What Home Insurance Covers
Storm Damage — Usually Covered
Sudden damage caused by storm-force wind, hail, lightning or falling trees is typically covered under a standard UK home insurance policy. For Leicester homeowners: displaced ridge and hip tiles after a wind event, chimney stack damage in severe weather, and structural damage from fallen trees are all standard covered categories. The key word is sudden — the damage must result from a specific event.
Gradual Deterioration — Not Covered
Mortar erosion, lead fatigue, nail sickness, felt deterioration and moss accumulation are maintenance issues. They are not covered by home insurance. The distinction matters: a lead valley that fails due to 140 years of fatigue in calm weather is a maintenance item. A storm that precipitates failure of an already-weakened lead valley may be covered as the proximate cause.
Standard home insurance policies cover damage from a sudden identifiable event but exclude gradual deterioration classed as wear and tear. Source: Association of British Insurers (ABI) buildings insurance guidance
How to Document a Leicester Roof Insurance Claim
Photograph Before Repair
Photograph all visible damage from the ground before any repair work is carried out. Photograph fallen tiles. Photograph interior water damage as it exists. These establish the pre-repair condition and are the primary evidence for the claim.
Get a Written Damage Report
An NFRC-registered contractor's written damage report is the most credible technical evidence for a Leicester roof insurance claim. It should describe: cause of damage, elements affected, condition before the event, and works required. We provide written damage reports on request for all emergency attendances — at no charge.
Contact Your Insurer Before Permanent Repair
Notify your insurer before permanent repairs are carried out. Temporary weatherproofing to prevent further damage is always appropriate and will not prejudice a claim. Permanent repairs before the insurer has inspected may not be reimbursed in full.
Why Leicester Roof Claims Are Rejected
Most common rejection reasons: damage was pre-existing deterioration rather than sudden storm damage; no Met Office weather data confirms a storm event on the claimed date; permanent repairs were carried out before insurer inspection; or the damage falls within a maintenance exclusion. Our written damage reports are structured to address the most common rejection grounds directly.
Call 0116 319 1348 for emergency attendance and damage report across all Leicester postcodes.
Leicester-Specific Insurance Claim Context
Leicester's housing stock creates specific insurance claim patterns. Post-war estate properties in Braunstone, Eyres Monsell and Thurmaston generate significant nail sickness-related displacement claims in high wind events. Insurers are increasingly aware that nail sickness is a pre-existing condition and are scrutinising storm damage claims on these properties carefully. A documented proactive nail sickness survey — even if no repair was carried out — demonstrates that you were monitoring the condition of your roof. This is a significantly better claim position than a property where the insurer can argue the condition was known or should have been known.
Victorian terrace lead valley failures in Highfields, Belgrave and South Wigston are the other major Leicester claim category. Lead at 100–140 years old is almost certainly past its design life; the question in any claim is whether a storm event was the proximate cause of failure or whether the failure was due to pre-existing fatigue. Our damage reports address this distinction directly. We have supported successful insurance claims on Leicester Victorian terrace lead failures where we could demonstrate the storm event was the trigger rather than the underlying cause. Call 0116 319 1348 for emergency attendance and damage documentation across all Leicester postcodes.
How to Get Help With Your Leicester Roof
If this article has raised questions about your specific property, the most useful next step is a free roof survey. A survey gives you a property-specific condition report — not generic guidance — covering exactly which maintenance items are due now, which can wait, and what the realistic cost is for each. The survey is free, takes 20–45 minutes, and is followed by a written condition report within 48 hours of the visit. There is no obligation to proceed with any work following a survey.
We cover all of Leicester city and the surrounding Leicestershire area including Oadby, Wigston, Hinckley, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Birstall, Blaby and Syston. All city neighbourhoods are covered including Highfields, Belgrave, Stoneygate, Clarendon Park, West Knighton, Evington, Braunstone, Eyres Monsell, South Wigston and Thurmaston. Free surveys across all LE postcodes with no call-out fee. Call 0116 319 1348 Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 8am–2pm, or emergency line 24/7.
About Leicester Roofing Experts
We are a Leicester-based NFRC-registered roofing contractor with over 20 years of experience across all Leicester property types. Our team carries out repairs, full re-roofing, flat roofing, lead work, chimney work and emergency call-outs across the full Leicester and Leicestershire area. We are not a national lead generation company or a franchise — every survey, quote and job is handled by our own team. NFRC registration is verifiable at nfrc.co.uk. We carry £5m public liability insurance and provide a written workmanship guarantee on all work.
Our written quotes are itemised and specific — materials named by manufacturer, scaffold specified, structural timber scope defined, guarantee period stated. We do not issue vague verbal quotes or apply time pressure to acceptance decisions. Written quote within 48 hours of the free survey visit. No work starts without your written acceptance. Call 0116 319 1348 for a free survey across all Leicester postcodes.
Working With Your Insurer on a Leicester Roof Claim
Leicester homeowners making roof damage insurance claims should be aware that insurers increasingly use remote desktop assessment of claims before authorising site inspection. Photographs you submit with the initial claim may be the primary evidence the claims assessor uses to make an initial decision. Good quality photographs — taken from ground level showing the damaged area clearly, plus any fallen tiles or debris on the ground — are therefore critically important to the initial assessment.
If your insurer requires their own assessor to inspect, this typically takes 5–10 working days to arrange. During this period, ensure temporary weatherproofing is in place — your insurer cannot reasonably withhold payment for emergency temporary repair costs incurred to prevent further damage. Keep receipts for any temporary repair costs, as these are typically recoverable under the policy as costs to prevent further loss.
If you believe a Leicester roof damage claim has been unfairly rejected, the Financial Ombudsman Service handles insurance disputes free of charge. The Ombudsman has upheld claims against insurers who rejected storm damage claims on the grounds of pre-existing wear and tear where the storm event was clearly the proximate cause of failure. A written damage report from an NFRC-registered contractor addressing the causal sequence is the most effective supporting evidence for a disputed claim. We provide these reports across all Leicester postcodes on request — call 0116 319 1348.
Last reviewed: 20 July 2026