Is a conservatory roof covered by home insurance?

Conservatory roofs sit in an awkward place for insurance. They take the full force of the weather, polycarbonate roofs in particular are often expected to last only 10 to 20 years, and when one leaks it can be hard to say whether the cause was a storm, age or the way it was fitted. Which of those it was decides who pays. This guide explains how home insurance, the installer’s guarantee and insurance-backed guarantees divide the risk.

Are conservatory roofs covered by insurance?

Usually, for sudden damage such as a storm, if the roof was in good repair and your policy covers it. Gradual problems are not: the ABI lists wear and tear and a lack of maintenance among the things home insurance does not cover. Faults in how the roof was fitted are the installer’s responsibility, not your insurer’s.

Problem	Usually handled by	Why
Storm damage to a well-kept roof	Your buildings insurer, subject to the policy	Storm damage is normally covered
Leak from worn seals, blocked gutters or old sheets	You	Wear and tear and lack of maintenance are excluded
Leak or defect from poor installation	The installer	The Consumer Rights Act and the installer’s guarantee
Installation fault after the installer stops trading	The insurance-backed guarantee, if you have one	It takes over the installer’s written guarantee
Firm fails before finishing the job	Deposit protection or your card provider	Deposit cover and Section 75 protect money paid up front

Is a leaking conservatory roof covered by insurance?

Often not. If the leak comes from wear and tear or a lack of maintenance, such as worn seals or blocked gutters, the ABI says home insurance does not cover it. The ABI’s own example is a roof leaking in a storm because tiles had not been replaced. Sudden storm damage may be covered, depending on your policy.

That matters because most conservatory roof leaks are maintenance problems. Which? lists the common causes as blocked gutters and overflowing downpipes, panels damaged by weather or poor installation, worn sealants and roof vents, and flashing problems. Leaks were a regret for 9% of the conservatory owners it surveyed in 2026. Our page on leaking conservatory roofs helps you find the cause, which is also the first thing an insurer will want to know.

Storm damage: how claims are judged

Storm damage is normally covered. When a claim is disputed, the Financial Ombudsman Service asks three questions:

1. Were there storm conditions on or around the date the damage happened?
2. Is the damage consistent with storm damage?
3. Were the storm conditions the main cause of the damage?

Claims can fail on the third question, where the roof was already in poor repair and the storm only exposed it. The ABI’s advice after a storm is to contact your insurer promptly, keep receipts for any emergency repairs and photograph the damage. Take the photographs from the ground or a ladder: Ultraframe says it is not safe to stand directly on a conservatory roof.

A record of maintenance helps too. Dated photos of clear gutters and sound seals are useful evidence that a storm, not neglect, caused the damage. Our conservatory roof maintenance guide sets out a simple calendar.

Do you need to tell your insurer about a new conservatory roof?

Yes, it is safest to. The ABI says that if you don’t let your insurer know about changes, it could affect your cover. Buildings insurance should be based on the full rebuilding cost rather than the market value, so a new tiled or orangery roof may change the sum insured. Check with your insurer.

A tiled roof on a medium conservatory typically costs £7,400 to £12,100, and an orangery conversion £14,000 to £35,000, so the upgrade can be a significant change to what it would cost to rebuild. Keep the invoice with your policy documents.

Insurance-backed guarantees: cover for the installation, not the weather

An insurance-backed guarantee (IBG) is not home insurance. It covers the installer’s written guarantee on the work if the installer stops trading. HomePro describes IBGs as issued by FCA-regulated providers and underwritten by regulated insurance companies. They vary in length:

Protection	What it covers	Examples
Manufacturer’s product guarantee	The roof components	10-year parts on Ultraframe roofs; 40-year component warranty from Leka
Installer’s workmanship guarantee	Installation defects, while the installer trades	10 years from Guardian’s certified installers; TrustMark expects at least 2 years from its registered businesses
Insurance-backed guarantee	The written guarantee, if the installer stops trading	DGCOS IBGs run 2 to 10 years; QANW offers up to 10 years
Deposit protection	The deposit only, if the firm fails before finishing	DGCOS covers up to 25% of the contract value, capped at £5,000

Read the IBG terms closely, because cover can be shorter than the installer’s guarantee. Guardian’s IBG covers workmanship issues arising in the first two years after completion if its certified installer ceases trading, while the installer’s own guarantee runs for 10 years. DGCOS also notes that an IBG may be shorter than the written guarantee.

An IBG does not protect money paid before the job is finished. When Safestyle went into administration in 2023, FENSA said guarantees on completed, registered installations still applied, but customers who had paid cash deposits were told they would not be repaid. Our guides to guarantees and deposit protection and paying for a conservatory roof explain how to protect both.

When the installer is at fault

A leak or failure caused by poor workmanship is a claim against the installer, not your insurer. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a trader must carry out a service with reasonable care and skill, and goods that were installed incorrectly do not conform to the contract. You can ask for the work to be redone within a reasonable time and at the trader’s cost, and if that is impossible you may be entitled to a price reduction.

Which? says you have up to six years to take a claim to the small claims court in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. Start with the installer’s own complaints process. If the installer belongs to a scheme, you can then use its service: DGCOS offers mediation and an independent ombudsman whose decisions bind the member but not you, and the GGF runs a complaints service for customers of its full members. The Citizens Advice consumer helpline is 0808 223 1133.

Disputes over who should pay are not rare. In 2025 the BBC’s Rip Off Britain featured a family whose conservatory roof shattered and asked who should foot the bill.

Indemnity insurance for a roof without building regulations approval

A solid roof fitted without building regulations approval can surface when you sell, and sellers are sometimes offered an indemnity policy instead of sign-off. A Mumsnet contributor quoted about £250, and one installer’s guide gives £100 to £250. LABC says such a policy offers limited financial cover if the council takes enforcement action, but it “does not protect you and your family from dangerous installations, poor design, or life-safety issues”, and contacting building control about the work may invalidate it.

The long-term fix is regularisation: retrospective approval from the council, available for work carried out after 11 November 1985, which may mean opening up parts of the roof for inspection. Our guide to selling a house with a new conservatory roof covers the options.

Keeping your cover intact

• Keep gutters clear and seals sound, and keep dated photos of the roof in good condition.
• Keep the building control completion certificate, any electrical certificate, the guarantees and the IBG certificate together.
• Tell your insurer about a new roof and check the sum insured.
• After a storm, photograph the damage from the ground and report it promptly.

If you are replacing the roof, ask each installer when you get quotes who provides the insurance-backed guarantee, how long it runs, and whether it transfers when you sell. If a panel has already failed, see our page on a cracked or broken roof panel.