What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover in North Texas?

North Texas · Hail is a deductible, not a free repair

An HO-3 covers the dwelling on an open-peril basis and the contents on named perils. Flood is excluded either way.

In Dallas–Fort Worth the loss people actually file is usually hail or wind. Coverage A is the cost to rebuild the house, not the sale price, and the land is not insured. A lender’s minimum protects the loan. It does not guarantee a full rebuild. Many HO-3 forms pay replacement cost on the dwelling only if it is insured to about 80 percent of rebuild cost. If the rebuild is $400,000, 80 percent is $320,000. Carry $240,000 and an $80,000 repair pays ($240,000 / $320,000) times $80,000, which is $60,000, before the deductible. That is example math. Forms differ.

A hail deductible is often a percent of Coverage A, not a flat $1,000. Two percent of a $450,000 dwelling is $9,000. That is an example, not a quote, and a new roof does not shrink the percent. Cosmetic hail can be excluded. The carrier does not have to match undamaged slopes unless the form says so. Coverage B, other structures, often starts at 10 percent of Coverage A. An attached garage is still Coverage A. Contents are Coverage C, usually named perils, and often actual cash value unless you added replacement cost. A tree on the house is debris removal, not a new tree. A yard-only tree is a small additional coverage with a cap printed in the form. Sudden water damage from a burst may be covered. The worn-out part often is not. A slow leak usually is not. Flood, including water that comes in from outside, is not a homeowners peril. Buy a flood policy if you want that.

The state version of this page: what Texas homeowners covers, the hub Texas homeowners, and the coverage pieces. Weather: hail season and hail on the house and the car. Fort Worth shopping, without a ranking: Fort Worth home insurance. The product page: Texas homeowners insurance.

Read Coverage A and the hail deductible in dollars before you compare premiums. Ask an agent or get a home quote.