Is Your Roof Replacement Covered by Homeowner’s Insurance?

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

When it’s time to replace your roof, here’s what you can expect from your home insurance. 

Sometimes damage to your roof is small and repairs might be all that you need. If the damage is extensive enough to require a full replacement you may look to your homeowner's insurance to help with the cost, but whether or not they will help depends on many factors. 

The general rule of thumb about coverage is this: If your roof was damaged by a covered peril outlined in your coverage plan, then you are covered. But if your roof is simply old, insurance usually does not cover roof replacements. 

Perils covered 

According to Progressive, these are the circumstances that would allow a roof replacement to be covered by a home insurance plan: 

• Windstorms 

• Hail 

• Snow, sleet or ice damage 

• Lightning strikes 

• Fire or smoke 

• Falling objects 

If you need to replace your roof for other reasons such as lack of maintenance, insurance may not cover you. Double-check your homeowner's insurance policy to see which perils are covered or excluded. 

Other impacts to coverage 

When seeking homeowners insurance, it’s worth noting different factors that can impact how well you are covered or if you’ll get covered at all. For example, the type of roof you have makes a big difference in the type of coverage you will get.  

According to Progressive, insurance companies consider four main factors when deciding how to best cover a home’s roof: age of the roof, the condition it’s in, the material it’s made of and its shape. In regards to material, insurance companies love covering metal roofs because of their longevity and durability as opposed to a wood roof which is more prone to fire damage. 

In some instances, an insurance company will factor the age of your roof into how much money you will get on a claim. According to Bankrate, the more your roof ages, the less money you will receive to cover the replacement. If your roof is over 20 years old, you may not even get any money at all. 

Preventative maintenance 

Keeping your roof in good condition by checking up on it and performing routine maintenance is always a good idea. If you fail to give it proper maintenance, your coverage could be limited and some insurance companies may not cover you at all. Two easy ways to maintain your roof are cleaning your gutters and cutting tree branches that could potentially damage your roof during a storm. 

Above all else, scheduling regular roof inspections from a trusted company is highly recommended. We recommend getting your roof inspected at least twice a year, especially after a major storm or weather event. A quality roof inspector can point out potential issues that need to be addressed, otherwise they can become bigger issues in the future.  

In general, it might not be a bad idea to review your homeowner's insurance policy to understand if your roof replacement will be covered and for how much. While maintaining your roof can prolong the need for a new roof, that replacement could be coming before you know it. 

Have a question? AskARoofer. 

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About Evelyn 

Evelyn works as a writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofing, she’s either at the gym lifting weights or curled up on the couch watching a movie.