Toronto gets its share of insurable roof events: the spring windstorms that come off Lake Ontario, summer hail, and the ice storms that load eavestroughs and bring branches through roofs. Most homeowners handle the first hours well and the first weeks badly. Here is how to do both properly.
The first hour
- Make it safe. Stay off the roof. If a ceiling is bulging with water, puncture it at the lowest point with a screwdriver over a bucket to release the water in a controlled way rather than letting it collapse.
- Photograph everything. Wide shots of each affected room and elevation, then close-ups. Include the date-stamped weather if you can: a screenshot of the Environment Canada warning or a news report of the storm helps establish the event.
- Stop the water. Your policy requires you to prevent further damage, and it covers reasonable emergency measures. Call an emergency roofer to tarp and dry-in. Keep the invoice.
- Call your insurer or broker the same day to open a claim and get a claim number. You do not need a repair estimate to open the claim.
What Ontario policies typically cover
Most comprehensive homeowner policies in Ontario cover sudden and accidental damage from wind, hail, falling objects and the weight of ice and snow, plus the resulting interior water damage. They typically do not cover gradual deterioration, wear, or damage that results from a lack of maintenance. The dividing line matters: a slate that was blown off in a 100 km/h gust is a claim; a slate that slid out because its nail rusted through over forty years is not.
Two policy terms decide what you actually receive:
- Replacement cost pays to restore the roof with materials of like kind and quality, without deducting for age. This is what you want, and it is what most policies on well-maintained homes provide.
- Actual cash value deducts depreciation for age. Some insurers apply a roof-specific depreciation schedule once a roof passes a certain age, often 15 or 20 years for asphalt. Because slate, copper and tile roofs have hundred-year lives, they should not be depreciated on an asphalt schedule, but adjusters sometimes apply one by default. Push back, with documentation.
Like kind and quality: the premium-roof problem
The most common dispute on a premium roof claim is the insurer proposing to replace slate, clay tile or copper with a cheaper material. Your policy almost certainly entitles you to like kind and quality, and on a heritage-designated property the City may require it. Three things strengthen your position:
- A pre-loss condition report with photographs, which is one reason we include drone documentation with every project and care plan.
- A written scope from a contractor who actually installs the material, itemising the matched slate, copper flashings and certified labour required.
- Where designated, a letter or reference from Heritage Planning confirming the material requirement.
The adjuster's visit
The insurer will send a staff or independent adjuster, sometimes with their own roofing contractor. You are entitled to have your contractor present, and we recommend it: a slater can point out hairline fractures and displaced slates that a generalist will miss from the ground. Ask for the adjuster's report in writing, and compare the scope to your contractor's line by line. Differences are normal and negotiable.
Beware storm chasers. After every major GTA storm, door-to-door roofers appear offering "free inspections" and asking you to sign an assignment of benefits. Do not sign anything that transfers your claim. Choose a contractor who was in business before the storm and will be after it.
Depreciation, deductibles and the decision to claim
Before claiming, weigh the repair cost against your deductible and the effect on future premiums. A single displaced slate is a repair, not a claim. A valley torn open by a fallen limb is a claim. Your broker can tell you how a claim will affect your renewal; most weather claims are treated more leniently than liability or water-backup claims.
How we help
- Same-day emergency stabilisation, with invoices formatted for your insurer
- Drone and ground photography and a written cause-of-loss report within 48 hours
- Itemised scope in like kind and quality, attendance at the adjuster's inspection, and direct billing where your policy allows
- Permanent repairs in the original materials once the claim is approved