Do not suggest or admit that you’ve been sitting on the problem! Say you just noticed it after a heavy rain.

Many policies have clauses that if you notice an issue and don’t deal with it immediately, insurance won’t cover any damages. Don’t ask me why; I only know this from experience.

I love my insurance. When we had an issue, and I was talking to our agent, I mentioned we’d noticed it and it had been going on for a while. She said, very carefully, “are you saying that you first noticed this issue X weeks ago?” I didn’t pick up on the hint and confirmed I’d first noticed water a while back but thought it was something else. She then told me that any damage resulting from an issue that the policy holder was aware of, but let go, was no longer covered. She had tried to give me an out; my bad for not catching it.

Your insurance policy will be totally different from mine, and I’d never suggest you lie or do anything that might be construed as insurance fraud. But I would recommend that you think very carefully about what information you volunteer and how you word it.