Does Home Insurance Cover Damage From Blocked Gutters?

Most likely not, for damage that a blocked gutter caused. Insurers pay for insured events, such as a storm or a burst pipe. Keeping gutters clear counts as upkeep, and Suncorp, RACQ and Real Insurance all treat upkeep as the owner's job. If yours are full, book a gutter clean while the weather's dry.

Suncorp spells it out. Its 2023 page on home upkeep (opens in a new tab) says “Suncorp Home Insurance policies don't cover damage related to blocked gutters, as mentioned in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).” An older Suncorp page (opens in a new tab) from 2019 says the same in fewer words.

RACQ, whose cover is issued by RACQ Insurance Limited (opens in a new tab), lands in the same place. It says “RACQ home insurance will only cover loss or damage resulting from an insured event, such as a storm, hail or flood.” It also says that it, like most insurers, sees keeping the home well maintained as the owner's responsibility.

We clean gutters. We don't sell insurance, so none of this is advice about your claim. Your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) is the document that decides. Read it, or ring your insurer and ask.

It can, if a storm caused it and your policy covers storm. The catch is anything that was already worn. RACQ's example (opens in a new tab) is cracked roof tiles that let water through the ceiling. The water damage would be repaired under the policy, it says, but the cracked tiles wouldn't be covered, since they're a pre-existing maintenance issue.

Suncorp gives a similar example (opens in a new tab). If worn and broken roof tiles “may have allowed more water to enter the roof cavity than otherwise would have”, it says, “your claim might be reduced or declined.”

Gutters come into it the same way. Suncorp explains that when gutters are full of debris and a big storm hits, “the excess water has nowhere to go. It can drain into your ceiling, potentially causing internal damage.” The next line on that page is its blocked gutter exclusion.

It's also worth knowing what counts as a storm. CommBank's home insurance page (opens in a new tab) says most insurers define one, and the definition “will usually require that the storm be a cyclone or tornado, or rain, hail, wind or snow of significant force and/or volume.” Your PDS has the wording that applies to you.

Water coming in right now? Call your insurer, and get a roofer to look at the leak. Stay off a wet roof.

Someone inspects the damage. RACQ says (opens in a new tab) “A builder, assessor or specialist assesses the property damage and will identify if any of the damage has been caused by pre-existing maintenance issues”. It adds that a specialist roof report or a leak detection test can also be used to find the cause.

RACQ also says upkeep problems are easy to pick, because the damage “has usually occurred over a longer period of time”.

Then what? RACQ says an insurer can't start storm repairs until the upkeep issues are fixed, because the home could be damaged again “if another rain event was to occur.” If an owner can't do that work, RACQ “can discuss options, such as pausing insurance repairs until the maintenance can be completed by the home owner or cash settling the repairs”.

That's how RACQ describes its own process. Other insurers can handle it differently, so ask yours what it does.

Clear gutters, downpipes and valleys, for a start. Real Insurance, whose insurer is Hollard (opens in a new tab), says your PDS will set out the “reasonable steps” you need to take. One step it says a PDS might ask for is “Ensure that gutters, downpipes and roof valleys are not clogged with debris or rusted, loose, falling or missing.”

The same page lists the top upkeep issues found when a claim is being reviewed. One of them is “Gutter overflowing as it is blocked and hasn't been cleaned.” RACQ's list of common upkeep issues includes “Leaf debris in gutters/valleys”.

Suncorp adds one more (opens in a new tab). It says it doesn't cover “damage related to plant matter growing into the home”, and it names gutters in the same line. So a gutter with plants growing in it is worth sorting out quickly.

To check yours, stand back from the house and look along the gutter line. Leaves poking up over the lip, or water pouring over the front in heavy rain, point to a blockage. Our storm season checklist covers the rest of the house. Our guide to overflowing gutters goes through each cause.

Please don't climb up to look. Here's what makes ladder work risky. We do the climbing, and we're fully insured for roof work.

Then read your landlord policy the same way. It's still home insurance, so check what its PDS says about upkeep, wear and tear and blocked gutters. Who cleans the gutters on a rental is a separate question with its own Queensland answer, and our rental guide sets out what the RTA says.

Got a few properties? Do them in one round before the storms. RACQ says Queensland's summer storm season “typically occurs between September and March.” We clean gutters in Brisbane and across the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, and you don't need gutter guard to book a clean.

Then ask about gutter guard. Suncorp's own upkeep page says “Gutter guards can help you keep gutters tidy and reduce the build-up of debris.” Ours is aluminium mesh fitted over your gutters. Every install starts with a free gutter clean and comes with our written 10-year no blocked gutter guarantee.

We fit gutter guard across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. We've been family-owned for over 25 years, and quotes are free.