The short answer
Sometimes, and it turns on why the window leaks. A policy may respond to sudden storm damage, such as a broken pane or a frame forced open by wind. A leak from worn seals, old flashing or condensation is often treated as maintenance, which many policies leave out. Only the insurer can give an answer, so read your wording, tell them first and keep photographs.
The outcome hangs on the cause of the leak and on your policy wording. What you do straight after spotting the drip counts either way.
Storm damage or gradual wear
Insurers draw a line between a sudden event and a slow failure, and the line shapes the whole claim. A branch through the glass, or a gale that wrenches the sash off its hinge, is an event. Seals hardened by age, flashing lifting at one corner, or a blocked channel that lets water creep past the frame, is wear.
What makes a storm, in insurance terms?
To the Financial Ombudsman Service, a storm means violent wind first, with rain, hail or snow often alongside. Your policy may word it differently, and the small print outranks any rule of thumb. Weeks of damp weather do not make a storm, and neither does steady rain finding a worn joint.
The split matters because many policies pay for storm damage and exclude wear. Wording differs from one insurer to the next, so a neighbour's experience tells you little about yours. Which? found that only 32% of storm-related claims made in 2024 ended in a payout, a reminder to keep your evidence tidy and your hopes measured.
A roof window is also a bundle of parts: glass, sash, seals, frame and flashing. A cracked pane after a branch strike and a perished seal behind the lining are different kinds of fault, and an insurer may treat them differently.
The first steps after you spot the drip
The sensible order is simple. Contact your insurer before any repair beyond a temporary make-safe. Then contain the water, and gather evidence.
What counts as a sensible stopgap?
Anything that keeps more rain out: a bucket and towels under the drip, furniture pulled clear and, only where it is safe, a sheet over the outside of the window. Never climb a ladder in rain or wind to fix it yourself. When we are called to a leaking window, we put a temporary cover on, then inspect properly once the weather allows.
Photograph the damage before you move anything: the stained ceiling, water on the sill, the frame as it looks from inside. A dated picture is better evidence than a description given weeks later. Keep receipts for temporary materials and any call-out. Jot down when you first saw the drip and how the weather behaved, because the insurer may ask for both.
If you can, also photograph the window from outside, from the garden or an upstairs room. Do not climb up to get the shot.
Reading the policy before you ring
The policy document answers more than you might expect. Look under storm, escape of water, accidental damage and exclusions, then read the definitions near the back. A short phrase can decide a claim.
Which clauses decide a window leak?
First see whether storm damage is listed and how it is described. Then look for exclusions: wear, gradual deterioration, poor maintenance and faulty workmanship can each apply to a leaking window. The excess matters too, since the first slice of any claim is yours and can swallow a small repair. Some policies also set conditions about the state of the roof.
When you ring, describe what happened in plain terms: what you saw, when, and what you have done since. Avoid guessing at causes, because a roofer's survey is what establishes them. The decision sits with the insurer, who may also send their own assessor. What we can do is examine the window, photograph the frame, flashing and covering, and describe our findings in writing. That record is yours to pass on if the insurer asks for it.
When the insurer says no
A no is not necessarily final. Ask for the reasoning in writing, together with the clause the insurer leans on. If you still disagree, take it up through the insurer's complaints route first.
Where does a complaint go next?
The Financial Ombudsman Service steps in after the insurer's final response, or when eight weeks go by with none. From a final response you have 6 months to refer the complaint. The Ombudsman charges consumers nothing.
If you decide to pay for the repair yourself, it helps to know the scale. A cost guide, MyJobQuote, puts a standard mid-range Velux at about £1,100, with a plain swap around £100 under that (Sep 2026), and a re-seal or new flashing is priced differently again. Our survey ends in one written price, backed by pictures of your own window.
For what makes a window fail in the first place, see misted Velux windows, or go back to roof windows and skylights. If the problem proves to be condensation rather than rain, Velux window condensation explains the difference.
More on insurance and roof window leaks
Should I get the window repaired before I tell the insurer?
Tell the insurer first. A temporary cover or a bucket is fine, but a full repair may remove the evidence the insurer wants to see. Keep photographs, receipts and notes of what you did, and ask whether they want to inspect before permanent work starts.
Will a roofer's report help my claim?
It can help, because it records the cause of the leak with photographs. It does not decide the claim, which is the insurer's call, and no roofer can say how it will turn out. We describe what the window, flashing and covering show, in writing, and you decide whether to send it.
The full picture: Velux roof window and skylight installation in Taunton · More short answers