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Roof condition monitoring
Quick answerRoof condition monitoring is a yearly review of your commercial roof from aerial imagery. Consolidated Insurance Brokers runs more than 1,200 checks a year at no extra cost to clients. If we spot rust, ponding water or another concern, we send you the images and explain what it could mean for your cover.
Insurers increasingly use aerial imagery to assess roofs when they underwrite a building and at claim time. We review your roof too, and explain visible concerns that could affect your cover.
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Debbie was always happy to help with my questions and very prompt with her service.
Hi I can highly recommend Aimee Spencer for all your insurance needs she has done a fantastic effort on keeping my insurance policy once again Many Thanks for all your work
Saskia Van Oostveen was efficient, professional, accurate, helpful and friendly throughout the entire process. Highly recommend!
A great experience with Tori, attaining some tricky commercial insurance, she was very professional in catering to your needs, whilst also having a quick turn around.
Jade was wonderful, finding me insurance coverage for a commercial property. Greatly appreciated her excellent service.
I contacted Tracey E from Consolidated Insurance Brokers for some commercial property quotes. Tracey was super helpful helpful, friendly and provided great advice. Highly recommend for all your insurance needs!
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Shona was always available and answered all my queriers. A1 service and happy to recommend.
I contacted Renay after she was recommended by a family friend, for home and contents insurance. She was prompt and helpful and had me all sorted in a couple of days. Highly recommend!
I needed fast transit insurance this week and Daniel Roussounis was outstanding in his immediate response and getting this organized for me. Can't recommend Daniel and Consolidated Insurance Brokers highly enough!
Second year organising insurance with Jim K., did not have any issues and a smooth transition. I recommend
May Lewong at the Emerald office was amazing. Easy to deal with and was quick and efficient.
Reena was absolutely fantastic during the entire process helping me set you our new home and contents insurance. Would definitely recommend to anyone.
Natasha as always, gives us professional, exceptional service and would recommend her to any business :-)
We had excellent service in obtaining insurance on a newly purchased commercial property. Clayton Rowlings explained everything so clearly and very patient with many questions regarding different options. Highly recommended! Thanks Clayton.
Tracey helped me sort out professional indemnity and public liability insurance for my new business - she was super helpful throughout the process helping me navigate for the first time.
Deja provided a prompt and professional service in securing a policy that suited my requirements.
Terrific experience with Gina. I had a difficult policy which other brokers couldn't find a solution for. Gina had an option for me within a few hours. I would highly recommend.
Thank you so much Cyndie for your help/advice/service. You made the whole process so easy. Thank you again. Jason Armstrong
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For owners of commercial buildings with a roof they have not looked at. Worried about your sum insured instead?
Key points
- Insurers can read your roof's condition from dated aerial imagery.
- We can look at your roof the same way, before a storm or your next renewal.
What is gradual deterioration, and why does it decide a roof claim?
Gradual deterioration is damage that built up slowly: rust, age, perished seals, worn flashing. On the policies we place, it is excluded, so damage the insurer can show was already there can be yours to pay.
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.
| What caused the damage | The roof repair itself | Damage the water causes inside |
|---|---|---|
| A sudden event: storm, hail, fire | Usually covered | Usually covered |
| Gradual deterioration: rust, age, perished seals | Excluded | Some of those policies: can still be paid |
Source of every figure in this table: Your own policy wording decides.
How the line falls on a claim: How Your Roof Condition Affects Insurance Claims.
In one published complaint decision, a storm claim on a heritage home in another state was declined. The insurer's engineer produced years of Google Street View images showing the parapet mortar had been crumbling since at least 2007. The decision found the crumbling mortar was the real cause and the storm only the trigger, so nothing was paid for the repair.
The same kind of exclusion sits in the commercial building wordings we place. When the imagery of your roof shows a problem like that, we can point you to the policy wording it touches.
Can the roof cost me at renewal?
Yes, it can. In our experience, some insurers read the imagery before any claim. Some policies are priced by the insurer's system, with no person looking at them. When we ask for a better rate on one, the request can prompt a fresh look at the whole risk, from above and from the street. The insurer can see the general condition, the skip bins and now the roof. A decline can follow, especially where ponding or rust shows and waste sits too close to the building. A couple of the insurers we place with take that fresh look. They are usually among the most competitive, so the state of your roof can cost you their best terms.
We can look at the roof on similar imagery before your renewal goes to other insurers. Then you decide whether to fix something first or have us take the building to market as it stands.
What can your insurer see from the air?
Our brokers see it more and more: insurers and their assessors look at dated imagery of a roof before they pay a claim. They look for signs like these:
- Rust and corrosion. Bleeding from fixings, laps and screw points.
- Ponding water. Standing water on a low-pitched or flat roof, and its staining. Ponding does not happen overnight.
- Missing or loose material. Tiles, sheeting or flashing out of place before the storm.
- Patch or temporary repairs. Signs of earlier damage or repair work that may need a closer look.
- Blocked or overflowing box gutters. A maintenance failure an assessor can call the real cause of water ingress.
Any one of these, in imagery dated before your loss, is an opening for the insurer to reduce or refuse your claim. You can test your own building against signs like these.
How do our 1,200+ checks per year work?
Our brokers review commercial roofs on aerial imagery as part of looking after a building's cover. When we see something worth fixing, we raise it with you.
If we find a problem, we recommend you get a roofing contractor to fix it. A repair made before a storm leaves the insurer less to point to after one.
The check does not replace a physical inspection: nobody attends the property. Imagery cannot certify a roof or find every defect.
What do you receive if we find something?
A Roof Condition Alert: the imagery, plainly marked, and the clause in your own wording.
When it reaches you depends on the building and on your insurer. Often it comes before we take your renewal to other insurers. Sometimes your insurer asks about the roof first. Either way, we can go through it with you, and what you do about it is your call. From what we have seen, the insurer holding your policy generally offers renewal when it knows you are acting on the roof. The terms are still its decision.
If the imagery shows nothing that concerns us, we have nothing to send. That is not an all-clear: no aerial image shows everything, and a review cannot promise a claim will be paid.
What else affects a building claim?
A sum insured too low to rebuild can shrink a building claim as well. We commission a desktop building replacement estimate for you, free. We commission it for our purposes as your broker, to inform the advice we give you. Our commercial property insurance page sets out how the roof, the rebuild figure and the rest of the cover fit together.
Short answers
What is gradual deterioration in a commercial roof claim?
On the policies Consolidated Insurance Brokers places, damage that built up slowly is excluded, so the insurer can cut or decline a claim it traces to that damage. Rust bleeding from the fixings and seals that perished over years are two examples. In our experience, pre-existing damage is the biggest thing roof claims get reduced for.
Can my insurer really deny my roof claim because of wear and tear?
Yes, where the evidence shows the damage built up over time. Even then, some of the policies we arrange can pay for the damage the water does to insured property below. That can include your own contents, fit-out and stock, even when the roof repair itself is declined.
What is roof condition monitoring, and is it a roof inspection?
It is a review of your roof on aerial imagery. Nobody visits the building, so it is not a roof inspection. If it shows a problem, a Roof Condition Alert can set out the imagery and the clause an insurer would point to.
Do insurers use aerial imagery to check my roof?
Yes. We see insurers use it to decline a building where rust or ponding shows on the roof. At claim time, we have seen them use it to reduce a payout under the gradual deterioration exclusion. We look at the same kind of imagery, so we can show you a problem while it is still a repair.
What happens if you find a problem? Do I have to fix it?
If the roof check finds a problem, whether and when you act is your decision. You might fix it straight away or plan the work around the building's other costs. We explain what we saw, which words in your policy it touches, and what each choice could mean for your cover and your renewal.
How much does roof condition monitoring cost?
Nothing extra for our clients. It sits alongside the desktop building replacement estimate, which is free.
What is Nearmap?
Nearmap is the aerial imagery provider we use to look at a roof without a site visit. Each image carries the date it was taken, and so does the imagery an insurer can pull.
What should I keep in case a roof claim is ever questioned?
Keep dated repair invoices and photos of the roof, because they show its condition before any storm. If a claim is disputed, you show that a sudden event, such as a storm, was the main cause. Your insurer must then prove any wear and tear or gradual deterioration exclusion it relies on. If you insure with us and a roof claim is ever questioned, a specialist claims manager will run it with your broker still involved. The roof claims guide explains the rule.
Does insurance cover a roof leak?
A leak from a storm, hail or a fallen tree is usually a claim, and a leak from rust or age is excluded. Some of the policies we place can still pay for the water damage inside. Our roof claims guide sets out the full rule.
Find out what your roof looks like from the air, before your insurer does.
Never had your roof looked at, has your insurer raised it at renewal, or is a storm season coming? Whoever insures the building today, ring 07 3292 1111 to talk through the roof and your cover with a broker.