Should You Claim Storm Roof Damage on Insurance in BC?

Greater Victoria's storm claims come from the southeasterly and northeasterly wind events between November and February, and they hit the exposed edges hardest: Dallas Road and James Bay, Cordova Bay and Ten Mile Point, Sidney and the North Saanich waterfront, and the Sooke shore. A December 2025 South Coast windstorm and a March 2026 provincial event are the recent reference points. Damage is usually lifted or missing shingles on the windward slope, a ridge cap peeled back, and occasionally a Douglas fir limb through a Saanich or Highlands roof; that last case is the clearest claim of the three.

The complication here is roof age. Much of the region's housing carries a 20-plus-year asphalt roof, and a storm that takes shingles off a 24-year-old Gordon Head roof invites a debate about whether wind or age did it. Insurers may settle older roofs at depreciated value, and a roofer's written assessment that distinguishes wind-lifted tabs from age-related loss is what decides the outcome. Moss damage and slow leaks are wear, not storms, and a Victoria contractor's moss FAQ says plainly that insurance does not usually cover them.

Make it safe and stop the water: a temporary cover from a roofer, not a trip onto a wet roof. Photograph the damage from the ground and inside the attic, with dates, and keep any debris such as shingles found in the yard. Read your policy for wind, tree and water coverage, the deductible, and any roof age or depreciation clause. Call the insurer to open the claim before permanent repairs; most want to inspect or see photos first. Get a written assessment and a repair or replacement quote from a roofer; a good one distinguishes storm damage from pre-existing wear. Keep receipts for the temporary cover, which is often reimbursable. Then decide, with the adjuster's figure in hand, whether to proceed.

• 1. Temporary cover; do not climb a wet roof
• 2. Dated photos: roof from the ground, attic, ceilings, debris
• 3. Read the policy: wind, tree, water, deductible, depreciation
• 4. Open the claim before permanent repairs
• 5. Written roofer assessment separating storm from wear
• 6. Decide once you have the adjuster's number

Compare three numbers: the repair quote, your deductible, and the likely settlement after any depreciation. A $1,200 shingle repair on a $1,000 deductible is not worth a claim on your record. A $9,000 replacement of a storm-stripped slope on a 6-year-old roof clearly is. A $12,000 replacement of a 22-year-old roof that the insurer will settle at depreciated value may come back as a fraction of the cost, and you should ask for the settlement figure before committing. Storm damage to an old roof is also a repair-or-replace question: our tool flags storm damage as an insurance matter and prices the replace path so you can see whether topping up a depreciated payout makes sense.

In general terms, some policies pay replacement cost for a damaged roof while others, especially for roofs past a certain age, pay actual cash value, which is replacement cost minus depreciation for age and wear. BC-focused guidance notes that older roofs may be settled at depreciated value, and US insurer explanations of limited-loss schedules describe 20-year-old roofs receiving a modest fraction of the cost. Policies differ and the numbers are not fixed, so read your own wording and ask the adjuster which basis applies before you assume a new roof is coming.

After a windstorm, expect door-knocks offering a free inspection and a claim handled for you. Some are legitimate local roofers; some are not. Do not sign an assignment of benefits or a contract before the insurer has inspected, do not let anyone onto the roof who cannot show WorkSafeBC coverage, and get your own quote from a contractor you chose. A roofer who promises the insurer will pay for a full replacement before anyone has looked at the roof is selling, not assessing.