What are the common roof insurance coverage exclusions?
Short answer. Most homeowners policies exclude roof damage caused by wear and tear, deterioration, poor maintenance, faulty workmanship or materials, repeated leaks over time, animals and insects, flood and earth movement. Many also add a cosmetic damage exclusion and do not pay for code upgrades unless you have ordinance or law coverage.
The exclusions behind most roof denials
- Wear, tear and deterioration. Granule loss from age, curling, blistering and brittle shingles. This is the most common reason given. See wear and tear vs hail damage.
- Repeated seepage or leakage. Water that leaked for weeks or months. Many forms exclude leakage over a period of 14 days or more, so report leaks quickly.
- Faulty workmanship or materials. Shingles that blew off because they were nailed too high, or flashing installed wrong. The resulting damage may be covered in some forms, but the defective work itself usually is not.
- Neglect. Failing to protect the property after damage, such as leaving a hole untarped.
- Animals and insects. Squirrels chewing fascia, birds, rodents and termites.
- Flood and surface water. Rising water needs separate flood insurance.
- Cosmetic damage. An endorsement that excludes dents that do not affect function, common on metal roofs. See cosmetic damage exclusions.
- Ordinance or law. Code required upgrades are excluded unless you carry that coverage. See code upgrades.
How exclusions interact with a real storm
An exclusion only removes what it describes. If hail fractured shingles on a 14 year old roof, the hail damage is still covered even though the roof also shows wear. The fight is usually about evidence, not the policy words: whether the marks are hail or blisters, whether a shingle creased in last week's wind or broke years ago. Clear photos, the storm date and collateral damage on gutters and vents are what keep a covered loss from being filed under an exclusion.