Coverage 101 · July 10, 2026
Roof Age, Hail and Deductibles: What Actually Drives Your Texas Premium
If you want to understand a North Texas homeowners premium, look at the roof first. Almost everything else is a rounding error by comparison.
Replacement cost vs. actual cash value
Replacement cost settlement pays what it costs to put a new roof on today. Actual cash value pays that amount minus depreciation for the roof's age — which on a 15-year-old composition roof can be most of the claim.
Carriers have quietly moved a lot of Texas policies to actual cash value roof schedules. It lowers the premium, and most homeowners never notice until they file a hail claim. Check your declarations page for a roof surfacing endorsement or payment schedule.
Roof age and material
A roof under ten years old rates dramatically better than one over fifteen. Impact-resistant shingles — Class 4 — can earn a further credit with most carriers, and in a hail-prone county they often pay for themselves across two roof cycles.
If you replaced your roof recently, send us the invoice or the roof certificate. It is the fastest single change to your premium we can make.
Wind and hail deductibles
Most Texas policies now carry a separate wind/hail deductible, often 1% or 2% of the dwelling limit rather than a flat dollar amount. On a $500,000 dwelling limit, 2% is a $10,000 out-of-pocket before the policy pays anything on a hail claim.
Lowering it raises the premium; raising it lowers the premium. The right answer depends on how much cash you can put your hands on in a week, not on which quote looks cheapest.
What we look at in a coverage review
When we review an existing policy, these are the lines we read first.
- Dwelling limit vs. current rebuild cost
- Roof settlement basis — replacement cost or actual cash value
- Separate wind/hail deductible and how it is calculated
- Ordinance or law coverage for code upgrades after a loss
- Water backup and service line endorsements
- Personal liability limit and whether an umbrella belongs on top