How does a roof insurance claim work in Texas?
Get the roof inspected, report the damage to your carrier, and an adjuster inspects it and writes an estimate. The carrier pays according to your policy, usually actual cash value first and the withheld depreciation after the roof is replaced, and you pay the deductible. Texas carriers have set deadlines to acknowledge, investigate and pay a claim, and most policies set a deadline for reporting storm damage.
Step one is an inspection, before the claim
An inspection confirms there is storm damage before a claim goes on your record. It also documents the damage while it is fresh, with photos and measurements that support the claim later.
Filing, the adjuster and the estimate
You report the claim to your carrier by phone or online. Under the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, an insurer generally has 15 days to acknowledge the claim and begin investigating, and 15 business days after receiving what it asked for to accept or reject it, with extensions allowed in some cases, including after a declared weather disaster.
An adjuster inspects the roof and writes an estimate line by line. It is worth having your roofer there, because missed items such as vents, flashing, ridge, gutters and decking are much easier to raise on the roof than on paper later.
Payment usually comes in two parts
Once the claim is approved, the carrier pays the actual cash value of the roof minus the deductible. The check is often made out to both you and your mortgage company.
After the roof is replaced, the final invoice goes to the carrier and the withheld depreciation is released. That second payment is the reason the paperwork at the end matters.
Deadlines to keep in mind
Many Texas homeowner policies require wind and hail damage to be reported within a set period, commonly one year from the date of the storm. Policies also set a window for completing the repairs to collect depreciation. Both are written into your policy, and both are easy to miss when a roof is not leaking yet.
Related questions
Do I have to use the roofer my insurance company recommends?
No. You choose who replaces your roof.
Why is the insurance check made out to my mortgage company too?
The lender has a financial interest in the house, so many carriers list them on claim payments. The lender endorses the check, sometimes after confirming the work is done.
