Can you claim for a new roof on your home insurance?

You can claim for a new roof on your home insurance only when an insured event, such as a storm or a falling tree, has damaged it so badly that replacing the whole roof is the only way to put that damage right. Home insurance does not pay to replace a roof because it is old, worn or near the end of its life. In most claims the insurer pays to repair the part the event damaged, and the rest of the roof stays your responsibility.

What tips a claim from a repair into a full replacement is usually one question. Can the damaged part be repaired so that it works and lasts, or does the insured damage mean the whole covering has to come off? The Financial Ombudsman Service has decided cases both ways, and the difference between them is mostly evidence. What decides it, what your roofer's report needs to show, and when a new roof is simply your cost are set out below.

What home insurance covers on a roof

Buildings insurance covers damage from specified events such as storm, flood and fire, and almost never covers damage that has built up gradually. The Financial Ombudsman Service notes that policies often exclude gradual damage and wear and tear, and that when an insurer relies on one of those exclusions, it is for the insurer to prove it applies.

That split decides most roof claims before the size of the job ever comes up. Tiles blown off in a gale, a slope punctured by a branch or a flat roof peeled back by the wind are insured damage. Mortar that has crumbled over many years, slates that slipped because their nails corroded, or a felt roof that finally gave out are wear, however much water they let in. The same line runs through whether roof repairs are covered by home insurance at all, and why a damaged roof can affect your home insurance long before you claim.

When an insurer pays for a whole new roof

The insurer pays for a full replacement when the insured damage itself makes one necessary. In an April 2026 decision, the ombudsman upheld a complaint about a fibreglass flat roof damaged in a storm. The insurer accepted the storm damage but offered half the cost of a new roof, arguing that the rest of the roof was in poor condition and that replacing it would be betterment.

The homeowner's roofer had physically inspected the roof. His report explained that the remaining section was no longer attached to the decking beneath, had been seen lifting in the wind, and would be taken off by the next strong gust. The ombudsman found that persuasive, said the only way to carry out an effective and lasting repair was to replace the entire roof, and told the insurer to pay the roofer's full quote with interest. The homeowner's side also pointed out that the insurer's surveyor had taken photos from the ground with a camera pole rather than inspect the roof from the scaffolding.

The principle that decided it is the one worth knowing. Even if part of a roof was in poor condition, the ombudsman looked at whether the work needed was a direct result of the insured damage.

When it only pays for the damaged part

The same principle can work against a claim. In a 2023 decision, a homeowner claimed after a storm with a roofer's quote that included a new felt roof, new lead flashing, broken tiles and the ridge. The insurer said much of that was wear and tear and poor workmanship, not storm damage. In the final decision the ombudsman agreed the insurer only had to cover the parts it had accepted as storm damage, which were the ridge tiles, a localised repair to the flat roof and the temporary works. It did, however, have to pay for them at the homeowner's roofer's prices rather than its own lower costs.

The ombudsman's guidance on settling claims adds a related point. An insurer can refuse part of a repair that would leave the customer in a better position than before the damage. So a new roof to replace a section that a storm damaged on an otherwise tired roof is unlikely to be paid in full, unless the evidence shows a partial repair genuinely will not work.

Matching tiles and slates

Older roofs bring a particular problem. If the tiles or slates on your roof are no longer made, a repair with a near match can leave a visible patch. The ombudsman's settlement guidance says most policies only cover the damaged item, but where it is part of a matching set that cannot be replaced exactly, it usually expects compensation for the loss of match, often 50% of the cost of replacing the undamaged parts, depending on the circumstances.

That guidance is written about sets in general rather than roofs in particular, and the result depends on how much of the roof is affected, how visible the mismatch is and what your policy says. In practice a roofer will usually try reclaimed tiles of the same type first, especially on the older tiled roofs and slate roofs around Sussex. If no match exists, say so in writing, because it is the evidence the insurer needs to consider a wider repair.

Repair, replace or cash

Most policies let the insurer decide how to settle. The ombudsman's guidance quotes the usual wording, that the insurer will decide whether to repair, replace, pay cash or reinstate the damaged part of the building, while expecting it to take the customer's circumstances into account.

If the insurer pays cash, the amount should reflect what it would cost you to have the work done. There is a catch. If the insurer offered a fair repair through its own contractor and you chose cash instead, it may only have to pay what that repair would have cost it, which can be less than your roofer's quote. Ask which basis the offer is on before you accept it.

What your roofer's report needs to show

Both decisions turned on the evidence about the rest of the roof. If you believe the whole roof needs replacing because of the storm, the report you send your insurer should answer the questions the ombudsman asked.

• What the event damaged. Every area, with photos taken on the roof, not just from the ground.
• Why a partial repair will not work. For example, a covering that has come loose from its deck beyond the visibly damaged area, or tiles that cannot be matched.
• The condition of the rest of the roof. An honest account helps you either way. If it was sound, that answers the wear and tear argument; if it was not, you are better off knowing before a loss adjuster says so.
• Any video or notes from the day. In the 2026 case, the roofer's account of the loose section, and video of it moving in the wind, were part of the evidence the ombudsman relied on.

The step by step for making the claim itself, from photos on the day to complaining if it is turned down, is in how to claim for storm damage on your roof. A thorough report looks a lot like a proper roof survey.

When a new roof is your cost

If the roof is simply wearing out, insurance is not the route, and a claim that is really about age is likely to fail. A roof near the end of its life usually shows it gradually, with more slipped tiles each winter, repeated leaks in different places and repairs that do not hold. Knowing how long a roof lasts in the UK and what affects the cost of a new roof helps you plan for it. It is also worth asking whether it is really better to repair or replace, because plenty of tired roofs have years left in them after a well judged repair.

Check your excess too. If the storm damage is a few tiles and the repair costs about the same as the excess, the claim gains you nothing.

If you disagree with the offer

Complain to the insurer in writing first and send your roofer's report and photos with it. The insurer usually has up to eight weeks to give a final response, and if you are still unhappy you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, within six months of that response.

Getting your roof assessed

A claim for a new roof succeeds when the evidence shows the insured damage itself means the whole roof must be replaced, and fails when the real problem is age or wear. The deciding factor is nearly always what a roofer finds when they actually go up and look.

If your roof has been damaged anywhere in the areas we cover, contact us and we can inspect it, make it safe and tell you whether it needs a repair or a new roof. Rated Roofers has over 25 years in the roofing industry and runs a 24 hour emergency call out, and you can also ask for a free quote.