If water is coming through right now
If water is near light fittings, power points or the switchboard, turn the power off at the switchboard if you can reach it safely. Keep out of any room where the ceiling is sagging or bulging. If anyone is hurt or in danger, call 111. The paperwork can wait an hour. Nobody should be on the roof while it's wet.
Sudden or gradual: how insurers tend to see a leak
| Likely to be seen as sudden | Likely to be seen as gradual | |
|---|---|---|
| What caused it | A storm-felled tree or branch punches through the roof | Roofing iron rusts through over the years |
| How fast it happened | Within minutes or hours | Over days, weeks or much longer |
| Spouting | Torn off in a storm, letting water in | Blocked with leaves and overflowing into the walls |
| Paint and flashings | A flashing ripped up by wind | Paint faded or peeled by age, flashings worn out |
| Usual answer | What house insurance is meant for, subject to your policy | Commonly excluded as wear and tear or lack of upkeep |
Why sudden matters so much
The Insurance Council of New Zealand says house insurance is meant to cover sudden damage, and that New Zealand courts read sudden as abrupt or instantaneous. That means minutes or hours, not days or weeks.
Its own example of sudden damage is a tree falling on a house and damaging the roof. Its examples of what isn't sudden sound like a list of everyday roof leaks: rusting roofing iron, paint faded or peeled by age or weather, general wear and tear, and blocked gutters that overflow and damage walls.
House policies commonly exclude wear and tear, corrosion, rust, rot, mildew and other slow deterioration. So if a roofer finds the water came through a rusted-out sheet or a flashing that's been failing for years, the insurer is likely to see it as a maintenance problem rather than an insured event.
What to look for in your policy
Find three things: how the policy defines sudden or accidental damage, the list of exclusions, and any section on gradual or hidden damage.
Most owner-occupier house policies include a limited amount of cover for certain hidden damage that isn't sudden, for example $2,000 to $10,000. If water has been getting into a wall or ceiling where nobody could see it, that's the clause to read closely.
If the wording doesn't make sense to you, ring your insurer or broker and ask them to explain it in writing. That's a fair thing to ask, and a lot better than guessing.
What a declined claim can look like
In one Insurance Council example, an insurer turned down a claim for water damage and rot. The cause was gutters blocked with leaves for years, so the damage was gradual and put down to a lack of maintenance.
That's an expensive way to learn the value of a spouting clean. Keeping the spouting clear and having the roof checked now and then costs far less than a claim that gets turned down, and the receipts help show you've looked after the place.
What to do before you claim
Make it safe and catch the water
Buckets, bins, towels. Shift anything that can't get wet, and throw a plastic sheet over what won't move. Keep people out of rooms with a sagging ceiling.
Photograph everything
Take photos and video of the ceiling, the water and anything damaged, plus the outside of the house from the ground. Note the date and time. Hang on to damaged items until your insurer says you can throw them out.
Call your insurer early
Tell them what happened and when. Ask what they need from you, and whether they'll arrange repairs or expect you to.
Get a temporary repair if water is still coming in
A roofer can put a cover or temporary seal on to stop more damage. Keep the invoice and any photos they take. Talk to your insurer before agreeing to the permanent repair.
Ask the roofer to write down the cause
A short report with photos saying what failed and why gives the insurer what it needs to decide. A good roofer will describe what they found honestly, whether it points to sudden damage or not.
Keep a log
Write down every call: the date, who you spoke to and what they said. Save emails and claim numbers in one place.
If the insurer says no
Ask for the reason in writing, including the policy clause they're relying on. Then compare it with your roofer's report.
Complain to the insurer first. Under the Fair Insurance Code, an Insurance Council member insurer must acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days, and update you on progress or the outcome within 10 working days of having the information it needs.
If it isn't sorted within two months, you can take it to the insurer's dispute resolution service. That's either the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) or Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL). It costs you nothing, and its decision binds the insurer.
Claim or no claim, the leak still needs fixing before the next heavy rain. Our page on roof leak repair explains how a roofer tracks one down and what a good written quote for the fix should include.
Earthquakes and landslides are handled differently
If a leak follows an earthquake or landslide, the Natural Hazards Commission (what EQC became) may be part of the claim, and you still start with your home insurer. After a storm or flood, NHC covers your land only, so damage to the house itself sits with your private insurer.
Our guide to the Natural Hazards Commission and your roof covers what it pays for, and our storm damage claims guide walks through a storm claim.
Things that can quietly affect your cover
If you do work yourself that should have been done by a professional, and it causes or adds to damage, you may not be covered. A home-made roof patch that later lets water in could fall into that.
Your house insurance may not cover you during renovations, a re-roof included, so check with your insurer before work starts. You may need separate contract works insurance.
Most house policies give reduced cover, or none, if the house is empty for more than 60 days, so tell your insurer before a long trip. And after a new roof goes on, update your sum insured so it includes the improvement.
Your part of a leak claim, and the roofer's
You can
- Turn off power near the water at the switchboard, if it's safe to reach
- Catch the water and move your belongings
- Photograph the damage inside and outside, from the ground
- Find your policy and read the exclusions and hidden damage sections
- Keep receipts for spouting cleans and past roof work
- Call your insurer and keep a log of every conversation
Leave to a roofer
- Anything on the roof, wet or dry
- Temporary covers to stop more water getting in
- Tracing where the water actually gets in
- A written report on the cause, with photos
- The permanent repair, once your insurer has agreed if you're claiming
What we'd do with a leak and a policy
Deal with the safety side first, take photos, and call the insurer the same day. Then get a roofer to find the cause and put it in writing. If it's sudden damage, you've got what the insurer needs. If it's wear, you'll know early and can get it repaired properly instead of waiting weeks on a claim that was never likely to succeed. Either way, the roof gets fixed sooner.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.