The short answer
Often, but not always, and the policy decides. Some insurers arrange repairs through their own contractors, while others accept a quote from a roofer you choose or pay a cash settlement. Ask your insurer which applies to your claim, and get it in writing before a lasting repair starts. Keeping more rain out with a tarpaulin is a sensible first step on either route, so keep the photos and receipts.
How an insurer's contractor, your own roofer and a cash settlement differ, and which questions to put to the insurer before any lasting work.
Insurer's contractor or your own roofer
When a storm or a fault damages your roof, the insurer's route can go one of two ways. Some policies state that the insurer will arrange and manage the repair through contractors it chooses. Others let you get your own quote, or your own roofer to do the work, so long as the insurer agrees the cost and the scope first. Which applies is set by your policy wording and by how the claim is handled, so there is no single rule to rely on.
Neither route is automatically better. An insurer's contractor can save you from chasing quotes and may be paid directly. Your own roofer lets you choose someone you have checked, who can explain the work and answer to you. Think about what matters most: speed of the first step, a say over who is on your roof, or the freedom to schedule the work around you.
Read the section of the policy covering repairs and the claims process, and ring the insurer to ask the plain question: may I use my own roofer for this claim, and what do you need from them?
Tell the insurer first
Contact the insurer before any lasting repair begins. A leaking roof is a good reason to ring promptly, and a Which? report from November 2025 says most insurers run emergency helplines. Tell them what has happened, ask what they need from you, and ask whether they want to inspect the damage before anything is altered. Note the date and who you spoke with.
Stopping things getting worse is a different matter from repairing the roof. A sheet pegged over the worst of the damage is what a sensible owner would do while waiting. Keep the receipt for anything you pay for. Our page on what a roof make-safe is describes how it works.
Take plenty of pictures before you tidy up. Structural engineers' body IStructE tells storm-hit homeowners that photographs are vital evidence, and a dated set shows the insurer what the damage looked like. Cover the outside from the ground, the ceiling, the roof space if you can reach it safely, and any water that has come in. Keep the originals on your phone with their dates.
Cash settlements and getting quotes
Sometimes the insurer offers a cash settlement instead of arranging the work. That puts the choice of roofer in your hands, and the payment is usually based on the insurer's own assessment of the cost. It is wise to find out whether the figure covers the repair a roofer will actually recommend, because a roof that is wetter, older or harder to reach than expected can cost more than a first estimate suggests.
Citizens Advice says to try for at least 3 written quotes before choosing a trader, and the same habit suits a claim. Ask each roofer to describe the cause of the damage and the work needed, and to confirm if VAT and scaffold are part of the figure. Send the insurer the quote you prefer and wait for its agreement before you commit, particularly for anything beyond a temporary repair.
After our survey you hold a written price and pictures of your roof, and you are free to pass both to your insurer. What the insurer decides is between you and them, and a claim can be turned down or settled for less than the quote. If the figure falls short, ask the insurer to explain how it was reached and compare it with the roofer's description of the work.
If the claim does not go as you hoped
Claims do not always end the way owners expect. An insurer may decide that wear and tear rather than a storm caused the damage, may accept part of the work only, or may take a long time to respond. Do not let that leave your roof open. If water is still coming in, a temporary repair is worth doing and paying for while the claim is argued, with the receipt kept.
Begin by asking the insurer for its reasons in writing, including the policy term it relied on. Next, go through its own complaints procedure. If you remain unhappy once that has run its course, the Financial Ombudsman Service looks at complaints about insurers.
A roofer's report can help, but it is only evidence. Describe the faults you see, with dated photographs, and leave the argument about cover to you and your insurer. Our notes on a roof leaking after heavy rain and a tree fallen on a roof show what to record in those cases, and the emergency and general roof repairs page covers the rest.
More on this in Emergency & General Roof Repairs in Crawley
Two more questions about roofers and claims
Do I have to use the roofer my insurer suggests?
Not necessarily, but ask before you decide. Some policies tie repairs to the insurer's contractors, and using someone else could affect what is paid. Others welcome a quote from your own roofer. Phone the insurer, ask which applies, and request the reply by email so that you hold it in writing.
Can I start repairs before the insurer has looked at the roof?
Cover the roof so no more water gets in, but hold off on anything permanent until the insurer replies. Take dated photographs of the damage first, keep any removed parts if you can and keep every receipt. Altering the damage before it has been seen can make it harder to show what happened.