House insurance for dormer bungalow

I think you can go through online sites like Money Supermarket but you might still have to speak to the Insurance Companies to get a quote, especially if the flat roof is very old.

Next door has flat roof dormers on their bungalow and they never had any trouble with getting Insurance, but I don’t remember who they used.

After my insurance claim experience with a cheap insurance company when my flat roof was blown off in Storm Arwen, I would recommend looking at the Which page which has approved home insurance providers. They did the customer surveys with people who had claimed.

From memory, LV, John Lewis and Tesco are near the top of the list. Have a look.

They will be more expensive than the 'comparision' site insurers, but hopefully that is because they have a 24/7 telephone line, enough loss adjusters, and enough workers to fix any problems. The company I was with, cheap, had none of these and I waited three weeks before anyone was sent to do a makesafe. In that time my lounge ceiling came down. I was ten weeks without a roof before anyone was able to fix it.

Once you've found someone you like, have a look at their 'bad' reviews on TrustPilot. When you've chosen and complete the form for a quotation, do ensure you put the correct percentage of flat roof on your property ie 20-30%, 30-50% etc.

Thank you very much for all the good advice.
Shandy57 sounds like you have had an awful experience.

Yes, so unexpected Sally97, the vendor said she had a new resin roof fitted in 2019, I bought in March 2021. Unfortunately the roofer had only nailed it to the joists so the wind got under it. The roofer that came to replace it said they are always screwed down to the joists, and the roofer was incompetent. The quote to repair was £8,500, including repairing the ceiling, plus VAT. The cheap and nasty insurer I was with offered £6,000, I had to battle to get the settlement.

sally, do make sure that you maintain the flat roof. Old felt flat roofs only have a life of around 10 years and are prone to cracking and leakage. The new rubber material for flat roofing, or sarnafil, has a greatly extended life. There should not be any problem in getting insurance, provided the flat roof material is in good condition, installed properly and maintained

Thank you for the good advice.
Shandy57 what a terrible experience shocking that the insurance company made a bad situation even more stressful.

A lot of people on Trustpilot with my insurance company had their roof claims refused due to 'lack of maintenance'.

One 84 year old woman's daughter wrote a review that her mother had roof damage in November's Storm Arwen, couldn't get anyone to make safe, the insurance company took too long to send a loss adjuster and her ceilings came down (as mine did). The insurance company then refused to pay out, stating that the roof had been in a poor state of repair. Shocking.

Sally get in touch with Saga. I haven't got a dormer bungalow with a flat roof. But a bungalow . After looking at a lot of companies they offered the best cover and fixed price for 3 years. They have a no quibble guarantee. Also they cover things not every company does.

Thanks everyone.
I have gone with Saga as a neighbour recommended them as well. Spoke to them n they checked with underwriters. Fingers xd I never need to claim but if I do hopefully will be covered.
We have the roof checked annually but anything can happen if we have storms like last yeaes.

Great, I'm glad you found someone Sally97. NFU got top score at 87%, Saga were second at 70%.

It is only when you claim you discover what a company is like, my experience changed my view of home insurance.

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