Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Roof Replacement?
Homeowners insurance usually pays to replace a roof damaged by a covered event, such as a windstorm, hail, fire or a falling tree. It does not pay to replace a roof because it is old or worn out. How much you actually receive depends on two lines in your policy: whether the roof is covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and how large your deductible is. The estimator below shows how those two lines change a payout.
Your policy wording decides your claim, not this page. Coverage, deductibles and state rules differ between insurers and change over time. Nobody involved in this site is an insurance agent, adjuster or lawyer. Everything here comes from state insurance regulators, state statutes and national insurance organizations, listed at the bottom of the page and on the methodology page.
Roof claim payout estimator
This is arithmetic on your own figures, not a claim decision. Insurers set depreciation from the roof’s age, condition and expected life, and some policies apply limits or exclusions this estimator cannot see. Don’t have a roof estimate yet? The roof replacement cost calculator gives a range for your roof size and material.
Before you file a claim
Know your own replacement figure, and what your roof warranty already covers.
What homeowners insurance covers on a roof
A standard homeowners policy pays for damage caused by the events it lists. The Insurance Information Institute names fire, hurricane, hail and lightning among them, and the Texas Department of Insurance tells homeowners they can file a claim if “a storm, tree, or something else” damages the roof. If that damage is bad enough, the covered repair is a full replacement.
What a policy does not cover is age. The same Texas guidance is blunt: an insurer won’t pay for a new roof just because it is old or worn out. A standard policy also excludes flood and earthquake, which need separate coverage. And some policies, particularly in coastal areas, exclude wind and hail altogether, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, so check that line before a storm rather than after one.
Replacement cost or actual cash value
This is the line that decides how big the check is. Replacement cost value (RCV) pays to repair or replace the roof without deducting for depreciation. Actual cash value (ACV) pays the depreciated value, which insurers usually base on the roof’s condition, what a new roof would cost and how long it would normally last. The NAIC illustrates the gap with two identical claims:
| RCV policy | ACV policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Roof damage | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Depreciation | $0 | $10,000 |
| Deductible | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Insurer pays | $14,000 | $4,000 |
Same roof, same storm, $10,000 apart. Two things make this more pressing in 2026. First, the Texas regulator warns that as roofs age, some insurers switch them from replacement cost to actual cash value, and it tells policyholders to check their roof coverage each time they renew. Second, on March 18, 2026, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will accept ACV coverage on roofs for single-family homes and condos, while still requiring replacement cost on the rest of the house. A lender backed by either no longer has to insist on replacement cost for your roof, so it is on you to check which one you have.
On a replacement cost claim, the Texas regulator notes the insurer typically pays with two checks, the first a partial payment. Ask your insurer what you must do, and by when, to collect the second.
Your deductible, especially for wind and hail
Your policy may have a separate deductible for wind and hail, and the Texas regulator notes it is often larger than the one for other damage. Wind and hail deductibles are commonly written as a percentage of the home’s insured value, typically 1 to 5 percent, and they apply to any wind damage, not only hurricanes. That changes the math on a roof claim sharply. National asphalt shingle replacements run about $7,500 to $14,000, per our roof replacement cost guide. Set against the deductible alone:
| Dwelling coverage | 1% deductible | 2% deductible | 5% deductible |
|---|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 |
| $300,000 | $3,000 | $6,000 | $15,000 |
| $400,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $20,000 |
The arithmetic is dwelling coverage times the percentage. On a $300,000 home with a 5 percent wind deductible, the first $15,000 is yours, more than the top of the national range for an asphalt roof. A hail claim on an ordinary shingle roof there could pay nothing at all. Separately, 19 states and Washington, D.C., including Florida and Texas, use hurricane deductibles that apply only to hurricane damage.
Older roofs and state rules
Insurers can also act before any claim. According to the Insurance Information Institute, most insurers require a roof over 20 years old to pass an inspection before they will cover the home, and they may limit an older roof to actual cash value. Some states limit how far that goes. Florida’s rules are the most specific:
- Roof age. Under Florida Statutes 627.7011, an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is under 15 years old. For a roof 15 years or older, it must let you get an inspection at your own expense, and it may not refuse on roof age alone if that inspection shows 5 or more years of useful life left.
- The 25 percent rule. Under Florida Statutes 553.844, if a roof was built to the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, repairing or replacing 25 percent or more of it requires only the repaired portion to meet current code, not the whole roof.
- Claim deadlines. Under Florida Statutes 627.70132, notice of a new or reopened claim is due within 1 year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months.
You may read online that a 2026 Florida law added roof coating and low-slope rules from July 1, 2026. It did not pass: HB 815 and its Senate twin SB 808 both died in committee on March 13, 2026.
In Texas, a policy that gives an impact-resistant roof a premium credit can carry an optional endorsement excluding cosmetic hail damage to that roof: dents that change how it looks but not how it works. If you are offered a discount for a metal or impact-rated roof, ask whether that exclusion comes with it. Claim deadlines in Texas depend on the policy, so check yours as soon as you find damage.
Filing a roof claim without losing money
- Document the damage first. Take photos and video, inside and out, and list what you see, as the Texas regulator advises.
- Report it promptly. Deadlines run from the date of loss, not the date you noticed the leak.
- Get more than one written estimate. It shows you which offers are too high or too good to be true, and gives you a figure to compare with the adjuster’s.
- Never let a contractor waive your deductible. In Texas it is illegal for a contractor to waive, rebate or absorb it, and contracts of $1,000 or more involving an insurance settlement must say you owe the deductible. Texas also bars contractors from acting as public adjusters on your claim.
- Read the settlement against your policy. Check the coverage type, the depreciation withheld and which deductible was applied.
Sources used on this page
- Texas Department of Insurance, Insurance and your roof, updated April 1, 2026, and its March 2026 column on insurance and your roof. Wear and tear, what damage a claim can cover, RCV and ACV, roofs switching to ACV, two-check payments, larger wind and hail deductibles.
- Texas Department of Insurance, Roofing and insurance: know the law, updated March 24, 2025, and hail damage tips, updated December 9, 2025. Deductible waivers, contract notices, public adjusters, documenting damage and estimates.
- Texas Department of Insurance, Bulletin B-0030-98. The optional cosmetic hail damage exclusion for impact-resistant roofs.
- NAIC, replacement cost and actual cash value for your roof, July 22, 2021. Definitions, how depreciation is set, the worked example, wind and hail exclusions.
- Insurance Information Institute, hurricane and windstorm deductibles, what standard homeowners insurance covers and how your roof influences your insurance. Checked September 14, 2026.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency news release, March 18, 2026. ACV roof coverage accepted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
- Florida Statutes 627.7011, 553.844 and 627.70132, 2025 editions, and the 2026 HB 815 bill history.
The deductible table and the estimator are our own arithmetic, shown in full. The national replacement range comes from the Fixr figure on our roof replacement cost guide. The methodology page explains how sources are used and reviewed.
Related guides and calculators
- How Long Does a Roof Last?: lifespan by material, and when a roof is due for replacement anyway.
- Roof Replacement Cost Calculator: a cost range to check a claim estimate against.
- Roof Replacement Cost: the whole job, by size and by material.
- Roof Repair Cost: for damage that falls under your deductible.
Roof insurance FAQ
Does homeowners insurance cover roof replacement?
Usually yes, when the roof is damaged by an event the policy covers, such as a windstorm, hail, fire or a falling tree. It does not pay to replace a roof because it is old or worn out.
Will insurance replace an old roof?
Not for age alone. Insurers may also require a roof over 20 years old to pass an inspection before they cover the home, and they may limit an older roof to actual cash value, which pays much less on a claim.
What is the difference between replacement cost and actual cash value on a roof?
Replacement cost pays to repair or replace the roof without deducting depreciation. Actual cash value deducts depreciation. In the NAIC example, $15,000 of damage with a $1,000 deductible pays $14,000 under replacement cost and $4,000 under actual cash value.
How does a percentage wind and hail deductible work?
It is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, typically 1 to 5 percent. On a home insured for $300,000, a 5 percent deductible means you pay the first $15,000 of a wind or hail claim.
Can my insurer drop me because of my roof’s age in Florida?
Not if the roof is under 15 years old and age is the only reason. For a roof 15 years or older, the insurer must allow an inspection at your expense and may not refuse on age alone if it shows 5 or more years of useful life left.
Can a roofer pay my deductible for me?
In Texas it is illegal for a contractor to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible. A contractor who offers to may be misstating the repair cost to your insurer.
How long do I have to file a roof claim?
It depends on your policy and state. In Florida, a new claim must be reported within 1 year of the date of loss. Elsewhere, check your policy for its deadline. Report damage as soon as you find it.
Did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac change roof insurance rules in 2026?
Yes. On March 18, 2026, FHFA announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will accept actual cash value coverage on roofs for single-family homes and condos, while the rest of the house still needs replacement cost coverage.