AttarCo Homes › Storm Damage & Insurance Claims › Texas Claim Guide
Free Homeowner Guide • No Sales PitchEverything a Texas homeowner should understand before, during, and after a roof claim — deductibles, deadlines, depreciation, adjusters, supplements, appraisal, and the traps to avoid. Written in plain language by a Houston roofing company that has walked claims with homeowners since 1985. Read it whether you hire us or not.
This is the deep version of our storm damage & insurance claims page. That page tells you what to do the week after a storm; this one explains how the whole system works, so nothing that happens during your claim surprises you.
Before you think about filing anything, pull out your declarations page — the first few pages of your policy. Two things on it decide how your entire claim will go.
The insurer ultimately pays what it actually costs to replace your roof with comparable materials today, regardless of how old the damaged roof was.
The insurer pays replacement cost minus depreciation for the roof's age and wear — and that depreciation is never paid back.
Call your agent (or read your declarations page) and get three answers in writing: (1) Is my roof settled at RCV or ACV — and is there a separate roof schedule or cosmetic-damage exclusion? (2) What is my wind/hail deductible, in dollars? (3) What is my deadline for reporting a weather claim?
Do this on a sunny day, before you ever need it. It changes nothing about your coverage and everything about how prepared you are.
Most Texas homeowner policies carry a separate deductible for wind and hail that is higher than the "all other perils" deductible — and it's usually written as a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not a dollar amount. Common figures are 1% or 2%; some coastal and newer policies run higher.
The math matters. On a home insured for $300,000, a "1%" deductible is $3,000 and a "2%" deductible is $6,000 — and that comes out of your pocket before insurance pays anything. Coastal policies (including TWIA windstorm coverage in areas like Galveston) may also carry separate, higher named-storm or hurricane deductibles.
This is why an honest pre-filing inspection matters so much: if the storm damage on your roof would cost less to repair than your wind/hail deductible, a claim gains you nothing — you'd pay the whole repair yourself either way, with a claim on your record for the trouble. About a third of the storm inspections we do end exactly there, with "don't file — here's what the repair actually costs." That verdict is free, and it's yours to keep. Here's how our free storm inspection works.
Three different clocks run on a Texas roof claim, and homeowners routinely confuse them:
Every policy requires you to report a loss "promptly." There's no fixed number of days, but the longer you wait, the easier it becomes for an insurer to argue the damage came from a later storm, ordinary wear, or neglect. Weeks are generally fine; seasons are risky.
Most Texas homeowner policies require weather claims to be filed within one year of the storm, and some have shortened that to as little as six months. This is a contract term, so your policy's exact language controls — read it or ask your agent for the specific number.
If a claim dispute ever ended up in court, Texas law generally allows around two years to bring suit, though policies can modify the details. We mention it only so you know a denied or underpaid claim isn't necessarily the end of the road — this is general information, not legal advice, and the specifics belong to your policy and an attorney if it ever comes to that.
The practical takeaway: if you suspect damage from a storm in the past several months, don't assume you've missed your window. Check your policy's exact language and get the roof inspected now — a documented inspection today is the strongest anchor you can have for when the damage happened.
Texas doesn't let claims drift forever. Chapter 542 of the Texas Insurance Code — usually called the Prompt Payment of Claims Act — puts deadlines on the insurer's side of the table. Here they are in plain language.
After you report the claim, the insurer generally has 15 days to acknowledge it, begin investigating, and request the items they need from you. (After a declared weather catastrophe — common on the Gulf Coast — this window can be extended.)
Once the insurer has received all the items they requested, they generally have 15 business days to accept or reject the claim in writing. If they need more time, they must tell you why in writing — and that buys them at most 45 more days.
Once a claim (or part of one) is accepted, payment is generally due within 5 business days. An insurer that misses these deadlines can owe interest on top of the claim.
You don't need to lawyer up to benefit from these timelines — you need a paper trail. Report the claim in writing, respond to document requests promptly, and note the dates. If a claim goes quiet, a polite call referencing "the Chapter 542 prompt-payment timelines" and asking what's outstanding tends to get files moving. If it doesn't, the Texas Department of Insurance takes complaints.
These are general Texas consumer-protection timelines, summarized for orientation — not legal advice, and the statute has details and exceptions we're not covering here.
The adjuster's job is to verify that a covered storm caused the damage and to price the repair. Knowing what they check makes the visit far less mysterious.
This is why we photograph every slope and every piece of collateral before the adjuster ever arrives, and why we meet them on the roof — so the person deciding your claim sees every item, not just the obvious ones. Our free storm damage photo checklist shows you exactly what to capture from the ground yourself, starting the day of the storm.
The single most confusing moment in a roof claim is the first check — because it's almost always smaller than the cost of the roof, and nobody explains why. Here's why.
On an RCV policy, the insurer starts from the full replacement cost, then withholds depreciation — a reduction for the age and wear of your old roof — and subtracts your deductible. What's left is your first check, sometimes labeled the "ACV payment." The withheld depreciation isn't gone: it's recoverable. When the work is finished and the insurer receives the final invoice and completion documents, they release it as a second check.
| Approved replacement cost (RCV) | $20,000 |
| Depreciation withheld (12-year-old roof) | − $6,000 |
| Your wind/hail deductible (1% of $200,000 dwelling) | − $2,000 |
| First check (ACV payment) | $12,000 |
| Second check after completion (recoverable depreciation) | + $6,000 |
| Total insurer payments — your out-of-pocket is the $2,000 deductible | $18,000 |
Illustrative numbers only — your policy, deductible, and scope set the real figures.
Three things to know about that second check: you only collect it by actually completing the work; if the job is done for less than the approved amount, the insurer typically pays based on what was actually spent; and your contractor's completion paperwork is what triggers its release — part of the final step in our claim process, and a big part of why full roof replacements on claims shouldn't drag on. On an ACV-only policy, there is no second check — which is exactly why the Step Zero policy check above matters.
The insurer's first scope of loss is an estimate written in a limited site visit, often during a season when adjusters are working hundreds of files. It is normal for it to miss items. The remedy has a name — a supplement — and it's a routine part of the process, not a confrontation.
A supplement succeeds on evidence, not volume: photos of the specific condition, the measurement, and the line item it corresponds to. Insurers approve well-documented supplements routinely — we submit them with photo proof as a standard part of every claim job, at no charge, because the scope should pay for the roof you actually need, no more and no less. Our printable insurance claim worksheet has a section for tracking scope items and supplement dates so nothing slips.
Sometimes documentation and supplements don't close the gap — you and the insurer simply disagree about how much the loss is worth. Nearly every Texas homeowner policy contains a tool for exactly this: the appraisal clause.
Either side can invoke it, in writing. You pick an independent appraiser (and pay them), the insurer picks and pays theirs, and the two of them try to agree on the amount of loss. If they can't, a neutral umpire breaks the tie, and agreement by any two of the three is binding on the dollar amount. It resolves pricing disputes without a lawsuit — though it decides how much, not whether something is covered.
Where it belongs in the sequence: re-inspection first, documented supplement second, appraisal third. It has real costs (your appraiser's fee, possibly half the umpire's), so it makes sense when the gap is thousands of dollars, not hundreds. And at any point along the way, you can file a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance for free — insurers pay attention to TDI complaints.
You'll hear pitches for both after a storm. Here's the difference without the sales spin — including when a public adjuster genuinely is the right call.
Our honest take: for a typical roof claim, thorough documentation gets the scope right without giving up 10% of your settlement. For a denied claim or a genuinely complex loss, a reputable public adjuster or an insurance attorney earns their fee — and we'll tell you when we think you're in that territory.
Most of what goes wrong in Texas roof claims traces back to something signed in the first 48 hours. These two deserve special caution — the same warnings, in short form, are on our storm damage page.
An AOB signs your rights under your own insurance policy over to a contractor — they deal with your insurer, receive the money, and you're largely out of the loop on your own claim. Storm-chasing crews push these at the door precisely because an AOB locks you in before you've compared anyone.
There is no legitimate reason to sign an AOB, a contingency contract, or anything else before a roof has been inspected and a written assessment put in your hands. A legitimate roofer doesn't need control of your policy to be paid for good work — we've never needed one in forty years. If you've already signed something, Texas law generally gives you a short window to cancel door-to-door contracts; read the cancellation clause and act quickly.
Under Texas House Bill 2102 (in effect since 2019), it is a criminal offense for a contractor to waive, absorb, rebate, or offset your insurance deductible — and insurers are allowed to demand proof you actually paid it before releasing final funds, including your recoverable depreciation.
A contractor offering to "eat" your deductible is proposing insurance fraud with your name on the policy, and often planning to make up the difference with thinner materials or a padded scope. It's the single most reliable red flag in this industry. We will never make that offer, and we'd encourage you to walk away from anyone who does.
One more surprise worth defusing in advance: if you have a mortgage, your claim check will usually be made out to you and your lender jointly. Your lender has a financial stake in the house, so they get a say in making sure insurance money actually repairs it.
What that means in practice: the check goes to your lender's loss-draft department for endorsement. Smaller checks are often endorsed and returned quickly; above a threshold that varies by lender, the funds may be held in escrow and released in stages — sometimes with an inspection before the final draw.
It's paperwork, not a problem — but it's the step most likely to add silent weeks to a claim when nobody starts it early.
Look at your declarations page — the first few pages of your policy — for how roof losses are settled. "Replacement Cost Value" (RCV) means the insurer ultimately pays what it costs to replace the roof, usually in two payments. "Actual Cash Value" (ACV) means they pay replacement cost minus depreciation for age and wear, and that depreciation is never paid back.
Watch for a roof-specific wrinkle: some Texas policies apply an ACV "roof schedule" to the roof only, even when the rest of the house is RCV. If the declarations page isn't clear, call your agent and ask directly: is my roof covered at RCV or ACV, and what is my wind/hail deductible in dollars?
Your policy sets the deadline. Most Texas homeowner policies require weather claims to be filed within one year of the storm — some as little as six months — and every policy requires "prompt notice." Separately, lawsuits over a claim generally must be brought within about two years, though the exact window depends on your policy language.
The practical advice is the same either way: check your policy's exact wording, and if you suspect storm damage, get inspected now rather than assuming you've missed the window.
On an RCV policy, the insurer's first payment is the replacement cost minus depreciation and your deductible. The withheld depreciation is "recoverable": once the work is completed and the insurer receives the final invoice and completion documents, they release it as a second payment. Sending that paperwork is part of the final step of every claim job we do.
Two catches: you only collect it by actually completing the work, and if the job is done for less than the approved amount, the insurer typically pays based on what was actually spent.
Usually not for a straightforward roof claim. Texas public adjusters are licensed and can genuinely help on large, complex, or disputed losses — but they charge a percentage of your settlement (capped at 10% in Texas), which comes out of the money meant to fix your roof.
For most roof claims, a contractor who documents thoroughly, meets the adjuster, and supplements missed items gets the scope corrected at no extra cost. Where a public adjuster earns the fee: a denied claim, a badly underpaid one after the documentation route is exhausted, or a complex loss involving much more than the roof. We'll tell you honestly if we think you're in that territory.
A supplement is a documented request to add items the adjuster's initial scope missed — drip edge, flashing, code-required upgrades, steep charges, or hidden damage found once the roof is opened up. It's a routine, expected part of the process, not a fight.
Insurers approve legitimate, well-documented supplements all the time. The key is photos and line-item specifics, not arguments — which is why documentation from day one matters so much.
No. Since Texas House Bill 2102 took effect in 2019, it is a criminal offense for a contractor to waive, absorb, rebate, or otherwise offset an insurance deductible — and insurers may require proof you paid it before releasing final funds.
A contractor offering to "handle" your deductible is committing fraud and inviting you into it, with your name on the policy. Walk away.
Your lender has a financial interest in the house, so insurers typically make claim checks payable to you and the mortgage company jointly. The lender endorses the check, and above certain amounts may hold the funds in escrow and release them in stages as the work is inspected.
It's normal and manageable: call your lender's loss-draft department early, get their requirements in writing, and build their processing time into your schedule so it doesn't silently delay the roof.
In order: ask for a re-inspection with your contractor present; submit a documented supplement for the disputed items; invoke the appraisal clause in your policy, where your appraiser and the insurer's appraiser (with an umpire if needed) set the amount of loss; and you can file a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance at any point — it's free, and insurers pay attention.
Most disagreements resolve at the documentation and supplement stage. Appraisal and complaints are the backstops, not the starting point.
This guide summarizes Texas insurance concepts in plain language for homeowner orientation. It is general information, not legal or insurance advice — your policy's exact language controls your claim, and for legal questions consult an attorney or the Texas Department of Insurance.
Two free tools built to go with this guide: our storm damage photo checklist (what to photograph from the ground, starting the day of the storm) and our insurance claim worksheet (every date, name, claim number, and dollar figure in one place). Print them, stick them on the fridge, and hope you never need them. And when you want the short version of how a claim runs with us, it's on the storm damage & insurance claims page and our insurance overview.
Before you file anything, know what's actually on your roof. Call or text (281) 686-9227, or take two minutes on our quote form — free inspection, written assessment, and a straight verdict, including "don't file" when that's the truth.
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