Does home insurance cover roof leaks?

A roof leak claim is rarely an argument about whether water came in. It is an argument about what let it in. If a storm lifted the tiles, the damage follows a listed event. If the flashing had been rusting for years and the rain simply found it, the insurer points to the wear and tear exclusion. Most of what you can do to win the claim is about evidence for one story or the other, gathered before the roofer patches it.

Storm damage or a roof that was already failing

Notice what the regulations do not do. They list storm but never define it; the only water event given a defined meaning is flood. So whether a particular night counts as a storm is decided by the policy’s own definition, if it has one, and by evidence. The Bureau of Meteorology’s weather definition of a severe thunderstorm is one producing hail of 2 cm or more, wind gusts of 90 km/h or greater, flash floods, or tornadoes (Bureau of Meteorology, Storm confirmation overview). That is not a policy test, but Bureau observations for your area on the day are the kind of evidence that makes the storm story concrete.

Who has to prove what

This is the part worth knowing before the assessor arrives. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority published its approach to general insurance claims handling in July 2026, and it splits the burden cleanly. Showing that the damage was caused by an insured event is the policyholder’s job. Showing that an exclusion applies is the insurer’s.

For a roof leak, that means you need enough to show a storm did the damage: the date, the weather, photographs of fresh breakage. Once you have, “the roof was old” is not enough on its own; if the insurer relies on wear and tear and the expert evidence does not establish it, AFCA says it will likely decide for the complainant. It is a statement of how AFCA weighs evidence, not a promise about any one claim, but it is the reason to get your own roofer’s report when the insurer’s assessor blames age.

If the insurer denies the claim or pays part of it, paragraph 81 of the General Insurance Code of Practice requires it to tell you in writing which parts it does not accept and why, and that you can ask for the reports it relied on; paragraph 82 gives it 10 business days to provide them (General Insurance Code of Practice, paragraph 81). Ask for the assessor’s and roofer’s reports and read what they say caused the leak.

The evidence to collect before anything is patched

1. The roof itself. Photographs of broken or lifted tiles, dented sheeting, displaced flashing, and debris on the roof, taken from a safe place or by the roofer. Once a tarp is on and a patch done, this evidence is gone.
2. The date and the weather. When the leak started, and Bureau observations or warnings for your area on that day. Neighbours with damage the same night help.
3. The inside. Ceiling stains, sagging plaster, wet insulation, with dates. A stain with old tide marks suggests a long-running leak, which is the insurer’s story; a single fresh stain supports yours.
4. The roofer’s written cause. What failed and why, in the roofer’s words, with the age and condition of the roof stated honestly.
5. Maintenance records. Gutter cleans, previous repairs, a pre-purchase inspection report. Insurers ask when the roof was last looked at because the wear and tear argument depends on it.

Making it safe first: the SES and the roofer

Where a storm has opened the roof, the state emergency services do temporary work, not repairs. NSW SES says: “For permanent repairs contact your insurance company or speak with a private contractor.” (NSW State Emergency Service, When to call 132 500 (2025)). VICSES says it may undertake emergency temporary repairs, and for minor leaks and superficial damage tells people to call a tradesperson (Victoria State Emergency Service, What we do). A tarp buys time; the claim still needs the roofer’s report and the photographs.

Inside, water in a ceiling is heavier than it looks. If plaster is sagging, keep people out of the room and turn off power to lights in that ceiling until an electrician has checked. Then the drying: wet insulation and plasterboard hold water, and drying a ceiling that is still taking water is money spent twice. The ceiling water damage guide covers that sequence and its costs.

Renting: a serious roof leak is an urgent repair

The roof belongs to the landlord, so repairing it is a question for the landlord and the landlord’s insurance. A tenant’s own contents policy is the one that responds to their damaged belongings, on its own wording. Report the leak in writing, with photographs, the day it starts.

Strata: whose roof is it?

In a strata building the roof is commonly part of the common property, and the owners corporation has to keep it in repair. In NSW, s 106(1) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 requires it to properly maintain and keep in a state of good and serviceable repair the common property (Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) s 106(1)), and a lot owner can recover reasonably foreseeable loss from a breach. In Queensland, where lots are on a building format plan, the body corporate must maintain even roofing membranes that are not common property but that provide protection for lots or common property (Body Corporate and Community Management (Standard Module) Regulation 2020 (Qld) s 180(2)(a)(iii)). Check the strata plan for where the boundaries sit, report the leak to the strata manager in writing, and let the building policy carry the roof and the damage it caused. Strata water damage covers the split between the building policy and your contents.

Storm vs flood vs water damage sets the three events side by side, and if the claim is declined covers the complaint route.

Common questions