CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskInsurers report a 23% increase in care home property claims related to flat roof failure over the past 18 months. Lack of documented maintenance history is cited as the main factor in disputed claims.
Flat roofs are more exposed to standing water, UV degradation and membrane splitting than pitched roofs, and many care home flat roofs are now well past their original design life. Insurers have seen a marked increase in claims linked to flat roof failure, and their loss adjusters increasingly focus on whether the roof was actively maintained before the failure occurred, not just on the cause of the leak itself. A claim linked to a defect that had been visible for months, but not acted on, is a strong basis for an insurer to dispute liability.
Most commercial property policies include a condition requiring the insured to take reasonable care of the building, and increasingly insurers ask specifically for roof maintenance evidence as part of renewal or claims handling. This typically means a dated inspection report, a record of any remedial works carried out, and evidence that defects identified in a previous inspection were addressed rather than left. Without this, insurers can argue the loss arose from wear and tear or neglect rather than an insured peril, and may reduce or void the claim entirely.
A defensible record does not need to be elaborate. It should include the date of each inspection, who carried it out, photographs of the roof covering, drainage outlets, flashings and any visible defects, and a short written assessment of condition. Where defects are found, the record should show what action was taken and when. Keeping this in a single accessible file -- rather than scattered contractor invoices -- makes it far easier to produce quickly when an insurer or loss adjuster asks for it.
Insurance policies often specify a minimum inspection frequency, commonly annual, but this should be treated as a floor rather than best practice. A biannual inspection -- once in autumn to catch any damage before winter, and once in spring to assess winter wear -- gives a better chance of catching problems before they become water ingress. Roof coverings nearing or past their manufacturer's stated service life should be inspected more frequently and considered for a condition survey to inform capital planning.
The single biggest factor in disputed claims is delay between a defect being identified and being repaired. Blistering, ponding water, split membranes and perished flashings rarely improve on their own, and insurers know this. Building a simple process -- inspection finding logged, repair instructed within a set number of days, completion recorded -- turns your maintenance programme into evidence that protects both residents from water ingress and the organisation from a disputed insurance claim.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.