The short answer
Whether the policy responds depends on its wording and on why the flashing failed. Insurers generally separate sudden storm damage from gradual wear and tear. Read the policy, speak to the insurer before anything else, cover the leak, and keep every photograph and receipt. Nobody outside the insurer can say a lead claim will be accepted.
Lead flashing torn off in a gale and lead flashing that has simply tired are different events as far as an insurer is concerned.
Storm damage and wear are different
Home insurance generally responds to damage from a defined event, such as a storm. Wear and tear, and slow deterioration, are commonly left out. Which side your flashing falls on is a matter for the policy and the insurer, not for a roofer.
Where is the line between a gale and wear?
When the Financial Ombudsman Service decides complaints, it treats violent winds as the usual mark of a storm, frequently carrying rain, hail or snow. That describes how the Ombudsman approaches complaints, and individual policies may word it differently. A flashing ripped away in a gale looks like storm damage. A flashing that has cracked along its folds after decades of heating and cooling looks like wear.
A roofer can describe what the lead looks like, and our survey photos record the metal and the surface beneath it. Deciding whether a claim is valid is not our role, and we cannot predict any outcome. That judgement belongs to the insurer, and a complaints route exists if you disagree with it, described further down.
If you are unsure, tell the insurer what happened and ask how the policy applies. Do that before repairs begin wherever you can.
What to do first when lead is damaged
Contact the insurer at the outset. Many run an emergency line for storm damage, and the call tells you what they want from you and whether a temporary repair is allowed for.
What should you keep?
Pictures are the most useful record. A structural engineers' institution advises that photographs give visual evidence of the damage, which supports a claim. Take shots from the garden and from inside the house, including ceiling stains and damp patches, and note the day and the conditions on the back of each print or in the file name.
Then cover the leak. A temporary repair, such as a sheet over a lifted flashing, limits further harm, and policies commonly expect owners to take sensible steps against worsening damage. Keep every receipt, because you may be asked what you spent.
Our order of work starts with stopping the water. The survey for the permanent repair then records your own lead in photographs, which you can pass to the insurer alongside your own. Our answer on signs of failed flashing lists the details worth recording, and it helps to write the date on each photograph.
Checking your policy wording
No two policies read alike, so the detail counts. Read the parts about storm damage, buildings cover, accidental damage and the excess you would have to pay. Look too for conditions about maintenance, since some policies expect the roof to have been kept in reasonable order.
Does a lead repair affect your cover?
A repair does not normally cancel anything, but telling the insurer what was done and when is sensible. Keep the written price, the invoice and the photographs together in one folder, so anyone looking at the file later can follow the sequence of events.
If the insurer wants its own contractor, or wants to inspect before repairs start, follow their instructions where you can. Where a leak is active, a temporary repair cannot wait, and the insurer's line can say how to proceed.
Handling insurance claims is not something we do, and the decision rests with the insurer alone. Our part is to describe the condition of the roof clearly and in writing. Our answer on cracked lead flashing explains how cracks form, which helps you read what the photographs show. Theft is a separate event with its own police and policy steps, so raise it with the insurer directly.
If the insurer turns you down
A refusal need not be final. Request a written explanation of the clause relied on, and ask whether the photographs were looked at.
Where can you complain?
The Financial Ombudsman Service deals with complaints about insurers. Its guidance says an insurer that has not issued its final response within eight weeks can be reported to the Ombudsman, and that once a final response has arrived the clock allows six months to complain. Its service is free to use.
Long before that stage, keep a note of every call and letter. The permanent repair does not have to wait for the argument. If the roof is leaking, repair it, keep proof of how the old lead looked, and carry on the discussion afterwards.
Where the cause is plain wear, a planned repair is cheaper than waiting for a leak, and the cost sits with the owner. Our lead work page covers what we handle. Photograph the flashing and send it over: the survey that follows gives you pictures of your own lead and one written price, and you can then decide with the full picture in front of you.
More on insurance and lead
Is stolen lead covered by home insurance?
Cover for theft depends on the policy and the insurer, and we cannot answer it for them. Report any theft to the police, tell the insurer straight away, photograph the damage and keep records. The roof is made watertight first, with the permanent repair surveyed afterwards.
Should I get the repair done before the insurer visits?
Ask the insurer first. A temporary repair to stop water is normally sensible, but permanent work may need their agreement. Photograph everything before anyone touches it, and keep any lead taken off the roof, in case the insurer wants to examine it.
The full picture: Lead work in Taunton ยท More short answers