergency call-outs, tarpaulins, hire of dehumidifiers or pumps, storage for furniture and extra meals if the kitchen is unusable. Ask shops for proper receipts and write the purpose on any informal ones.
Photograph the roof before and after any temporary work, and keep the damaged parts until the insurer confirms they are not wanted. Wet carpets and spoiled goods also need photographing before they go in a skip. The page on repairing before the insurer agrees sets out the order of events.
Do not throw anything away on the assumption that a photograph is enough. Ask first, and write down the answer. Label bags and boxes with the room and the date, and store them dry and out of the way so they stay in the condition the insurer needs to see. An insurer who later asks to see a broken flashing will not be satisfied with an account of what it looked like.
Flat roofs and the evidence they need
A flat roof that has pooled water, split at a seam or lifted at an edge needs its own set of pictures. Photograph standing water in the days after rain, the state of the covering and the outlet or gutter. Surface cracks, blistering and old patches all tell the insurer something about age and upkeep.
Membranes split, seams open and outlets clog in ways a tiled slope never does, so the cause often needs a closer inspection. Our guide to an emergency flat roof leak sets out the immediate steps, and the main emergency roof repairs page shows what a roofer can do on the day to stop the water.
Planning ahead helps. A dated set of pictures taken in calm weather records how the roof stood when it was sound, which is valuable if its condition is questioned later. The storm season preparation page suggests what to photograph and when.
Claim evidence questions
Is a phone photo good enough for an insurer?
Usually, if it is clear, taken in daylight and kept as the original file with its date. Take wide and close shots. A roofer's photographs from the roof itself add detail you cannot get from the ground, so use both where you can.
What if I did not photograph the damage before the repair?
Tell the insurer plainly and supply what you do have: the roofer's description, invoices, any photographs the roofer took, the damaged parts if kept and your diary of dates. It is a weaker position than having pictures, but a clear, truthful account still helps.
Tell us about your roof
Describe what is happening and we will call you back to arrange a visit.
- Photographs of what we find
- A written quote with one total price
- Or call 01903 299063
10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing.