It never rains but it pours – when last did you check out your roof?

With the rainy season well underway in most parts of South Africa, the office of the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance is bracing itself for a spike in complaints from distressed homeowners whose building insurance claims have been rejected.

The office dealt with 1800 cases of rejected building insurance claims during 2019, most of them roof-related.

Insurers reject building insurance claims when it is found that regular maintenance on your property wasn’t carried out, or as a result of defective construction.

Please take note of the key advice from Peter Nkhuna, the senior assistant ombudsman at the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance says most complaints have to do with roofs.

“Roofs are exposed to natural elements, so they take a hammering, especially in hot, humid areas such as Durban. When you start seeing streak stains on the wall and discolouration on your ceilings, don’t do nothing – get it checked out.”

Most people think: “I’m insured, I’ll put in a claim..”

But when the insurance assessor arrives and gets up on the roof, they inevitably find cracks and gaps in the roof tile cement, allowing the water in. So that’s a claim rejection – failure to maintain the roof.

WHAT TO DO: Every 12 months get a roofing expert in to inspect your roof and carry out any necessary repairs.

Listen to Wendy Knowler below for more advice.