The honest answer to "how much will insurance pay?"
How much insurance pays for a roof replacement in Texas is set by your policy: the insurer's estimate of covered storm damage, minus your deductible, minus depreciation if the roof is covered at actual cash value. Two neighbors with identical hail damage can get very different checks.
The three things that decide it are already written in your policy before the storm arrives: the kind of deductible you have, whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and any exclusion or endorsement that applies to roofs. This guide explains each one, the order of a claim, the deadlines, and what Texas law lets a roofer do and not do.
Nobody can promise you a payout, and this page does not. Houston Expert Roofers is only a phone line, free to call, that connects you with an independent local roofing company. It does not file, handle or negotiate claims, and it gives no insurance advice. For questions about your own coverage, ask your insurer or agent, or call the Texas Department of Insurance consumer help line at 800-252-3439.
How a roof payout is figured
The Texas Department of Insurance describes two ways a homeowners policy can pay for a roof. Replacement cost coverage pays up to the full cost to repair or replace it at today's prices. Actual cash value coverage pays that cost minus depreciation, an amount taken off for the roof's age and wear. On top of either, your deductible is subtracted from the claim.
Replacement cost: two checks
With replacement cost coverage, TDI says the insurer usually pays in two parts. The first check is the estimated repair cost minus depreciation and minus your deductible. The rest, often called recoverable depreciation, is paid after the insurer receives the bill for the finished work. Policies usually set a time limit for completing the repairs, so ask your insurer for that date in writing and keep the final invoice.
Actual cash value: one check, and the gap is yours
With actual cash value, the depreciation is never paid back. The older the roof, the bigger the deduction, and on an old roof the payment after the deductible can be small or nothing at all. The difference between that payment and the roofer's price is yours to cover.
| Step (made-up round numbers to show the arithmetic, not a price) | Replacement cost policy | Actual cash value policy |
|---|---|---|
| Insurer's estimate to replace the roof | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Depreciation for age and wear | $6,000 held back for now | $6,000 subtracted for good |
| Wind and hail deductible | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| First payment | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Second payment after the work is done and billed | Up to $6,000 | None |
| Most the policy would pay in this example | $16,000 | $10,000 |
Your own figures will differ, and the insurer may revise its estimate when it receives the roofer's invoice or a supplement for damage found during tear-off. If you have a mortgage, TDI notes the check is usually made out to you and your mortgage company. Ask your lender early how it releases claim money for repairs.
Deductibles, older roofs and cosmetic damage
Percentage deductibles
Many Texas policies carry a separate wind and hail deductible set as a percentage of the home's insured value. TDI's own example: a 5% deductible on a home insured for $150,000 is $7,500, so a $6,500 roof repair would be paid entirely by the homeowner. Turn the percentage into dollars before you file. A deductible applies to each claim.
Older roofs and roof schedules
TDI warns that as roofs age, some insurers switch roof coverage to actual cash value at renewal, and a roof in poor condition may not be covered at all. Look for a roof payment schedule or an actual cash value roof endorsement in your policy. Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policies use endorsement TWIA-804, which covers the dwelling at replacement cost and the roof covering at actual cash value. In September 2026, TDI announced a rule saying insurers may not decline a home policy because of the age of the home or its roof alone, though they may still consider the roof's condition.
Cosmetic damage exclusions
Some policies exclude cosmetic hail damage: dents or marks that change how the roof looks but not how it sheds water. TDI has long allowed such an exclusion on policies that get a premium credit for an impact-resistant roof. Ask your insurer directly whether your policy has a cosmetic damage exclusion and how it defines cosmetic.
If you are shopping for a new policy, TDI's advice is to ask how the roof is covered before you buy, not after a storm. If you install impact-resistant shingles, ask your insurer what discount it offers and what paperwork it needs; TDI says each company sets its own.
Filing a roof claim, step by step
- Stay safe first. Keep off the roof and away from downed lines. Indoors, catch drips and move belongings out of the way.
- Document from the ground and inside. Photograph dented gutters, downspouts, the air conditioning unit, shingles in the yard, ceiling stains and wet insulation you can see without climbing. Note the date and time of the storm.
- Prevent further damage, but do not rebuild yet. Your policy expects reasonable steps to stop more damage, such as a roofer's temporary tarp. TDI warns that an insurer might deny a claim if permanent repairs are made before it sees the damage, so keep receipts and wait on the permanent work.
- Report the claim promptly. Phone the insurer or use its app, get a claim number and write down every name and date. Read your policy for its deadline. TWIA wind and hail claims must be filed within one year of the damage.
- Meet the adjuster. Be there for the inspection. Your roofer may attend and talk through its estimate and what it found; it may not negotiate the claim for you.
- Read the insurer's estimate line by line. Check that it includes tear-off, decking where needed, underlayment, flashing, drip edge, ridge vent, disposal and permit. Ask about anything missing. Once the insurer has everything it requested, TDI says it has 15 business days to decide whether to pay.
- Hire, finish and close out. Sign with the roofer you choose, pay your deductible, and send the final invoice to the insurer to request any recoverable depreciation.
Stay off the roof. Wet, storm-damaged roofs are slick and the decking may be weak, so leave the ladder in the garage. Keep well away from downed power lines and report them to CenterPoint Energy or 911. Indoors, move belongings away from the leak, put a bucket or towels under the drip and keep people out of any room where the ceiling sags. Photograph the damage from the ground and inside the house, then call your insurer and a roofer.
What a roofer may and may not do under Texas law
Texas has specific rules for contractors working on insured storm damage. The Texas Department of Insurance sums them up in its "Roofing and insurance: know the law" guidance. The short version is that the roofer works on the roof and the claim stays yours.
| A roofer may | A roofer may not |
|---|---|
| Inspect the roof and give you a written estimate | Offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible (Business and Commerce Code 27.02) |
| Discuss its estimate and other technical information with your insurer or adjuster | Act as your public adjuster, or advertise to adjust claims on a property where it provides or may provide contracting services (Insurance Code 4102.163) |
| Submit its own invoice or a supplement for damage found during the work | Leave out the deductible notice: a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance proceeds must state that you are responsible for paying the deductible |
| Set up a payment plan with you for your share | Inflate an invoice or hide a discount so the insurer pays your deductible for you |
Under Insurance Code chapter 707, you must pay your deductible, and your insurer may ask you for proof. TDI lists the kinds of proof that work: a canceled check, a money order receipt, a credit card statement, or a copy of a payment plan with your contractor. TDI says a contractor that offers to cover a deductible faces a fine of up to $2,000 and up to six months in jail, and it asks people to report such offers to the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-621-0508.
The deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance says it is illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible, and a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice saying so. A roofer also may not act as your public adjuster on a property it works on. Treat any offer to "cover the deductible" as a reason to call someone else.
Texas has no state roofing license. No state agency licenses roofing contractors in Texas, and a 2025 bill to create one (HB 3344) did not reach a vote of the full House before the session ended. So check what you can: a certificate of liability insurance sent to you, a written contract with the full scope, a permit where your city requires one, local addresses you can drive past, and the shingle maker's warranty registration. Some cities also ask roofers to register. The line does not check any of this for you. How to check a roofer before you hire.
If the claim is denied or the payment looks low
Ask for the reason in writing
A letter that says only "no covered damage" does not tell you what to fix. Ask which policy wording the insurer relied on, and request a copy of the adjuster's estimate and photos. Compare them with your roofer's estimate line by line.
Send what was missing
If the insurer questioned the storm date, send dated photos and news or weather reports from that day. If it missed a slope or a line item, ask for a second inspection and say exactly what to look at.
Read the appraisal section
Many homeowners policies include an appraisal provision for disputes over the amount of a loss, where each side picks an appraiser. Your policy says whether you have one, how to start it and who pays for it.
Get qualified help
A public adjuster licensed by the Texas Department of Insurance can represent you for a fee; your roofer cannot. An attorney can advise on a dispute. TDI takes complaints about insurers at 800-252-3439.
Can I get my roof replaced for free?
This is one of the most searched roof insurance questions, and the honest answer is no, not through a legitimate claim. Even when a policy covers a full replacement at replacement cost, the deductible is yours, and Texas made it a crime for a contractor to absorb it. On an actual cash value roof, you also pay the depreciation gap. Door-to-door pitches for a "free roof" after a hailstorm usually rely on a promise the law forbids, or on signing over control of the claim to someone who cannot legally act as your adjuster.
What a claim can do is bring the cost of storm damage down to what your policy says you owe. Knowing that number before you sign anything is the best protection you have. The roof replacement cost guide explains how a roofer prices the work, and the hail claim checklist gives you a printable list to keep with your policy.
Need a roofer to look at storm damage and write an estimate you can share with your adjuster? Call the free line. You are put through to an independent local roofing company. You file and manage the claim yourself.
Reaching a roofer after a storm
- Call the numberAn automated assistant answers (832) 662-4107 at any hour and asks which service you need, since the line also takes heating, cooling, pressure washing and water damage calls.
- Describe the roofA leak, missing shingles, hail, a limb on the roof or an old roof you want looked at, plus your part of greater Houston and how urgent it is.
- Get put throughYour call is transferred to an independent, locally owned roofing company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with the roofer directlyIt inspects, quotes and does the work, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it misses the call, it gets your name, number, city and need to call you back.
About this line: Houston Expert Roofers is a free phone line, not a roofing contractor. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local roofing company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. The line never charges you. Read how the line works.
Related pages
- Hail Damage Roof Repair
- Storm Damage Roof Repair
- Wind Damage Roof Repair
- Emergency Roof Repair and Tarping
- Roof Replacement Cost in Houston
- What to Do After Storm Damage to Your Roof
- Do Roofers Need a License in Texas?