On the coast, wind and hail is the part of a homeowners policy most likely to be missing. Send us your declarations page. A licensed Corpus Christi advisor reads it and tells you in plain words what you have, in about 20 minutes. Free, no obligation.
For homeowners in Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas counties. Give us a name and a phone number and a licensed Texas advisor takes it from there. No fee, no obligation, no prices by text.
Rather talk now? Call (361) 808-4988, Mon to Fri, 8am to 5pm.
Four assumptions that cost money at claim time.
Homeowners assume one policy handles everything a named storm can do to the house.
A TWIA policy feels like the end of the conversation for most coastal homeowners.
People remember a flat dollar deductible from an inland policy and assume it carries over.
People delay a coverage review because they expect a sales pitch at the end of it.
Send your declarations page. A licensed advisor works through all four in about 20 minutes.
Wind coverage is narrower than most people think. Here are the gaps.
TWIA caps the dwelling amount it will write. Homes above that limit need private windstorm or an excess layer, or the difference sits on the homeowner.
Older roofs are frequently settled on an actual-cash-value basis rather than replacement cost, and some carriers decline them outright. Roof age changes both what you pay and what you collect.
New construction, re-roofs and additions in the designated catastrophe area need a WPI-8 windstorm certificate to be eligible for TWIA. Missing paperwork after a completed roof job is a common and fixable problem.
Gradual deterioration, prior damage and deferred maintenance are excluded. Carriers do look at the roof’s condition before the storm, which is why documentation matters.
Wind deductibles are a percentage of your dwelling limit. On a $350,000 home, here is what each tier costs you before the policy pays.
1% windstorm deductible
2% windstorm deductible
3% windstorm deductible
5% windstorm deductible
The questions we get most, answered without the sales language.
It depends on whether wind and hail is included in your homeowners policy and whether a private windstorm market is available for your address. Some homeowners are fully covered without TWIA; others have a wind exclusion and no separate policy. That is exactly what the review answers.
A WPI-8 is the windstorm certificate of compliance issued after an inspection of new construction, a re-roof or an addition in the designated catastrophe area. TWIA requires it for eligibility on that work. If a roofing contractor never filed one, it can usually be resolved.
As a percentage of the dwelling limit, most often 1% to 5%. On a $350,000 dwelling limit that is $3,500 to $17,500 out of pocket. It is not the flat deductible people are used to from inland policies.
No. Rising water and storm surge are excluded from both. Flood is a separate policy with its own waiting period, so it has to be in place well before a storm forms.
No. When a named storm threatens the Texas coast, TWIA and private carriers suspend binding, no new policies and no increases, until the threat passes.
Nothing, and there is no obligation to change anything. If you move a policy, BenefitExcel is compensated by the carrier, never by you.
Nueces, San Patricio and Aransas counties sit inside the designated catastrophe area. Four things worth checking before hurricane season.
Sources: twia.org and the Texas Department of Insurance.
General information only, not a coverage opinion. Actual coverage, limits and eligibility are setby the policy issued and the carrier’s underwriting.
Send your declarations page. We read it, convert your deductible into dollars, and compare TWIA against the private markets open to your address. Free, no obligation.