Written by William Paull
Co-Founder & Account Director
On this page
- Does insurance cover roof leaks?
- When does insurance cover a roof leak, and when is it refused?
- What does a "wear and tear" or "gradual deterioration" exclusion actually say?
- How do insurers know what condition my roof was in?
- What records should you keep in case you ever claim for the roof?
- How can you find roof problems before your insurer does?
- Could an accepted roof claim still be cut?
- What happens if you insure with us and a roof claim is knocked back?
- Frequently asked questions
Roof damage is the most common commercial property claim we see.
Does insurance cover roof leaks?
Does commercial property insurance cover roof leaks? Sometimes. A leak from sudden storm damage, such as hail, wind or a falling tree, is generally covered. A leak from rust, wear and tear or gradual deterioration is excluded on the business packs we arrange. On some policies, the water damage inside can still be paid where the roof repair itself is declined.
When does insurance cover a roof leak, and when is it refused?
Cover comes down to the cause. A storm, hail or fire is a sudden insured event and generally a claim. Gradual wear is maintenance, and the policy leaves it to you.
A storm that lifts sheeting, hail that punches through it, or a tree through the roof are sudden, identifiable events. Rust that ate through the steel over five winters, seals that perished, flashing that slowly worked loose: that is the building ageing. On the wordings we place, it is excluded as wear and tear.
Rain through an open window or a half-finished roof is a grey area. The policy wordings we arrange do not name it as an exclusion, yet the gradual cause and dampness exclusions may apply, so it is not safe to assume it is covered.
Your roof is insured as part of the building, so a roof claim is decided under your commercial building insurance. Commercial property insurance shows the other covers you can hold beside it.
What does a "wear and tear" or "gradual deterioration" exclusion actually say?
On the business packs we arrange, wear and tear and gradual deterioration are excluded, along with rust, corrosion, mould, rot and dampness. So the insurer will not pay to fix the part of the roof that simply wore out. Some then write back cover for the damage that failure goes on to cause.
One wording puts the write-back this way: it will still pay for "any subsequent damage to property insured that is not otherwise excluded" that results from those causes. So if a worn roof lets water in during a storm, the insurer can decline the roof repair and still pay for the ruined ceiling and fit-out beneath it. On that wording, the same goes for contents and stock.
Plumbing works the same way. A sudden burst pipe can be covered. A pipe that has dripped for months may fall under a gradual-deterioration exclusion.
Some policies also exclude a fault you knew about and did not tell the insurer when the cover was arranged, varied or renewed. If you know the roof leaks, tell the insurer before the cover is renewed or changed.
How do insurers know what condition my roof was in?
In our experience, insurers look at dated aerial imagery of your roof, both when they underwrite the building and when you claim. Signs that a problem was there before the storm let them reduce what they pay under gradual deterioration terms.
Picture a storm that lifts sheeting off your roof and lets water pour in. You claim, and the insurer pulls dated aerial imagery from before the storm. The imagery shows rust bleeding from the fixings, water pooling in a low spot, and a patch over a known weak point. The insurer can argue the roof was already failing and the storm only finished it off, so your claim can be reduced or refused.
On the ground, a claims assessor looks for the same signs, and for blocked or overflowing box gutters.
Some insurers read the imagery before any claim. Asking for a discount, or telling the insurer about a change it needs to know, can make it look at the policy again. We have seen a couple of the insurers we place with take a fresh look at the whole risk when that happens. A decline can follow, especially where ponding or rust shows. The insurers that do this are usually the most competitive, so you can lose the best terms.
What records should you keep in case you ever claim for the roof?
Dated records of the roof's upkeep. If you ever claim, you have to show a sudden event was the main cause of the damage, and the insurer then has to prove any wear-and-tear exclusion it relies on. If wear and tear is its only ground and its evidence is not persuasive, the insurer will likely have to pay.
The records that count are dated and made at the time: a gutter-cleaning contract, roof inspection reports, invoices for past repairs, and photos taken before the damage. Keep them where you can put your hand on them the day the roof lets go.
Big storms test those records at scale. The November 2025 severe storms and hail across Queensland and New South Wales had reached about $2.22 billion from about 95,700 claims across both states, as at June 2026.
How can you find roof problems before your insurer does?
Look at the roof the way an insurer will, from above. We run more than 1,200 roof condition checks a year from aerial imagery. Where a review shows rust, ponding or a failing gutter, we usually send a Roof Condition Alert: the imagery, plainly marked, and the clause in your own wording.
It is a view from imagery: nobody attends the building, and it is not a building inspection. It costs you nothing. An Alert gives you time to decide with your broker what to fix, and when.
What a review looks at, and what it means for your cover, is set out on roof condition monitoring.
You can check your own roof against these warning signs in about two minutes.
A patch repair caught early can be a few thousand dollars, but the same failure left to cause a storm-season water claim can become a six-figure loss the insurer declines as wear and tear.
Could an accepted roof claim still be cut?
Underinsurance can cut even an accepted claim. On a partial loss, the insurer can reduce the payout if the sum insured falls short of the policy's underinsurance test. Some policies test a figure 20 per cent above the sum insured, so the calculation depends on your wording. On a total loss, most of the policies we place pay up to 20 per cent above the sum insured, and the rest of the rebuild is yours to find. Our co-insurance clause guide and underinsurance guide explain both cases in full.
If you are unsure of the rebuild figure, see how our desktop building replacement estimate informs the advice we give you.
What happens if you insure with us and a roof claim is knocked back?
If you are a CIB client and your roof claim is declined, speak with your broker before you accept it. Our specialist claims manager will check the insurer's reasons against the policy and evidence, with your broker involved throughout. Where that supports a challenge, we pursue it with the insurer.
Frequently asked questions
Does the age of my roof affect whether a claim is paid?
Not directly. Insurers pay on the cause of the damage. "Roofs over 20 years are not covered" is folklore: a maintained older roof may have a valid storm claim, while rust damage to a newer roof may be excluded. In our experience at Consolidated Insurance Brokers, what insurers act on is the roof's condition. Where imagery shows rust or ponding, some insurers decline the building when they next underwrite it, and some pay less at claim time under the gradual deterioration terms. We have also found that if the insurer holding your policy knows you are having the roof fixed, it generally offers renewal.
Can an insurer refuse my claim just because I hadn't maintained the roof?
Not automatically. A storm that damages a roof that was not perfectly kept can still be a claim. Most of the business packs we place ask you to take reasonable precautions to prevent loss. To refuse a claim under that condition, an insurer generally has to show more than imperfect upkeep: that you knew of a real danger and did little or nothing about it. What the policies do not pay for is the wear, rust or deterioration itself.
Does storm damage automatically mean my roof claim gets paid?
No. If the storm only finished off a roof that was already failing, and the insurer can prove it, the claim can still be declined. Dated records of a sound roof are your answer.
Are emergency or make-safe roof repairs covered after a storm?
Usually yes, where the damage is from an insured event. Stopping more water getting in is part of taking reasonable precautions. Your policy may ask you to get the insurer's agreement before you authorise any repair beyond what makes the building safe. Photos taken before the make-safe, and the tradesperson's invoices, help head off a dispute over scope and cost. Your broker can tell you what the insurer needs before permanent repairs start. If a roofer damages the building while working on it, what public liability excludes for each trade shows where the roofer's own cover stops.