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Roof Claims in 2026: Why Insurers Now Pay Only Part of an Older Roof

A worn wooden shingle roof with loose shingles, with a sticky note reading “ACV?”.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

Say a hailstorm wrecks a 12-year-old shingle roof. The roofer's bid for a new one comes to $21,000. The insurance check is $6,600. Nothing was denied, either: the claim was paid exactly the way the policy says. At some renewal in the last few years, the roof section of that policy quietly changed. You can find out tonight which version you've got, without calling anybody.

Check your own policy in 15 minutes

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By Ray Castellano · Updated Sep 29, 2026 · Reviewed against Texas Department of Insurance, NAIC, FHFA, Fannie Mae Selling Guide, Insurance Information Institute, HomeAdvisor cost data

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Roofs are where the claims are. In a given year, about one insured home in 35 has a wind or hail claim. When an insurer can't raise rates fast enough, paying less per roof is the other lever it has.

That lever got easier to pull this year. In March, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said they'll accept actual cash value coverage on roofs, so your mortgage no longer stands in the way. The change usually shows up as an add-on page at renewal, under a name like "Roof Surfacing Payment Schedule." And the roof age that triggers it depends on the company, the material and the state.

Replace early, or wait? See how to decide

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Before you sign with a roofer

Storm damage or just an old roof, the contract is where a lot of money changes hands fast, so a few things are worth sorting out first.

  1. More than one bid. Get at least three in writing, from licensed and insured local contractors, because a bid that shows only a total doesn't tell you much.
  2. What's actually in it. Anyone can write a total. A solid bid also names the material and its rating, and lists tear-off and disposal, underlayment, flashing and ventilation, with the permit and the warranty at the bottom, so when something's missing, call and ask why.
  3. Claims experience. It's fair to ask whether the roofer has handled insurance claims before and will meet the adjuster on site.
  4. Offers to cover your deductible. In Texas it's illegal for a contractor to offer to waive, rebate or absorb it, and rules elsewhere vary. Read anything a door-to-door roofer asks you to sign after a storm, since some of those papers hand your insurance rights to the contractor.
  5. How you pay. Whatever method you use should leave a trail you can trace, and the full amount shouldn't change hands up front.

A good bid tells you what the roof costs. How much of that would your own policy pay, before a storm or after one? That's the math the article walks you through.

See what to do after the storm

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