Does home insurance cover roof repairs?
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COMPARE INSURANCE QUOTES FOR PROPERTIES WITH THATCHED ROOFS
Instead of typical roof coverings like slates or tiles, thatched roofs are made using natural materials like straw, reeds, or rushes that are tightly woven together.
You’ll typically find thatched roofs on homes in rural areas, where they’re made and maintained by professional thatchers using centuries-old methods.
Thatching can add plenty of charm and character, but it can also be a great way to insulate a home. And if properly looked after, a thatched roof can last for 40 years or more
A home with a thatched roof is considered non-standard and many thatched properties are listed buildings, so it’s important to have the right cover.
Thatched roofs cost more to maintain, can come with a greater risk of fire damage, and are more expensive to replace than regular roofs, so you’ll need specialist home insurance.
Thatched roof home insurance is specifically designed for properties with a complete or partially-thatched roof.
Just like standard home insurance, it covers unexpected events like floods, storms and fires.
But it also provides specific cover for the extra risks involved with having a thatched roof and the expertise needed to repair or replace them.
This covers the structure of your thatched home, as well as all its permanent fixtures and fittings. You can get buildings insurance and contents cover as a combined home insurance policy
Contents insurance covers the belongings in your home and possibly the items in your garden, shed and outbuildings, depending on the policy
Your buildings, contents or combined policy will cover your thatched home and/or belongings for fire, storm and flood damage, and theft
You can usually add extras to your policy if they aren’t already included, like legal expenses and accidental damage cover
As well as adding plenty of charm, thatched roofs have a number of benefits:
There are some disadvantages to owning a thatched home that you should consider:
Yes. This is partly because the materials and skills needed for thatched roofs are more unusual and specialist than those used for standard homes.
This means any maintenance work needed to repair or replace them will be more expensive.
And although a thatched roof doesn’t increase the risk of a fire, its natural materials can make it much more likely to cause severe damage if one does start in your home.
Your thatched cottage could also be a listed building which means rules could restrict repairs or construction and make it more expensive to get work done.
So, overall, if you had to make a claim for a thatched roof, it’s likely to cost more which bumps up your premiums.
Yes, depending on the insurer, cover for your thatched home might be dependent on you agreeing to certain conditions. These could include:
If you need to claim on your home insurance - for example, if your building is damaged by subsidence or your possessions are stolen - your free home excess cover will refund up to £250 of your excess.
There’s no hidden charge. But you won't be covered for things like accidental loss such as leaving a laptop on a train or accidental damage, such as spilling wine on your carpet or drilling through a pipe.
^UK residents and home insurance purchases only. Excess refunded after claim settled. Excludes accidental loss or damage claims made on your home insurance. Full T&Cs apply.
If you own a thatched property, there are a few things you can do to help lower the cost of home insurance:
These should be mains operated and fitted on each floor level, including in the loft space
Get your electrics checked every five years by a qualified electrician
Have your chimney swept and its brickwork checked regularly. Lining the chimney will prevent heat transfer
When it’s time for re-thatching, install a fire-resistant barrier underneath the thatch
Another way to make your thatched roof more fire resistant is to have it professionally sprayed
This can lower your premiums, but you’ll need to balance this with what you’d be able to afford if you had to make a claim
Get thatch insurance quotes here at GoCompare
Compare thatch roof insurance to get the right cover for your thatched property
Get a quoteYou can get home insurance for all types of thatched roofs, including long straw, water reed, and wheat reed.
However, if yours is constructed from a material that falls outside these categories, check the small print of your policy to make sure your roof is covered.
Yes, if your home will be empty for a period it’s usually still possible for it to be insured. The type of cover you’ll need will depend on how long your home will be unoccupied.
Standard policies will usually cover homes if they’re unoccupied for less than 60 days.
But if your home’s likely to be unoccupied for longer, you’ll need to take out unoccupied property insurance.
Yes, thatched homes are often listed, but you should still be able to get a quote for your listed property.
However, owning a listed building usually means your home will have a higher rebuild cost which will increase your home insurance premiums.
No, while most thatched properties are more than a hundred years old, it’s also possible to get new build homes with thatched roofs.
If you’ve got a newer thatched property, you may be able to get buildings insurance with a standard insurance provider. But as your roof is non-standard, you might still need a specialist thatched policy to get the right level of cover.
Thatching is a flexible and soft material so it can be shaped to fit almost any shape of building, new or old. However, thatch does need a pitched roof to allow the water to run off.
Thatched roofs are no more likely to cause a fire than other types of roof. However, if there is a fire, the natural thatch materials mean it can spread more quickly.
So a fire can cause more extensive damage than if you had a home with a standard slate or tile roof.
Fires generally start in the chimney and can spread to the roof if the brickwork hasn’t been properly maintained. To reduce the risk, make sure your chimneys are lined, regularly swept, and the chimney stacks are inspected periodically.
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Page last reviewed: 02 February 2023
Page reviewed by: Jasmine Hembury