Solar panel insurance claims in Perth: hail, storm, and tree damage guide

Perth experiences hailstorms, severe thunderstorms, and occasional extreme wind events that damage solar panels. Perth's Hills districts (Kalamunda, Mundaring, Armadale) and outer suburbs are periodically affected by severe hail that cracks panel glass. Here's how the insurance process works if your panels are damaged.

Is solar covered by home insurance?

Solar panels are typically covered under the building insurance component of your home and contents policy (not contents insurance). Panels are fixed to the roof structure and are classified as a building attachment, not contents.

What's generally covered:

• Storm damage (hail, wind, lightning strike)
• Tree falling on panels
• Fire damage
• Accidental damage (if you have that cover)

What's generally NOT covered:

• Panel degradation (normal wear over time)
• Gradual breakdown (slow corrosion, encapsulant degradation)
• Manufacturer defects — this falls under panel warranty, not insurance
• Damage from poor installation (e.g., improper mounting causing failure) — this is the installer's liability
• Bird damage or soiling (maintenance issues)

Step 1: document the damage immediately

After a storm or hail event:

1. Photograph everything from ground level and (safely) from any accessible angle — panel surfaces, cracked glass, dented frames, broken mounting hardware.
2. Note the date and time of the weather event.
3. Check the Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au) for the event record — local area weather station data and radar records are useful for proving the storm event occurred. Insurers sometimes request this.
4. Check for visible micro-crack patterns — hail impact creates concentric ring cracks in solar cell glass, distinct from installer-caused cracks.

Step 2: notify your insurer promptly

Contact your insurer as soon as possible after discovering damage. Most policies require notification within 30 days of an event. Delay is the most common administrative reason for complications.

When notifying:

• Describe the damage as specifically as possible (number of panels affected, visible cracks, etc.)
• Confirm your system details (how many panels, inverter brand, system size) — this is in your installation documentation
• Confirm the system was installed by a CEC-accredited installer (required for most solar-related claims)

Step 3: the assessor visit

Your insurer will typically send a licensed assessor to inspect the damage. For solar panels, the assessor may be:

• A general building assessor (who may not be solar-competent)
• A specialist electrical/solar assessor (more common for larger claims)

What assessors look for:

• Is the damage consistent with the claimed event (hail = concentric cracks; wind = mechanical stress fractures; lightning = burn marks)?
• Does the damage align with the date and location of the weather event?
• Is the system installed correctly and in good pre-damage condition?

Tip: Be present during the assessor visit. Explain the system layout, point out each damaged panel, and provide the monitoring data showing any output drop post-event.

What the payout covers

If your claim is accepted, the insurer will typically:

• Pay the cost of replacing damaged panels with equivalent or better panels
• Cover removal of old panels and installation of replacements
• Cover any inverter or string damage from the same event
• Minus your excess

Replacement panel challenge: Solar panel technology has advanced significantly in 5–10 years. If you have 2016-vintage 250W PERC panels, "equivalent" replacements don't exist — the insurer will typically pay for modern 400W+ panels that match or exceed the original specifications. The installation cost to re-string new panels to an old inverter is usually included.

Common reasons claims are rejected

"Pre-existing condition": If the assessor believes the damage pre-dates the claimed event. Good monitoring data showing a clear output drop on the date of the storm is strong counter-evidence.

"Wear and tear": Insurers distinguish between sudden storm damage and gradual degradation. Cracked glass from hail is sudden damage; yellowed encapsulant is gradual degradation (not claimable).

"Installed incorrectly": If the system was installed without CEC accreditation, some policies won't cover it. Always ensure your original installation was CEC-accredited.

"Not permanent structure": Rare, but some budget policies class rooftop solar as a "structure" requiring separate endorsement. Check your policy documents for whether solar is explicitly listed or whether a PDS exclusion applies.

After a Perth hailstorm: what to check

1. Safety first: Don't approach the roof until the storm has fully passed.
2. Check inverter output in your monitoring app — a sudden output drop on storm day confirms system impact.
3. Visual inspection from ground level before calling the insurer.
4. Don't attempt to clean or touch cracked panels — cracked glass can be sharp; damaged panels may also have exposed electrical components.
5. If panels are visibly cracked: Contact your installer as well as your insurer — the installer can advise whether the system is safe to leave running while the claim is processed.

Perth solar panels are covered by building insurance in most standard policies, but the claim process requires prompt notification, documentation, and sometimes defending against a "pre-existing" assessment. Monitoring data showing a clear output drop on the storm date is your most useful claim evidence. Confirm your policy covers solar panels before an event occurs — check the policy schedule and contact your insurer if solar isn't explicitly listed.