Declined for roofers insurance? Here’s what to do next
Why roofers get declined online
Comparison sites and quote-and-buy insurers work on tick-boxes. Their systems are built for low-risk trades — and roofing is not one of them. Roofing combines the two things automated underwriting hates most: heat and height. Add weather, tools in vans and the odd claim, and many online insurers simply set their rules to say no.
So when you answer honestly — yes, I do torch-on felt; yes, I work above 10 metres; yes, I had a claim three years ago — the system declines you or quotes a number designed to make you go away. Nobody has actually looked at your business. That’s the whole problem, and it’s also the way out.
The five usual trip-wires
1. Hot works and torch-on felt
Torch-on felt, gas torches and hot air guns are the single biggest reason roofers get declined. Insurers worry about fire, so many online products exclude hot works completely or decline anyone who ticks the box. There is a market for it — with proper heat conditions attached. We’ve covered this in detail on our hot works and torch-on page.
2. Working at height
Most online policies carry a height limit — often 10 or 15 metres. Work on anything taller, even occasionally, and the automated answer is no. Underwriters who deal with roofing can consider higher work on its merits: how often, what access equipment, what experience.
3. Too much flat roofing
Forms ask what percentage of your work is flat roofing, and each insurer has its own cut-off. Go over it and you’re out, even if your flat work is EPDM or GRP rather than torch-on. Getting rated on what you actually do is the point of our flat roofing insurance page.
4. Claims history
One claim — sometimes even a notified incident that cost nothing — can trigger an automatic decline online. Underwriters take a more grown-up view: what happened, what it cost, and what’s changed since. See roofers insurance with claims.
5. New business, no trading history
Just gone out on your own? Many online insurers decline new ventures outright because there’s no track record to rate. Your years on the tools count for a lot with the right underwriter — see new-venture roofers insurance.
Why the broker route works differently
A broker doesn’t feed your details into the same machine and hope. We present your whole risk — in writing, to a human underwriter — at insurers and specialist schemes that don’t sell direct online. That presentation covers the things a tick-box can’t: how long you’ve been on the tools, the real split of your work, the precautions you take with heat and height, what changed after a claim.
Underwriters price risks they understand. A roofer who looks like a red flag on a form often looks perfectly reasonable once the detail is laid out. We can’t promise acceptance — nobody honestly can — but for most declined roofers we can usually find a market, and we’ll tell you quickly if we can’t.
The cover a roofing business usually needs
Most roofing packages are built from the same blocks: public liability for injury or damage to others (dropped tiles, fire spread, damaged property); employers’ liability, which is a legal requirement if you employ anyone — and that includes labour-only subcontractors; contract works cover for the job itself while it’s unfinished; tools and plant cover; and personal accident cover, because if you can’t climb a ladder, you can’t earn.
What to have ready when you call
You don’t need paperwork spread across the bonnet of the van, but the call goes quicker if you know roughly: your turnover and wage bill, who works for you (employees and labour-only subbies), the split of your work by type, whether you do any hot works, your maximum height, any claims or incidents in the last five years, and when your current cover runs out — or when the job starts, if you’re uninsured right now. Then call 0117 325 0027. If it’s urgent, say so; we deal with time-pressed placements all the time, though we’ll never promise cover by a set date until an insurer confirms it.
Frequently asked questions
Why do online insurance sites decline roofers?
Quote-and-buy sites run on automated rules. Roofing sits near the top of most insurers’ trade risk lists because of hot works, working at height and weather exposure, so the rules are strict. If any answer falls outside the box — torch-on work, height over a set limit, a past claim — the system declines automatically. No person has looked at your business.
Does being declined online make it harder to get insured elsewhere?
An automated online decline is not the same as an insurer formally refusing to cover you after underwriting, but questions on proposal forms vary and some ask broadly about refused or declined cover. Be guided by the question actually asked, answer honestly, and tell your broker exactly what happened. Presented properly, an online knock-back rarely stops a specialist market taking you on.
Can a broker really get cover where a comparison site can’t?
Usually, yes — because it’s a different process, not a magic trick. Brokers deal with underwriters who consider risks individually, including insurers and schemes that don’t sell through comparison sites at all. We present the whole picture: your experience, the split of your work, your precautions. We can’t promise acceptance, but for most roofing risks there is a market.
What information do I need before I call?
Rough turnover, how many people work for you (including labour-only subbies), the split of your work — pitched vs flat, new build vs repair, domestic vs commercial — whether you do any torch-on or other hot works, your maximum working height, details of any claims in the last five years, and the cover you had before, if any. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all; we’ll work through it on the phone.
Will broker cover cost more than an online policy?
Not necessarily. Online pricing for roofers who scrape through the rules is often loaded heavily, because the insurer is pricing blind for the worst case. An underwriter who understands your actual work — for example, mostly pitched tiling with occasional flat repairs — can often rate it more fairly. Sometimes the broker route is cheaper, sometimes not, but you’ll be properly covered either way.
Do you promise to get me covered?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who does. What we can honestly say is that we know which underwriters look at hard-to-place roofing work, and we can usually find a market. If we genuinely can’t, we’ll tell you straight and tell you why — which at least gives you something to fix.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724952). This page is general information, not advice on a specific policy.