Is Wind Damage to a Roof Covered by Insurance?

Updated 2026-10-24 · Sources checked

"Now my insurance company is claiming they will not cover due to the roofs age even though there is hail/wind damage."

A homeowner who started a thread on r/Insurance wrote that.

Homeowners policies typically cover roof damage from a covered peril, such as wind¹, but your own policy and its deductible have the final word. What decides a wind claim is whether the damage looks like wind or like age and wear. Photos, a repair estimate and a few questions help you find out which one you have before you file.

Quick answer:

Photograph the damage from the ground, with the date, before any repair, and in Texas, keep damaged items until your adjuster, the inspector your insurer sends, has seen them².
Check your deductible: wind and hail deductibles can be set as a percentage, typically from 1 to 5 percent³.
Get a repair estimate to compare with that deductible.
Keep any fix temporary and keep the receipts: in Texas, your insurance company might deny your claim if you make permanent repairs before it sees the damage⁴.

On this page

How do I tell wind damage from wear and tear?
Will the wind deductible eat the claim?
The order to follow after a windstorm
While you wait: safe steps from the ground
What to get in writing
Checklist before you call
Quick questions

You can do all of this before anyone decides anything about your roof.

How do I tell wind damage from wear and tear?

Look at what the shingles are doing, because age alone does not settle it. In Texas, an insurer won't pay for a new roof just because it's old or worn out⁵, and that line is about age alone, not about damage. One commenter on r/Insurance put the other side: "Even if the roof is in poor condition, wind damage can still happen to it."

Another commenter, in a roofing thread, asked: "So it can’t be wind damage if the shingles are still on the roof?" A lifted shingle is still on the roof. Wind can lift unsealed shingles, and water can seep underneath⁶. Curl is different: tab edges on asphalt shingles may peel up and curl with time⁷, so curl can be an age sign and not only a storm sign.

From the ground, look for:

Shingles in the yard, or bare spots on the roof.
Shingles that look lifted rather than flat.
Curled edges, which may point to age rather than wind.

If the insurer is denying it's wind damage and calling it wear, ask which shingles they mean and why. The message further down does that.

Will the wind deductible eat the claim?

It can, on a small repair. Your deductible is the part of a loss you pay yourself before the insurer pays anything. In Texas, one example: on a $150,000 home a 5 percent deductible is $7,500, so $6,500 of roof repairs would get no payment⁸. Your numbers will differ.

Also in Texas, if repairs cost about the same or less than your deductible, filing may not be worth it⁹. If you doubt the damage is above your deductible, a written estimate from a roofer you choose helps you decide. Ask your agent whether the deductible for wind and hail damage is different⁵ from the one for other damage, and, if hurricanes hit where you live, whether there is a separate hurricane deductible. On an older roof, also ask whether the policy pays at replacement cost or at actual cash value, where depreciation is factored into your final payout¹. In Texas, as roofs age, some companies will switch to actual cash value⁵.

Why might the first check come in below the roofer's price? Is roof depreciation recoverable.

The order to follow after a windstorm

Stay safe and document. Take photos or video, with the date, and list the damage before any temporary fix. In Texas, make only temporary repairs to protect your house and belongings², and keep the receipts.
Prepare. Find your deductible and get a written estimate to compare with it.
Make the first contact. Contact your insurance company or a roofer you choose, not one who shows up uninvited¹⁰. If you call the insurer, have these questions ready: Am I covered? How long do I have to file a claim? Will my claim exceed my deductible?¹¹.
Let the adjuster see the damage. In Texas, don't make permanent repairs until your insurance company sees the damage².

In North Carolina, be suspicious of contractors who show up unsolicited, often after storms¹⁰. Whoever comes out, ask for a photo of every problem they point to.

Thinking of having a roofer document the damage before you decide on a claim? Is a free storm inspection safe to accept.

While you wait: safe steps from the ground

In Texas, a temporary cover can be a tarp on your roof². Have a roofer you choose put it on, because damage assessment and repairs should be done by a professional roofing contractor¹², so you don't go up yourself.
If the roofer can't come today, keep catching any water inside and keep damaged items until your adjuster has seen them².

What to get in writing

Ask any roofer for a written estimate that lists each repair and its price. If a roofer pushes you to sign today or won't put the price in writing, that is an answer too: weigh it against the roofers who do.

If your insurer says wind did not cause the damage and calls it wear, ask in writing. You can send this:

Please tell me in writing what you found on my roof and whether you consider any of it wear rather than wind damage. Please also say which repair or inspection you would accept, who does it, and by when.

If the insurer still calls it wear, what are your options? How roof insurance adjusters work and how to disagree.

Checklist before you call

Your photos, video and the damage list.
Your deductible figure, and whether the wind and hail one differs.
One written estimate from a roofer you chose.
Your list of questions.

Quick questions

What is the 25% rule for roofing?

It is a Florida building-code rule. It covers roofs built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or later¹³. In Florida, when 25 percent or more of it is being repaired, replaced or recovered, only that portion¹³ must meet the code in effect. Ask your roofer how it applies to your roof.

How long do I have to file a wind damage claim?

Ask your insurer, because it depends on the policy. In Texas, some policies have a one-year deadline unless you can show good cause for the delay⁴.

Can a question to my insurer go on my record?

In Tennessee, insurers report to the CLUE claims database not only claims they pay but also files they set up for a possible claim¹⁴. If you only want to ask about coverage or your deductible, say that is all you are asking.