Making a Roof Insurance Claim in Derby: A Step-by-Step Guide

Immediate Steps After Storm Damage

In the immediate aftermath of storm damage, the priority sequence is: safety first, documentation second, authorisation third.

Safety: If the structural integrity of the roof is in doubt, move out of affected rooms. Don't go into the loft during a storm or if active water entry is occurring in quantity. If a significant section of the roof has failed structurally, contact your local authority emergency line as well as your insurer.

Documentation: Before any work is done, photograph the damage from the ground (and from safe internal positions if water entry is occurring). Note the date and time, and check whether there was a named storm or significant weather event — Met Office records of named storms are publicly available and useful for supporting a claim.

Emergency weatherproofing: Call us for emergency stabilisation — we can make the roof watertight with temporary materials while you contact your insurer. Emergency weatherproofing to prevent further damage is almost always approved by insurers without prior authorisation. Permanent repairs should be authorised before work begins.

Contacting Your Insurer

Contact your buildings insurer promptly — most policies have a requirement to report claims within a specified period. Have the following ready: your policy number, the date of the damage, a description of what happened, and your photographic documentation. The insurer will either send an assessor or ask you to obtain repair quotes.

The Assessor Visit

If an assessor is appointed, do not carry out permanent repairs before they visit (emergency weatherproofing is fine). The assessor needs to see the damage in its original state. If you have already repaired before the assessor visits, you may have difficulty establishing the original scope of the damage.

What Insurers Cover and What They Don't

Buildings insurance covers storm damage — sudden and unforeseen damage caused by a weather event. What it does not cover: gradual deterioration, wear and tear, and pre-existing failures that the storm reveals rather than causes. This last category is particularly relevant in Derby, where the majority of emergency calls following storms involve ridge tiles that shifted because the mortar had already failed, not because the storm created a new failure. The storm is the trigger; the pre-existing mortar failure is the underlying cause. Insurers will sometimes dispute claims on this basis, which is why a professional damage report distinguishing between storm-caused and pre-existing damage is useful.

Our Insurance Documentation Service

We provide a written damage report with photographs for all storm call-outs, documenting the damage found and the work carried out. This report identifies storm-caused damage separately from pre-existing issues found during the inspection, which supports your claim and avoids disputes. The report is provided as standard on all storm emergency call-outs at no additional charge.

The Pre-Existing Deterioration Argument

The most common reason Derby roof insurance claims are disputed is the pre-existing deterioration argument: the insurer's position that the damage predates the storm event or was caused by gradual wear and tear rather than a sudden insured event. This argument has merit when applied to ridge tile displacement on a roof where the mortar had clearly failed long before the storm — and it doesn't hold when the displacement is isolated to a structurally sound area of roof hit by a falling branch or debris. The distinction matters for your claim, which is why a professional damage report that clearly identifies storm-caused damage versus pre-existing conditions is more valuable than a simple repair invoice.

Our post-storm damage reports for Derby properties follow a specific format developed from handling insurance documentation across hundreds of storm call-outs. We document: the condition of the roof structure immediately adjacent to the damaged area (which indicates whether the surrounding roof was sound), the likely mechanism of damage (impact, wind uplift, water ingress), the weather event date and the date of our inspection, and a clear separation between storm-caused damage and any pre-existing issues identified during the inspection. This format is accepted by all major UK building insurers.

Approved Contractors vs Your Own Choice

Insurers frequently direct claimants to their own approved contractor networks. You are not obliged to use an insurer's approved contractor for building insurance repairs — you have the right to appoint your own contractor, subject to the insurer approving the scope and cost of the repair. Insurer-approved contractors work to the insurer's cost targets; your own contractor works to restore your roof to its pre-loss condition to the specification you choose. For standard storm repairs, the practical difference is modest. For period properties requiring specialist materials — lime mortar, matched reclaimed slate, Code 5 lead — your own specialist contractor will often produce significantly better work than a general contractor from an approved panel.