As of November 2026, a Texas insurer has to mail a non-renewal notice at least 60 days before the policy ends, weather claims cannot be counted toward a claims-based non-renewal, and the Texas FAIR Plan opens only after two companies that write home insurance here have declined. Flood is never part of the homeowners policy. Send me the notice and the declarations page and I will work out which of those rules applies to your home.
What a Texas non-renewal notice has to do
Under Texas Insurance Code section 551.105, an insurer that does not want to renew has to mail written notice no later than the 60th day before the policy expires. If it misses that date, it must renew at your request. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) notes the 60-day rule covers policies bought or renewed in 2024 or later; older policies had 30 days. If you ask, the company must give you the reason in writing.
Cancellation in the middle of the term is narrower. Section 551.104 allows it for unpaid premium, a fraudulent claim, a TDI finding that keeping the policy would break the law, or an increase in hazard that is within your control, and it cannot take effect before the tenth day after the notice is mailed. A homeowners policy less than 60 days old can also be cancelled for a condition that was not disclosed on the application, or when the company did not accept a required inspection report. More detail is on my page about Texas non-renewal rules.
Claims history: what counts and what does not
Section 551.107 is the rule most Houston owners have not heard of. A company may refuse to renew a homeowners policy for claims only when three or more were filed in a three-year period, and only if it warned you in writing after the second one. Three kinds of claims are left out of that count:
- Natural causesHurricane, hail, wind, freeze and other weather losses.
- Unpaid claimsClaims filed but not paid or payable under the policy.
- Certain appliance leaksAppliance-related water claims the Code bars insurers from using.
A call to ask whether something is covered is a customer inquiry, and section 551.113 bars a company from using it to decline, cancel or non-renew. What the law does not stop: a company may still non-renew because the house is in poor condition, because it has been vacant 60 days or more, or because it has decided to write less in your area. TDI says companies usually allow at least six months for repairs before non-renewing for condition. A new company will also read the seven-year claims report on you and on the house.
Roofs and the wind and hail deductible
Two lines on the declarations page decide what a storm claim pays. The first is the deductible. TDI says the wind and hail deductible is often higher than the one for other losses, and it is usually a percentage of the amount the house is insured for, taken from each claim, not once a year. The Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC) tells shoppers to ask whether a policy carries a higher deductible for hurricanes and tropical storms; the trigger is whatever the policy wording says, so I read it before I quote it.
The second is how the roof is paid. OPIC warns that even a replacement cost policy may pay the roof at actual cash value, and TDI says many policies reduce roof coverage by age and material. In TDI's own example, a twenty-year-old roof on an actual cash value policy with a two percent deductible is paid nothing. TDI also says a company might not replace the whole roof when new shingles do not match the old. My Texas roof page walks through the arithmetic. One more local rule: a contractor who offers to waive or absorb your deductible is breaking Texas law.
The storms in every Houston underwriting file
Harvey, August 2017. The National Hurricane Center measured 36 to 48 inches of rain across the Houston metro area, and nine of the nineteen official river gauges in Harris County reached all-time high stages. Its report says most residential flood claims came from outside the 500-year floodplain. TDI's summary is shorter: more than half of the homes Harvey flooded were outside designated flood zones.
The derecho, May 16, 2024. The National Weather Service office in Houston recorded a swath of winds above 100 mph through the metro area, with a couple of tornadoes.
Beryl, July 8, 2024. A Category 1 landfall near Matagorda; the center then passed over the western side of the metro area, with hurricane-force gusts inland across and north of Houston.
The freeze, February 2021. The city fell to 13 degrees, and the Weather Service lists broken pipes and power loss among the effects.
Wind, hail and burst pipes are homeowners claims. Rising water is not. Flood is a separate policy, from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer, and TDI notes most flood policies have a 30-day wait. How flood coverage works.
East of Highway 146, wind is its own policy
Most of Harris County gets wind and hail coverage inside the homeowners policy. The exception is the part of the county on Galveston Bay. The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) territory is the fourteen first-tier coastal counties plus the parts of Harris County east of Highway 146. On that bayside strip, a homeowners policy may exclude wind and hail, and the owner carries three policies: home, windstorm and flood.
TWIA requires one declination from an insurer writing wind coverage in the area and a certificate of compliance showing the home was built or repaired to the windstorm code, and it will not issue a new policy while a hurricane is in the Gulf. See how TWIA works.
When two companies say no: the Texas FAIR Plan
The Texas FAIR Plan Association is the state's insurer of last resort for homes, and it is not automatic. You need declinations from at least two insurers that are authorized in Texas and actually writing home insurance, and you are not eligible if you still hold a policy, a renewal offer, or a valid offer of comparable coverage from an admitted company. Applications go through an agent only, and the Plan asks policyholders to reapply to the regular market every two years.
It also underwrites. A home in disrepair or with unrepaired damage, a vacant house, or an owner with more than eight paid claims in three years can be turned down. The coverage is thinner than a standard policy: the dwelling is insured at actual cash value unless a replacement cost endorsement is added, the dwelling limit stops at one million, and the Plan lists perils it does not cover, among them falling trees, freezing of plumbing, sewer backup, and sudden water discharge unless a limited endorsement is bought. East of Highway 146 it excludes wind and hail by law. Before going there I check surplus lines insurers, which Texas allows once admitted companies have been tried. More on the Texas FAIR Plan.
What to send me
The non-renewal or cancellation notice with its date, the current declarations page, the roof's age and material with any replacement invoice, a list of claims in the last five years and whether each was weather, whether the house has ever flooded, your flood zone or elevation certificate if you have one, and the date coverage must start. If a company has already declined you in writing, send that too; it counts toward FAIR Plan eligibility.
Common questions
Why was my home insurance non-renewed in Houston?
The usual reasons are roof age or condition, non-weather claims, vacancy, or a company cutting back in Harris County. Texas law lets you ask for the reason in writing, and the company has to give it.
Can a Texas insurer drop me for hurricane or hail claims?
Not on claim count. Section 551.107 leaves claims from natural causes out of the three-claims rule, though a company can still non-renew for the roof's condition or because it is reducing what it writes in the area.
How much notice does a Texas insurer have to give before non-renewal?
At least 60 days before the policy expires, for policies bought or renewed in 2024 or later. Mid-term cancellation takes ten days' notice and is allowed only for the reasons the Insurance Code lists.
Who insures a Houston home with an old roof?
Some admitted companies will, usually with the roof paid at actual cash value; surplus lines insurers take many of the rest. The Texas FAIR Plan is available after two declinations, if the roof has no unrepaired damage.
Does my Houston homeowners policy cover flooding?
No. Flood is a separate policy from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer, and most have a 30-day waiting period, so it cannot be bought as a storm approaches.
Do I need a separate windstorm policy in Harris County?
Only in the part of the county east of Highway 146 on Galveston Bay, where homeowners policies may exclude wind and hail and TWIA is the market of last resort. In the rest of the county wind and hail are normally inside the home policy, under their own deductible.
Where can I compare Texas home policies or complain about an insurer?
HelpInsure.com, run by TDI and OPIC, shows sample rates and coverage from Texas insurers. Complaints about a company, agent or adjuster go to TDI's Help Line at 800-252-3439.
General information about home insurance in Houston and Harris County as of November 2026, not legal advice. Notice periods and claims rules are in Texas Insurance Code chapter 551; TWIA and Texas FAIR Plan eligibility are set by the Legislature and each association and change. Your policy wording controls deductibles and roof settlement. Check your flood zone with FEMA or the Harris County Flood Control District. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.