The short answer
It can, but it depends on the cause and on your policy. Damage from a storm may be covered under buildings insurance. Gutters that have failed through age, rust, blockage or lack of maintenance are generally treated as wear and tear and are often excluded. Only your policy wording and your insurer can say, so read the schedule and contact them before any repair starts.
Whether a damaged gutter is covered comes down to what damaged it and what your policy says. Storm damage is treated very differently from age.
Storm damage against wear and tear
Buildings insurance is written to cover sudden events, not the slow decline of a part that is simply old. A gutter torn off its brackets in a gale is a sudden event. A gutter that has rusted through, sagged or split at the joints over several winters is wear.
What counts as a storm?
The Financial Ombudsman Service treats a storm as weather with strong winds behind it, often bringing rain, hail or snow. Your own policy may word it differently, so look for the section headed storm or weather, and read any wind speed or other condition it sets. A damp, blustery week is not always a storm in the policy sense.
That difference explains why two similar-looking gutters can get different answers. One was pulled away by a named storm and fixed with fresh brackets. The other leaked for years until the water finally reached the fascia and soffit, the timber boards at the roof edge and beneath it. The first may fall inside the policy. The second is likely to be treated as maintenance, which buildings policies commonly expect the owner to carry out.
What to do first if a storm has damaged your gutters
Tell your insurer before you book any repair. They may want to inspect, or may ask for a particular approach. Then make the property safe, and date-stamped images from before and after any clear-up help your case: a temporary repair to stop water getting into the building is what insurers expect, and it limits further damage.
What should I keep as evidence?
Take dated photos from the ground before anything is moved, including the wall below and any debris on the lawn or path. The Institution of Structural Engineers advises photographing everything, since pictures are the clearest proof an insurer can be shown, and they are hard to recreate once the debris is cleared. Hold on to receipts for temporary work, and jot down when the storm struck and what you saw.
Keep broken sections until the insurer has said they can go. If a hanging gutter is a danger to people walking below, say so on the phone and photograph the area you have cordoned off. Tell the insurer what temporary measures you took and when.
Reading your policy before you need it
Policies differ, so the wording matters more than any general rule. Look for three things: the definition of a storm, the list of exclusions, and the excess, the amount you pay towards any claim. Check whether the policy names gutters, fascias and soffits, or whether they sit under the general heading of the building structure. Look also at whether it expects the roof and gutters to be kept in good repair, since that wording often decides borderline cases.
Does a maintenance exclusion apply to blocked gutters?
It can. Policies commonly refuse damage caused by a lack of reasonable care, and a gutter left packed with moss and leaves for years may be judged that way. Clearing the run on a regular schedule is the easiest answer, and keeping dated notes of each clean shows you took reasonable care. Our answer on how often gutters should be cleaned sets out the timing.
Which? reported that only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 ended in a payout. The number is a reminder that a claim is never a certainty, and that nobody, a roofer included, can promise how an insurer will decide. Treat any contractor who tells you otherwise with caution.
If the insurer says no, or the claim is slow
Ask the insurer to put its decision and reasons on paper, quoting the wording it is applying. A rejection on the ground of wear and tear may be reasonable, but it should be explained, and you are entitled to ask. Gutters torn down in a gale and gutters that dripped for years are treated as separate causes, and your photos can show which yours was.
Where can I take a complaint?
Complain to the insurer first. If the insurer has not sent its final answer within eight weeks, you may go to the Financial Ombudsman Service instead of waiting. When a final answer does arrive, you have six months to refer it, and the service costs you nothing.
Meanwhile, the roof still needs attention. Water running down a wall from a broken gutter keeps causing damage whatever the claim outcome. Where a gutter has failed from age, repair or renewal is usually the sensible route, and our answer on repairing or replacing guttering helps you weigh it up. Our gutters, soffits and fascias work starts with a survey, with pictures of the fault and one written total price.
More on insurance and guttering
Will insurance pay to replace gutters that a storm damaged?
Only the insurer can decide that, and nobody can promise the result. Storm damage may be covered, but the exact policy wording, the excess and the cause of failure all count. Report the damage first, send dated photos, and file receipts for any temporary work.
Is a leaking gutter covered if it was already old?
Usually not, because insurers treat gradual failure through age, rust or lack of cleaning as wear and tear. A storm that damages an already tired gutter can lead to a dispute about which cause counts. Read the exclusions in your policy, and request a written explanation if it declines.
The full picture: Gutters, soffits and fascias in Taunton ยท More short answers