Buildings insurance

Buildings insurance can cover roof repairs, depending on the cause of the damage. Buildings insurance covers sudden, unexpected damage to your roof, like storm damage, fallen trees, or tiles dislodged by severe weather. If your roof is damaged by an insured event, your policy should cover the cost of repairs or, in serious cases, a full replacement.

However, it won’t cover wear and tear. A roof that’s deteriorated over time or developed leaks due to age, for example, is usually considered a maintenance issue. These types of issues are your responsibility as the owner, not the insurance company’s. Similarly, if a claim arises because a roof was already in poor condition, insurers may reduce or reject the payout on the basis that proper upkeep wasn’t maintained.

If any part of your home has a flat roof, it may be excluded from standard cover. Flat roofs carry a higher risk of leaks and weather damage. If your property has a flat roof, it’s worth checking your policy wording carefully to understand what’s included.

Yes, and if you’re taking out a mortgage on a new build home, your lender will normally require it to be in place before completion. From the point of exchange, you have a legal interest in the property and hold the financial risk if something goes wrong, so cover should be in place from that date, not just from when you get the keys.

It’s important that your insurer knows the house is a new build. Some standard policies have exclusions or conditions that apply specifically to new builds, particularly around defects that should be covered by the structural warranty rather than claimed on buildings insurance.

This depends on what you’re claiming for. If the claim was the result of a crime, like vandalism or a break-in, for example, contact the police first and get a crime reference number. You’ll need this when you speak to your insurer.

You typically have up to 180 days to make a claim, and most insurers offer a 24/7 claims line. Before you call, have your policy number and documents to hand. Your insurer will want to know what happened, when, and what you’re claiming for. You’ll usually need to provide:

• A detailed account of what caused the damage, plus your crime reference number if applicable
• Evidence of the damage. Photographs or video footage work well
• Receipts or proof of purchase for anything you’re claiming for

You should avoid arranging repairs before you’ve spoken to your insurer. There may be exclusions in your policy, and in some cases, your insurer will arrange the repairs themselves. If urgent repairs are needed before you can speak to your insurer, keep all evidence of the damage and hold onto any invoices for work carried out.

For larger or more complex claims, your insurer may send a loss adjuster to assess the damage.

The simplest way to think about the difference between the two is that buildings insurance covers the structure of your home, and contents insurance covers what’s inside it. Many people choose to buy both as a combined home insurance policy, which often works out cheaper than purchasing them separately.

Yes, it’s possible to find buildings insurance that covers non-standard construction homes. Non-standard construction covers a wide range of property types, including:

• Timber or steel-framed homes
• Thatched roofs
• Properties with flat roofs
• Concrete construction (including prefabricated concrete)
• Properties with wattle and daub, cob, or clay walls
• Listed buildings

Non-standard homes can be more complex to cover. There may be fewer providers willing to offer a policy, and premiums can be higher for non-standard home insurance. This is mainly because specialist materials and tradespeople are often required for repairs, and those come at a cost.

It’s important to be upfront about your property’s construction type when getting a quote, as failing to disclose it accurately could invalidate your policy.

No. When insurers ask about the number of rooms in your property, they’re referring to habitable spaces. This means rooms designed for living in, with ventilation, weather-proofing and insulation. Garages don’t meet that definition.

That said, your garage and any outbuildings are still covered under a standard buildings insurance policy, even though they don’t count as rooms. They’re protected against the same events as the main structure, so you don’t need to arrange separate cover for them, even if they’re not attached to your main property.

Standard buildings insurance policies don’t automatically cover properties undergoing building work, such as renovations or extensions. If your builder causes structural damage or an accidental leak during a renovation and you haven’t told your insurer about the ongoing work, your claim could be rejected.

Depending on the scale of the work, your insurer might update your existing policy, charge an additional premium, or recommend specialist renovation insurance.

Once the work is complete, you’ll also need to update your insurer to reflect the changes to the property. The work could have added an additional room to your house, which could increase the rebuild value, for example.

Yes, although your options may be more limited and your premium is likely to be higher.

If standard insurers won’t cover you due to flood risk, the Flood Re scheme exists specifically to help. Flood Re is a joint initiative between the UK government and insurance companies that allows insurers to pass the flood risk element of a policy into a shared pool. This keeps premiums more affordable for homeowners in high-risk areas.

If your insurer participates in the Flood Re scheme, the flood portion of your premium is capped based on your council tax band.

You can check the flood risk for your house on the GOV.UK website or by using our flood risk map.

Most standard buildings insurance policies include cover for subsidence, but it’s one of the more expensive aspects of a policy to claim on. Subsidence excesses are typically higher (around £1,000, for example). This is due to repairs often being more complex and expensive.

It’s important to declare any history of subsidence when taking out a policy. If your property has been affected before, even if it was resolved, you must disclose it. Failing to do so could result in your policy being invalidated.

This depends on the type of flooring and how it’s fitted. For example, hard flooring, such as wood, laminate or tiles that are glued or nailed down, is generally considered to be part of the property’s structure. This means it falls under buildings insurance.

On the other hand, carpets are typically covered by contents insurance because they’re not permanently fixed and could be lifted and moved.

It’s important to check your policy documents to understand exactly what’s covered by your buildings insurance.

Usually yes, as long as the leak is sudden and unexpected. Insurers refer to this as ‘escape of water’, which covers things like burst pipes, your washing machine or dishwasher suddenly leaking, or a boiler overflow causing damage to the structure of your home.

You won’t usually be covered for gradual leaks. For example, a slow drip from a pipe that’s been gradually causing damage over months. Insurers expect homeowners to identify and deal with these kinds of issues as part of normal maintenance, so a claim for long-term water ingress is likely to be declined.

Your policy might also include trace and access cover, which covers the cost of finding where a leak is coming from, not just fixing the damage caused. If your policy doesn’t include this as standard, it might be available as an add-on for an extra fee.

You can use our house build date tool - just enter your postcode and it’ll give you an instant estimate.

You can also find out when your home was built by checking:

• Your title deed - This is the most reliable source. It contains proof of ownership and usually includes the build date. If you don’t have a copy, your conveyancer should be able to help.
• HM Land Registry - This is the most reliable source. It contains proof of ownership and usually includes the build date. If you don’t have a copy, your conveyancer should be able to help.
• Your local authority - Local planning departments sometimes hold historical records, particularly for older properties or houses in conservation areas.

The most common reasons a buildings insurance claim gets rejected are inaccurate information provided when getting a quote and poor maintenance of the house.

When you take out buildings insurance, you’re asked questions about your property. It’s important to answer these honestly and keep the information up-to-date. Common ways policies are invalidated include:

• Leaving the property unoccupied for longer than your policy allows (usually 30-60 days) without notifying your insurer or arranging specialist unoccupied home insurance
• Carrying out renovations or building an extension without telling your insurer beforehand
• Failing to report damage that could affect future claims
• Using the property for business purposes without declaring it

Your insurer will expect you to keep the property maintained to a reasonable standard. A claim that stems from neglect (like a roof left in disrepair, for example) is unlikely to be paid out. When in doubt, a quick call to your insurer before a situation changes is always better than a rejected claim after the fact.

 

Typically, buildings insurance assumes you have an ‘insurable interest’ in the property. This means that you have a financial stake in the property and would suffer a genuine financial loss if the property was damaged or destroyed.

In practice, this most commonly applies when you’re in the process of buying a property. From the point of exchange, the legal risk passes to the buyer, so it’s standard practice (and often a mortgage condition) to have buildings insurance in place from that date, even if you haven’t yet completed.

It can also apply in situations like inheriting a property where you may need to arrange buildings insurance before ownership is formally transferred. In cases like these, the key thing is whether you have a legitimate financial interest in the property. If you’re unsure whether your circumstances qualify, it’s worth speaking to your insurer.

In most cases, yes. Solar panels that are permanently fixed to your roof are considered part of the structure of your house, which means they’re often covered under a standard buildings insurance policy.

If you’ve already got buildings insurance before having solar panels fitted, there are a few things worth knowing:

• Tell your insurer when panels are installed - Solar panels add value to your property and can increase its rebuild cost. If you don’t update your current insurer when they’re fitted, you risk being underinsured, meaning any payout may not cover the full cost of replacement.
• Check what’s actually covered - Some policies cover the panels themselves but not the components that make them work (inverters, wiring, and battery storage systems, for example). These can be expensive to replace, so it’s worth knowing the level of cover you have.
• Accidental damage may not be included as standard - If a panel is cracked or broken accidentally rather than as the result of an insured event like a storm, you may not be covered unless you have accidental damage cover added to your policy.
• Panels that are not fitted to your roof may be treated differently - If your panels aren’t fitted to your roof, check whether they’re covered under your policy. They may be covered by contents insurance instead.
• Selling energy back to the grid may affect your cover - If you’re generating income by selling energy back to the grid, it’s also worth checking whether your insurer requires you to declare this. Some providers consider this to be using your home for business purposes, which can affect your cover if not disclosed.

The simplest way to make sure you’re properly protected is to contact your insurer directly when panels are installed, confirm the updated rebuild value, and ask specifically about the components and scenarios listed above.