Tennessee law requires 30 days' notice before a homeowners policy is not renewed, and you can demand the reason in writing. There is no Tennessee FAIR Plan: after the standard insurers, the next stop is the surplus lines market. Tornado and hail are covered perils, subject to the policy's wind and hail deductible. Flood, earthquake and sinkhole are not in a standard policy and are bought separately.
What Tennessee law gives you when the letter arrives
Under Tennessee Code section 56-7-1901, an insurer that does not intend to renew a personal risk policy, which includes homeowners, must mail or deliver notice to the named insured at least 30 days before the policy expires. Thirty days is short when a mortgage requires continuous coverage, so I treat the date on the letter as the start of the clock.
Section 56-7-1902 covers the reason. If the notice does not state one, it must tell you that you can ask. Send a written request no later than 15 days after the non-renewal takes effect, and the insurer has 20 days to mail you a written reason. Ask early; the reason tells me what the next underwriter will want fixed or explained.
Many Nashville non-renewals now start with a photograph of the roof taken from the air. In Bulletin 25-03, dated April 2, 2026, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance told insurers that aerial imagery which does not accurately show a roof's condition is not, standing alone, enough to say the roof must be replaced. The bulletin says insurers should let the homeowner supply updated information or dispute the image, and that they are expected to give a reasonable amount of time for repairs before a non-renewal or cancellation. If you file a complaint, you and the department are entitled to see the evidence the insurer relied on.
Complaints go to the department's Consumer Insurance Services section, at 615-741-2218 or 1-800-342-4029; the policy must have been written in Tennessee. My page of Tennessee homeowners insurance questions has more on claims.
Tennessee has no FAIR Plan
Most states that people compare Tennessee with have a FAIR Plan or a wind pool that must take a home nobody else will. Tennessee does not. The Property Insurance Plans Service Office, the national body the FAIR and beach plans support, lists its member plans state by state, and as of November 2026 there is no Tennessee plan on the list. So the order here is shorter than in other states:
- Standard insurers. The reason one company non-renews, such as roof age, a second claim or a pullback from a ZIP code, is often not a reason for another. I shop these first.
- Surplus lines insurers. These write homes the standard market turns down, on their own forms and terms. Read the wind and hail deductible, the roof settlement terms and the water damage limits before you accept one.
With no plan underneath, the practical job is to remove the reason for the decline: a roof replaced or documented, a prior claim explained with repair invoices, wiring or plumbing updated.
Tornadoes, hail and what follows them
The National Weather Service office in Nashville surveyed an EF-3 tornado on March 3, 2020 that stayed on the ground for just over 60 miles. It crossed North Nashville and Germantown, did EF-3 damage at Five Points in East Nashville and EF-2 damage to homes in Lockeland Springs, leveled several homes in the Stanford Estates area of Donelson, and went on through Hermitage into Mount Juliet. The same storm system dropped hail up to baseball size in parts of the state. On December 9, 2023, an EF-2 tornado touched down in north Nashville and tracked through Madison, Hendersonville and Gallatin, damaging dozens of homes along the way.
After the 2020 storm the department told insurers that cancellations and non-renewals for unpaid premium were suspended for up to 60 days from the date of loss in Davidson, Wilson and six other counties, under the Governor's executive order. After the 2023 tornadoes its bulletin asked insurers to hold off the same way for at least 60 days and to refrain from canceling or non-renewing policies solely because of claims from those tornadoes. That second bulletin was a request, not a statute, and it does not stop an insurer from re-rating a roof at a later renewal.
The department's own consumer page lists what moves a Tennessee premium: the home's age, its construction, its wiring and its roof, exposure to tornadoes, hail and earthquakes, credit history, and prior claims, which it says have a big effect. Wind and hail deductibles are set by the policy, so check the declarations page for whether yours is a flat amount or a percentage of the dwelling limit, and whether the roof is paid at replacement cost or actual cash value.
Flood is a separate policy
On May 1 and 2, 2010, the airport recorded 13.57 inches of rain in two days, about twice the previous two-day record. The Cumberland River at Nashville crested at 52.55 feet on May 3, Mill Creek at Woodbine set a record crest, and the Harpeth River reached record levels at three locations. The Weather Service counted 18 deaths in Middle Tennessee.
In a May 2024 release with the state's emergency management agency, the department said plainly that a traditional homeowners policy will not cover the cost of flood repairs, and that more than 40 percent of National Flood Insurance Program claims come from outside high-risk areas. It also noted that a few Tennessee communities do not take part in the program, and pointed owners there to private flood insurance. See flood insurance and the Tennessee flood guide.
Earthquake and sinkhole cover
The department's February 2026 earthquake notice says Tennessee has two seismic zones, the New Madrid zone in the west and the East Tennessee zone in the east, and that traditional homeowners policies do not cover earthquake damage. Nashville sits between the two. Earthquake cover is bought separately through an agent, and the department says its deductible is usually 10 to 20 percent of the coverage limit, sometimes with separate deductibles for the house, the contents and outside structures.
Sinkhole is handled by statute. Tennessee Code section 56-7-130 requires every insurer offering homeowner property insurance in the state to make sinkhole loss coverage available, including for contents. It is optional, the insurer may inspect first and may charge for it, and the department's position is that it must be available whenever the policyholder asks, not only when the policy is first written. You have to ask; it is not added automatically.
What I need to quote
The address, year built and square footage; the roof material and the year it was last replaced; updates to wiring, plumbing and heating; any claims in the last five years, with repair invoices for storm claims; the current declarations page; and the non-renewal notice with its date and any reason given. If the insurer cited a photograph of the roof, send that as well.
Common questions
Who insures a home in Nashville after a non-renewal?
Standard insurers first, because one company's reason is often not another's, and then surplus lines insurers. Tennessee has no FAIR Plan behind them, so fixing the cause of the decline matters more here.
How much notice does a Tennessee insurer have to give before non-renewing my homeowners policy?
At least 30 days before the policy expires, under Tennessee Code section 56-7-1901. If the notice gives no reason, you can request one in writing and the insurer has 20 days to answer.
Does Tennessee have a FAIR Plan for homeowners?
No. As of November 2026 there is no Tennessee plan among the state FAIR and beach plans listed by the Property Insurance Plans Service Office.
Can my insurer non-renew me over a drone or satellite photo of my roof?
The department's April 2026 bulletin says an inaccurate aerial image is not enough on its own to require a roof replacement, and that you should be allowed to dispute it and be given reasonable time for repairs.
Does homeowners insurance in Nashville cover flood?
No. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance says a traditional homeowners policy will not pay for flood repairs; that takes a separate NFIP or private flood policy.
Do I need earthquake insurance in Nashville?
It is not in a standard policy and is bought separately. Nashville lies between the state's two seismic zones, and the deductible is usually 10 to 20 percent of the limit, so it is a judgment about your own risk.
Is sinkhole damage covered in Tennessee?
Only if you asked for it. State law requires homeowners insurers to make sinkhole coverage available on request, but it is optional and may carry an extra charge and an inspection.
General information about home insurance in Nashville and Middle Tennessee as of November 2026, not legal advice. Statute summaries were read from a published copy of the Tennessee Code and department bulletins; insurer appetite and department guidance change. Read your own notice and policy, and confirm deadlines with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.