Is wind-driven rain covered by insurance?
Short answer. Usually only when wind or hail first makes an opening. Many homeowners policies, including the standard coverage for belongings, pay for rain damage inside when the direct force of wind or hail breaks an opening in the roof or a wall and rain comes through it, while rain blown through intact vents, under flashing or around closed windows is commonly denied.
The opening rule
Standard policy language for personal property says windstorm coverage does not include rain damage inside unless the direct force of wind or hail makes an opening in a roof or wall and the rain enters through it. Many insurers apply the same idea to the building. The question the adjuster asks is simple: did the storm break something first?
Usually covered
- Rain through a spot where wind tore off shingles or a ridge cap.
- Rain through a window broken by wind or hail.
- Rain through a hole punched by a falling limb.
- Rain through flashing the wind peeled back.
Commonly denied
- Rain forced through an undamaged ridge vent or gable vent in a sideways storm.
- Water around closed windows and doors with no storm damage.
- Leaks under aged flashing or through cracked pipe boots.
- Water through walls with failed caulk or siding gaps.
Proving the opening
- Photograph the outside above the leak right after the storm: missing shingles, creased tabs, lifted flashing.
- Photograph the attic, showing the path from opening to stain.
- Keep blown-off shingles and debris.
- Get the opening documented by a roofer before it is repaired.
When there was no opening
If the roof is intact but leaked in a sideways rain, the fix may be a ventilation or flashing upgrade rather than a claim. Ridge vents, older box vents and step flashing can all let wind-driven rain in under extreme conditions.
More: wind damage claims, interior water damage and emergency tarping.