Texas law gives you at least 60 days' written notice of a non-renewal and a written reason. Hail and ice claims are weather claims and do not count toward the three-claim rule, but roof condition does matter. Flood is a separate policy. If two insurers turn the home down, the Texas FAIR Plan Association is the last resort, and I check surplus lines insurers before it.
What Texas law gives you when the letter arrives
Under Texas Insurance Code section 551.105, an insurer that does not mail written notice of non-renewal by the 60th day before the policy expires must renew the policy if you ask. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says the 60-day rule applies to policies bought or renewed in 2024 or later, and that for a decline, cancellation or non-renewal after January 1, 2026 the company must give you a written statement of why.
A mid-term cancellation is a different thing, and the statute limits it to a short list: unpaid premium, a fraudulent claim, a violation of law, or an increase in hazard within your control. A homeowners policy less than 60 days old can also be cancelled for an undisclosed condition or a rejected inspection report. Cancellation takes effect no sooner than the 10th day after the notice is mailed.
TDI lists the reasons a company may decline to renew: the house is in worse condition, three or more non-weather claims in three years, a vacancy of 60 days or more, or the company has decided to limit what it sells in your area. The last one needs no fault on your part. More detail is on my page about Texas non-renewal rules.
Hail, the roof and the deductible
On the evening of September 24, 2023, a supercell dropped hail along Interstate 35 from Georgetown to the north side of Austin. The National Weather Service reported stones up to four inches across in Round Rock and recorded damage to roofs, vehicles and windows over a built-up area. If your home is in Williamson County or north Austin, an underwriter will ask whether the roof was replaced after that night.
- Replacement cost or actual cash valueTDI warns that as roofs age some companies switch the roof to actual cash value at renewal, and that a roof in poor condition may not be covered at all. Read the renewal for that change.
- Wind and hail deductibleThe Office of Public Insurance Counsel explains that a percentage deductible is figured on the amount of insurance on the home, not on the size of the claim, and that the wind and hail deductible is the broadest of the storm deductibles.
- Cosmetic damageSince 1998 Texas has allowed an optional endorsement that excludes cosmetic hail damage on roof coverings that earn a premium credit for meeting the U.L. 2218 impact standard. The 1998 bulletin adopted it alongside credits for metal roofs.
- Roof discountsTDI says companies often discount roofs made of impact-resistant or fire-resistant materials, and newer roofs.
I compare those four items side by side, because two quotes with the same premium can leave you with very different checks after a hailstorm. My page on Texas roof coverage and hail deductibles goes further.
Two winter storms since 2021
TDI counted 31,885 reported insurance claims in Travis County from the February 2021 winter storm, the fifth-highest county in its report. Then, from January 30 to February 2, 2023, freezing rain left half an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice across parts of the Hill Country and the Austin metro area; the National Weather Service reported fallen trees and more than 200,000 customers without power by the morning of February 1, a large share of them in greater Austin.
For underwriting, the questions that follow are plain: what kind of supply piping the house has, whether lines in the attic or exterior walls were insulated or rerouted after 2021, and what trees hang over the roof. Answers and photos go in the file I send, so the home is not priced as if nothing had been done.
Near the greenbelts: the wildland-urban interface
Austin was the first major city in Texas to adopt the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code. The city adopted it in April 2020, effective January 1, 2021, and a revised 2024 edition applies to projects started on or after July 10, 2025. Under the updated code more than half of Austin falls into one of three proximity zones: Zone A for structures within 50 feet of wildland, Zone B from 50 to 150 feet, and Zone C for structures farther out but within a mile and a half of 750 acres or more of wildland, or half a mile of 40 acres or more.
The code is not retroactive. Austin Fire says existing buildings do not have to be changed unless a code official finds a serious safety hazard, and the code does not apply to properties wholly in the extraterritorial jurisdiction. So an older home backing to a greenbelt may sit in Zone A with a wood fence and open vents, perfectly legal, and still be declined on a wildfire score. When that is the reason on the notice, I ask what work would change the answer and put the roof class, vents, fence and cleared space in the file.
Creeks, and why flood is its own policy
Austin Watershed Protection says the city sits in the heart of Flash Flood Alley and that more than 7,000 buildings and 400 roads are prone to flooding in a 100-year flood. On October 30 and 31, 2013, six to ten inches of rain fell on central Travis County, and the city later determined that 394 homes in the Onion Creek area were substantially damaged, meaning repairs would cost half or more of the building's pre-flood value. By the middle of 2014 the city had bought 87 of them. Flash flooding returned to Travis and Williamson counties on Memorial Day 2015 and along the Interstate 35 corridor on October 30, 2015.
None of that is covered by a homeowners policy. TDI's home insurance guide says most home policies do not cover flood damage, that flood coverage comes from the National Flood Insurance Program or from an insurer that sells it, and that most flood policies have a 30-day waiting period. I quote flood insurance with the home policy, not after the forecast turns.
If nobody will write it: the Texas FAIR Plan
The Texas FAIR Plan Association is the state's insurer of last resort for homes. To qualify, you must have been declined by at least two insurers that are writing residential property coverage in Texas, and you cannot hold a current policy, a renewal offer or a valid offer of comparable coverage from a Texas-admitted company. TDI's overview adds that an offer from a surplus lines insurer does not count against you. You can only apply through an agent, and every two years you must reapply to the regular market.
The Plan still underwrites. Its own site lists homes in disrepair or with existing damage, vacant homes, and applicants with more than eight paid claims in three years among those it can refuse. Coverage is narrower than a standard policy and is paid on an actual cash value basis unless the homeowners form is endorsed for replacement cost. For that reason I try admitted insurers first, then surplus lines, and use the Plan when both say no. The longer explanation is on the Texas FAIR Plan page.
What I need to quote
The address, the non-renewal or renewal notice, and the current declarations page are enough to begin. Then: roof material and the year it was installed, any hail claim and whether the roof was replaced, plumbing type and what was done after the 2021 freeze, the distance to wildland or a creek if you know it, and the date coverage must start. If the home is held in a trust or an LLC, tell me how the title reads.
Common questions
Who insures a home in Austin after a non-renewal?
Other admitted insurers first, then surplus lines insurers, then the Texas FAIR Plan Association if at least two companies have declined the home. Which one fits depends on the roof, the claims history and the wildfire and flood exposure of the lot.
How much notice does my insurer have to give before non-renewing in Texas?
Written notice must be mailed by the 60th day before the policy expires, under Insurance Code section 551.105. If it is late, the insurer must renew the policy at your request.
Can my insurer drop me for filing a hail claim in Austin?
Not under the three-claim rule: section 551.107 does not count losses from natural causes. An insurer can still decline to renew because of the roof's condition or because it is limiting business in the area.
Why did my home insurance go up in Travis County?
TDI says companies weigh where you live, your claims history and the home's age, condition and replacement cost, and Travis County has had the February 2021 freeze, the 2023 ice storm and the September 2023 hailstorm. Ask for the written reason and check whether the roof or the deductible terms changed at renewal.
Does my Austin homeowners policy cover flooding from Onion Creek?
No. Flood needs a separate policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood insurer, and most have a 30-day waiting period.
Does Austin's wildland-urban interface code require me to change my existing house?
No. The city says existing buildings do not have to be changed unless a code official finds a serious safety hazard; the code applies to new construction and development.
Where do I complain if I think the non-renewal was unfair?
To the Texas Department of Insurance, which takes complaints against companies, agents and adjusters and runs a help line. TDI and the Office of Public Insurance Counsel also run HelpInsure.com for comparing home policies.
General information about home insurance in Austin and Travis and Williamson counties as of November 2026, not legal advice. Texas Insurance Code sections, TDI guidance, Texas FAIR Plan eligibility, the city's wildland-urban interface code and flood maps change; your policy wording controls what is covered. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.