Texas Home Insurance

No. Standard homeowners policies in Texas do not cover flooding from any external source — not heavy rain, overflowing rivers, storm surge, or surface water runoff. Flood damage requires a separate flood insurance policy, typically through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood carrier. This exclusion applies regardless of where you live in Texas, and it has produced significant uninsured losses after major weather events including Hurricane Harvey and other flood-producing storms. If your home is in a flood-prone area, flood insurance is worth discussing before the next storm season.

Many Texas homeowners policies include a separate wind and hail deductible — distinct from your standard all-peril deductible — that applies specifically to damage caused by wind or hail. Rather than a flat dollar amount, this deductible is typically expressed as a percentage of your dwelling coverage value, commonly 1% to 5%. On a home with $400,000 in dwelling coverage and a 2% wind and hail deductible, you would pay $8,000 out of pocket before coverage applies to a wind or hail claim. This structure is standard practice in Texas due to the state’s high frequency of storm-related claims, and it’s one of the most important deductible details to understand before a storm season.

Your dwelling coverage should reflect the current cost to rebuild your home from the ground up — not its market value, tax-assessed value, or the price you paid for it. These numbers often diverge significantly, especially in markets where land values have increased or where construction costs have risen faster than home prices. Rebuild cost depends on your home’s size, construction type, finishes, and current local labor and material costs. Many policies include an inflation guard feature that adjusts limits annually, but it may not keep pace with sharp construction cost increases. Reviewing your dwelling limit every few years — and after any significant renovation — helps ensure the number still reflects your actual exposure.

Standard homeowners policies exclude damage caused by settling, shifting, cracking, or earth movement — which includes most foundation issues in Texas. Foundation problems driven by the state’s expansive clay soils, drought cycles, or gradual movement over time fall outside the scope of a standard policy. If a covered event — like a plumbing leak beneath the slab — directly causes foundation damage, that specific scenario may be covered depending on policy language. Foundation repair and maintenance are generally the homeowner’s responsibility, and this exclusion is worth understanding clearly, particularly in areas of Central Texas and the DFW Metroplex where foundation movement is common.

Texas home insurance premiums are influenced by a range of factors: your home’s age, construction type, roof condition and age, location relative to fire stations and water sources, proximity to flood zones, your claims history, credit-based insurance score, and the coverage limits and deductibles you choose. Texas homeowners generally pay among the highest premiums in the country, driven largely by the state’s severe weather exposure. Deductible choices — particularly the wind and hail deductible — can have a significant impact on premium. Working with an independent agent who can compare multiple carriers is often the most effective way to find coverage that balances cost with actual protection.

Yes. We work with multiple carriers, which means we can compare coverage and pricing across different options rather than steering you toward a single company. Texas home insurance can vary significantly between carriers — in what’s covered, how claims are settled, what deductibles apply, and how policies are priced for your specific property. Our goal is coverage that genuinely fits your home and situation, not just the least expensive number. We’ll walk through the differences and help you make a decision that holds up when it actually matters.