Is a roof leak covered by insurance?

A stain on the ceiling raises two questions at once: will insurance fix the roof, and will it fix the damage inside. They are not always the same answer, and treating them as one claim is how a lot of roof leak claims end up smaller than they should be.

Is a roof leak covered by homeowners insurance?

Usually, when something sudden caused it. Wind that lifted or tore off shingles, a tree or limb that came down on the roof, or ice that built up and forced water under the shingles are the common covered causes. The damage to the roof and the water damage inside generally follow from that event.

It is usually not covered when the leak came from age, wear or a lack of maintenance: shingles at the end of their life, flashing that failed over years, a slow leak that stained the ceiling a little more every time it rained.

What the insurance company looks for

Expect questions about the age and condition of the roof, when the leak started and whether it had happened before. An adjuster who sees old shingles and a long-standing stain will lean toward wear and tear. That makes the record from the day you found the leak important: when it started, what the weather was, and what the roof looked like.

The roof and the room below are two parts of the claim

Even when the roof itself is old, the water damage inside is a separate question. Depending on the policy wording and how suddenly the water came in, the ceilings, walls, insulation and belongings it reached can still be part of the claim. Water from a roof also rarely stays in one room. It runs along rafters and joists, soaks insulation, and shows up in walls and on floors below the first stain.

Ice dams

Michigan winters cause a specific kind of roof leak. Snow melts, refreezes at the edge of the roof, and the backed-up water works under the shingles and into the walls and ceilings. The water damage inside from an ice dam is often covered. Removing the ice itself, or fixing the insulation and ventilation problems that caused it, may not be.

What to do after a roof leak

• Get the roof covered. Tarping to prevent more damage is something your policy expects, and it is usually part of the claim. Keep the receipt.
• Photograph before the tarp goes on, from the ground, from the attic if it is safe, and every stain and wet area inside.
• Keep anything that came off the roof: shingles, flashing, the limb that hit it.
• Be careful with the written cause. A roofer's note that says "old roof" can follow the claim for months. Ask that it describe what actually failed and why.

If a tree caused the leak, see when a tree falls on your house. If the ceiling has sagged or come down, see roof and ceiling collapse claims.

Here is how we handle large water loss claims.