Windstorm insurance: What is it and how does it work?
Windstorm insurance is a type of property insurance that covers your home if it’s damaged by wind or hail. This coverage can often be added to your home insurance or purchased as a separate wind-only policy.
Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
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This article has been reviewed by a licensed Policygenius expert to ensure that sources, statistics, and claims meet our standard for accurate and unbiased advice.
Homeowners insurance generally covers the cost of repairs if your home is damaged by wind or hail. However, in states that experience frequent tropical storms or tornadoes, like Florida and Texas, policies often exclude coverage for wind and hail in high-risk areas.
If that’s the case, you’ll need windstorm insurance — a special type of property insurance that specifically covers your home and belongings from wind or hail damage. Windstorm insurance is sometimes available as an add-on to your homeowners insurance, though it can also be purchased as a separate wind-only policy.
Compare windstorm insurance quotes for free and get affordable coverage today
If you live in an area prone to frequent storms, you may need to addwindstorm coverage to your homeowners insurance or purchase separatewindstorminsurance.
Windstorm insurance is most common in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, and other states where hurricanes or tornadoes are common.
If your home insurance company doesn't offer this coverage, you'll likely be able to purchase wind insurance from a specialized insurer or through your state's FAIR Plan.
What is windstorm insurance?
Windstorm insurance is a special type of property insurance that can either be added to your homeowners insurance or purchased as a separate policy.
If you live in an area where severe windstorms are common, including a state prone to hurricanes or Tornado Alley, you may find that damage caused by wind and hail is excluded from your homeowners insurance — meaning if a hurricane or tornado rips shingles off of your roof or damages your home's foundation, you won’t be covered for repairs.
To fill that gap in coverage, you’ll need to buy windstorm insurance to cover the cost of damage caused by wind and hail. Bear in mind that windstorm insurance is intended to complement your home insurance, not replace it.
What does windstorm insurance cover?
A typical windstorm insurance policy includes five types of coverage. Each type of coverage has a limit of liability, which is the maximum amount your insurer will pay out when you file a claim.
Dwelling coverage
Covers your home and any structures attached to your home, like a garage or patio. Your dwelling coverage limit should be equal to your home’s replacement cost value, or the amount it would cost to rebuild the structure from the ground up.
Other structures coverage
Covers structures on your property that aren’t attached to your home, including a detached garage, shed, or a fence. The coverage limit is typically capped out at 30% of your dwelling coverage limit.
Personal property coverage
Covers your personal belongings, including furniture, electronics, and clothing. Coverage limit can typically be as high as 70% of your policy’s dwelling coverage limit.
Loss of rent coverage
If you rent out your property as a source of income, this coverage reimburses you for loss of rent if a windstorm makes your property uninhabitable and your tenants have to relocate.
Loss of use coverage
If your home is severely damaged by a windstorm, this coverage pays out for hotel stays, restaurant meals, and other additional living expenses while your home is being rebuilt or repaired.
How do windstorm deductibles work?
When you file a claim for wind and hail damage, insurers may require you to pay a special wind/hail deductible. This is the amount you’re responsible for paying before your insurance will kick in on a wind or hail damage claim.
Wind/hail deductibles are typically percentage deductibles between 1% and 5% of your home’s dwelling coverage limit.
Here’s an example.
Say your home is insured for $500,000 and your wind/hail deductible is 3%. That means $15,000 would be subtracted from your claim payout before insurance kicks in for wind damage repairs.
Watch out for named storm or hurricane deductibles
Insurers may also charge a separate named storm or hurricane deductible either in addition to or instead of a wind/hail deductible.
Most states have rules in place that dictate what deductibles insurers are allowed to charge and the events that “trigger” them. In some states, a hurricane warning needs to be issued by the National Weather Service or National Hurricane Center in order for insurers to charge these deductibles on wind damage claims.
If you live in a coastal community in any of the following states, wind and hail may be excluded from your homeowners insurance. If that’s the case, you’ll need windstorm insurance to cover your home from coastal winds or named storms.
Yes (via a FAIR Plan if you have not been able to find private coverage)
Your mortgage lender may require windstorm insurance.
If your home insurance company excludes wind and hail coverage from your policy and you have a mortgage on your house, your lender may require you to purchase windstorm insurance to cover the cost of catastrophic damage from tornados or tropical storms. Since your mortgage lender is technically a partial owner of your home until it's paid off, they want to make sure their investment is fully protected.
Compare windstorm insurance quotes for free and get affordable coverage today
The national average cost of homeowners insurance in 2022 is $1,899, but if you live in a high-risk coastal area, you can expect to pay several hundreds of dollars more than just in windstorm insurance premiums.
In Texas, the average cost of a windstorm policy costs $1,750 a year, according to the Texas Wind Insurance Association (TWIA). [1] Keep in mind you’ll be paying this in addition to your home insurance.
You’ll also generally see higher home insurance premiums in states that experience frequent tornadoes and wind storms. Below is the average cost of home insurance in the five states that experience the most tornadoes.
During a wind mitigation inspection, a licensed inspector checks different parts of your home's structure — like its roof, windows, and doors — to determine whether its up to code and able to withstand strong tornado or hurricane-force winds.
Homeowners who pass this inspection may qualify for wind mitigation discounts or credits with their wind or home insurance provider.
How to buy windstorm insurance
You can generally buy windstorm insurance in one of three ways.
Add wind coverage as an endorsement to your homeowners insurance policy
Purchase a wind only policy through a specialized private insurer
Keep in mind that Beach Plans are usually only offered in counties specified by your state’s department of insurance. Some plans, like New York’s C-MAP, require proof that you’ve been turned down by at least three companies before they’ll insure your property — same goes for FAIR Plans in most states. [2]
However, a few coastal states offer wind coverage even if you haven’t been turned down on the voluntary market. While it’s fairly easy to qualify for windstorm insurance through state insurance programs, Beach Plans and FAIR Plans are typically more expensive than coverage through standard insurers who offer coastal home insurance policies. [3]
How to file a windstorm insurance claim
If your home is damaged by a windstorm and you have windstorm insurance, you’ll need to contact your windstorm insurance company to notify them. Below are a few things you should have on hand and steps you should take.
Contact your insurance company either over the phone or online
Know your windstorm insurance policy number
Document the damage with photos and videos
Make temporary repairs to prevent further damage
Check your home inventory and make note of which belongings were damaged or destroyed
If you need to temporarily relocate, keep any receipts so you can get reimbursed by your insurer
Once you submit the claim, your windstorm insurer typically has a deadline of when they can get back to you about whether the claim is covered or not. The TWIA has a 30 day response deadline, for example. [4]
How to reduce windstorm damage to your home
There are certain areas of your home that are more susceptible to windstorm damage than others, including your roof, windows, doors, patios, and landscaping. In order to prevent wind and debris from causing additional damage to your home, take the following steps:
Trim branches and trees
Secure outdoor furniture or anything that may act as potential debris
Install a disaster-proof garage door
Install storm shutters or put plywood over your windows and glass doors prior to a tropical storm
Install impact-resistant storm shingles on your roof
Compare windstorm insurance quotes for free and get affordable coverage today
If you live in any of the following 14 counties, your home is at considerably high risk of catastrophic wind damage from hurricanes: Aransas, Calhoun, Chambers, Galveston, Kenedy, Matagorda, Refugio, Willacy, Brazoria, Cameron, Harris, Jefferson, Kleberg, Nueces, and San Patricio. Fortunately, residents of these counties are eligible for windstorm insurance through the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA).
Is windstorm insurance included in homeowners insurance?
In most of the country, yes — a standard homeowners insurance policy includes windstorm coverage along with 15 other covered perils.
But in areas where natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes are most common, insurers will often exclude wind and hail from coverage or they'll charge a separate deductible on wind damage claims. If your home insurance doesn't cover wind or hail and your house is in a high-risk area, you'll need to buy windstorm insurance to cover your home and belongings.
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Pat Howard is a managing editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where he specializes in homeowners insurance. His work and expertise has been featured in MarketWatch, Real Simple, Fox Business, VentureBeat, This Old House, Investopedia, Fatherly, Lifehacker, Better Homes & Garden, Property Casualty 360, and elsewhere.
Kara McGinley is a senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she writes about homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.
