16/08/2026
The Insurance Headache Thatched Homeowners Face
If you own a thatched property, you’ll know that getting insured can be like navigating a minefield.
One of the biggest problems is that different insurance companies can have different requirements when it comes to insuring a thatched roof. There are no set in stone regulations in our industry that everyone can follow.
Spark arrestor cowls are a perfect example.
Recently a chimney specialist installed one on a roof we were working on whilst the Scaffolding was up. I thought that everyone was on the same page that any hot embers need to be able to rise up and away from the thatch and not be able to clog up etc like they do with spark arrestor cowls.
One insurer might insist on one type of cowl, another may require something completely different, while another might have its own rules about chimney height, distances from the thatch, flue systems, electrical inspections and heating appliances.
Then you can speak to another insurer and be told something completely different again!
And this is where the confusion starts for homeowners.
A thatched property shouldn’t become harder to insure simply because different companies have different interpretations of what is considered acceptable.
Surely there should be a clear, industry-wide set of guidelines for thatched properties — agreed by the relevant experts, insurers and fire-safety bodies — so that homeowners, thatchers and insurers are all working from the same rule book.
It would make things much clearer, safer and fairer for everyone. 👍
And I’d genuinely like to hear from you…
If you own a thatched property, what has your experience been like trying to get it insured?
Have you been asked to make changes to your chimney, install a particular spark arrestor cowl, carry out inspections or meet requirements that another insurer didn't ask for?
Tell me your experiences in the comments and SHARE this post so we can see just how widespread the problem is.
Maybe if enough thatched homeowners and tradespeople speak up, we can start a conversation about getting some consistency across the industry.
