Buildings insurance covers sudden storm, fire and impact damage to a roof but not gradual wear or poor maintenance. Most disputes turn on whether the damage was storm-caused or pre-existing deterioration. Document the roof's condition, notify promptly, and have your own roofer's assessment ready before the insurer's loss adjuster visits.
Home insurance covers storm damage to roofs in the vast majority of standard policies. But the claims process has specific requirements that, if not followed, can result in reduced payouts or rejected claims. Understanding these requirements before you need them — or immediately after storm damage occurs — protects the full value of your claim.
Standard home insurance covers sudden and unexpected damage to the roof caused by events outside your control: storm, wind, hail, falling trees and vandalism. It does not cover gradual deterioration, wear and tear, or pre-existing conditions. This distinction matters: a roof that was already in poor condition before a storm, where the storm accelerated a failure that was inevitable, may receive a reduced settlement based on the pre-existing condition.
This is why annual maintenance and condition documentation is valuable. A roof with a recent inspection report confirming sound condition before the storm is in a stronger claims position than one with no maintenance history.
Post-storm survey and insurance report across Ashford and Kent. Written report within 24 hours.
Book Storm SurveyThe claims handler will typically require: a description of the storm event with approximate date and time, your photographs of the damage, a professional roofer's written damage assessment confirming that the damage is consistent with storm damage, and a quote for permanent repair. We produce written damage assessments with photographs on every post-storm attendance. These documents are specifically formatted for insurance submission.
Insurers can apply a 'betterment' deduction to claims where the repair represents an improvement over the pre-damage condition. If your 40-year-old concrete tile roof is damaged in a storm and the insurer settles based on equivalent concrete tile, but you choose to upgrade to clay tile during the repair, the cost difference is yours to fund. Understanding this principle prevents disputes with your insurer about the settlement amount.
If your insurer's settlement appears to undervalue the damage, you have the right to dispute it through the insurer's complaints process and, if unresolved, through the Financial Ombudsman Service. Having an independent written damage assessment from a qualified contractor strengthens any dispute. We provide these assessments on request.
Storm damage survey and insurance documentation across Ashford and Kent. Call today.
Call 01233 877 146Every roofing insurance claims guide job starts with a free inspection and written quote before any work begins. We do not start work until you have confirmed the written quote. Our standard rates apply across Ashford and the surrounding Kent area.
We cover all Ashford postcodes and the surrounding towns: Folkestone, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, Hythe and the villages across the Weald. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day on 01233 877 146.
No call-out fee across our full service area. Written quote before work starts. For roofing insurance claims guide work the quote is provided on the same visit as the inspection in most cases. You pay only for work carried out.
All re-roofing work and major repairs carry our written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. Minor tile repairs carry a 2-year guarantee. The guarantee is provided in writing at completion and transfers to a new owner if the property is sold.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Verify our registration at nfrc.co.uk. We carry 5m public liability insurance on every roofing insurance claims guide job. Insurance certificate available on request before work starts.
Ashford's housing stock spans five decades of construction: Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Newtown and the older town streets, 1930s semis in Kennington and Willesborough, post-war and 1960s estates at Bockhanger, Stanhope and Park Farm, and more recent development across the southern suburbs.
Each era presents different characteristics. Victorian clay tile on period properties requires matching reclaimed material and lime mortar at any repointing work. 1960s concrete interlocking tile on the estates is now 50-65 years old with corroded nail fixings on most unmodified properties. Understanding which housing era a property belongs to is the starting point for any assessment.
These estates are Ashford's highest-volume source of roofing work. The 1960s-70s concrete interlocking tile stock is now 50-65 years old. Nail sickness is present on the majority of unmodified properties. If you live in one of these areas and have not had roofing work in the last 15 years, a free assessment is worthwhile.
The Victorian terraces in Ashford's Newtown area and the older streets around the town centre require period-appropriate specification: reclaimed or reproduction clay tile, lime mortar at chimney repointing, and conservation-aware approach to any work on visible elevations.
Free survey and advice across Ashford and Kent. Call 01233 877 146.
Call 01233 877 146Most buildings insurance policies have maintenance conditions: the property must be kept in good repair. An insurer can use evidence of deferred maintenance to reduce or dispute a claim. A roof with documented maintenance history is in a significantly better position than one with no maintenance record when the insurer's assessor is assessing whether the damage was caused by the insured event or by pre-existing deterioration.
Notification requirements vary by policy. Some require notification within 24 hours; others within a few days. Check your policy wording for the specific requirement. Late notification does not automatically void a claim but complicates it. Notify as soon as you discover damage that may be insurable.
You have the right to have your own contractor present during the insurer's assessor visit. Having your roofer's written assessment available before the visit means the assessor is reviewing your documented findings rather than producing the only assessment on record. Where findings differ, you have a basis for discussion on the day rather than challenging the assessor's report after submission.
A reinstatement policy pays the full cost of repair to as-new condition. An indemnity policy applies a deduction for betterment — the improvement represented by new components replacing old ones. On an indemnity policy, replacing 30-year-old concrete tiles damaged by a storm may attract a betterment deduction proportionate to the remaining useful life of the original tiles. Understand your policy basis before the claim is assessed.
For context on how roofing costs compare across the range of work we carry out, here are realistic price ranges for the most common jobs across the Ashford area. All prices include labour and materials. VAT is not applicable on most domestic residential roofing work.
| Job Type | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Single tile replacement | £150 – £300 |
| Ridge repointing (per 4m) | £200 – £400 |
| Lead chimney flashing replacement | £500 – £1,100 |
| Full re-roof (3-bed semi, concrete tile) | £4,800 – £7,500 |
| Flat roof replacement (GRP, up to 20m2) | £900 – £1,800 |
| Full gutter clear (semi-detached) | £80 – £160 |
| Fascia and soffit replacement (semi) | £800 – £1,800 |
| Roof condition survey | £120 – £200 |
Free written quotes on all work. No call-out fee. Call 01233 877 146 to book.
We are a family-run roofing business based in Ashford, covering the town and the surrounding Kent area. We have been working on roofs in this area since 2003. Every job is carried out by our own employed team — we do not subcontract labour. The people who quote are the people who work.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). Our registration can be verified at nfrc.co.uk. We carry £5m public liability insurance on every job. Our insurance certificate is available on request before any work starts. All re-roofing work carries a written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. The guarantee is transferable to a new owner if the property is sold.
We cover Ashford and a broad area of the surrounding Kent countryside: Folkestone, Hythe, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, and the villages across the Weald and Romney Marsh. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 01233 877 146 for any roofing emergency. For non-urgent work, we aim to survey within 5-7 working days and have the quote in writing within 48 hours of the survey.
We do not charge for call-outs or surveys. Every job gets a written quote before a single tile is moved. The quoted price is the price on the invoice unless we identify and agree additional scope with you during the work. For re-roofing projects where deck condition is unknown before stripping, we include a clear provisional allowance for batten replacement rather than presenting you with a surprise on invoice.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Buildings insurance covers sudden storm, fire and impact damage. It excludes gradual deterioration, poor maintenance, and pre-existing conditions revealed by a storm.
Maintain the property in good repair, notify claims promptly, apply temporary weatherproofing to mitigate loss, and avoid permanent repairs before the assessor inspects ambiguous damage.
Reinstatement pays full repair cost to as-new condition. Indemnity deducts for betterment — the improvement new components represent over old ones.
Yes. Having your roofer's written assessment available means the assessor reviews your documented findings rather than producing the only record.