The letter arrives and it’s two paragraphs. Wear and tear. Pre-existing condition. Damage does not exceed your deductible. Maybe “no covered peril identified.”
Most people read that as the end of it. It usually isn’t. Denials get reversed in this market with some regularity, and the reason is rarely that the homeowner argued harder — it’s that somebody produced evidence the first inspection didn’t have.
Here’s the actual sequence, in the order it works.
1. Read the denial for what it actually says
The wording tells you which fight you’re in, and they’re different fights.
- “Wear and tear” or “age-related deterioration” — the carrier is saying nothing sudden happened. This is the most common roof denial and the most reversible, because it’s an opinion about cause that photographic evidence can contradict.
- “Damage does not exceed your deductible” — they agree a storm hit, they disagree about how much. This is a scope argument, not a coverage argument, and scope arguments are the easiest to win.
- “Cosmetic damage exclusion” — common on metal roofs. Dents that don’t affect function may genuinely not be covered under your policy.
- “Late notice” — you reported it too long after the storm. Harder, and it gets harder every month you wait.
Whatever it says, you’re entitled to the adjuster’s full report and photos. Ask for them in writing. A surprising number of denials rest on four blurry photos of one slope.
2. Get your own documented inspection
This is the step that actually moves denials, and it’s the one most homeowners skip.
An adjuster walking a roof for twenty minutes produces an opinion. Measured slope areas, dated annotated photos of individual impacts, and an accurate diagram produce a record. When those two disagree, the record tends to win — not because anyone is being adversarial, but because a reinspection needs something specific to look at.
We fly it with an EagleView-certified drone and hand you a written PDF within 24 hours. Free, and yours to use however you want, including with a different roofer.
And if our report agrees with the carrier, we’ll tell you that. Sometimes the denial is correct. Knowing that quickly is worth something too.
3. Request a reinspection
Call the claims line, reference your claim number, and ask for a reinspection based on new documentation. Send the report. Ask that your contractor be present when the adjuster comes back out.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Somebody who can point at a specific impact and explain why it’s a bruise rather than a blemish changes the conversation from opinion versus opinion into a walk-through of evidence.
A lot of claims end here, quietly, with a revised estimate.
4. Invoke appraisal
If the reinspection doesn’t move it, look for the appraisal clause in your policy. Nearly every Texas homeowners policy has one, and most homeowners have never read it.
It works like this: you hire an appraiser, the carrier hires theirs, the two of them select a neutral umpire. Any two of the three agreeing sets the amount, and it binds both sides.
Two things to understand before you invoke it. Appraisal decides the amount of loss, not whether the loss is covered — so it’s the right tool for a scope fight and the wrong one for a flat coverage denial. And you pay your own appraiser plus half the umpire, so it makes sense on a five-figure disagreement and not on a small one.
5. File a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance
Free, takes about fifteen minutes, at tdi.texas.gov. TDI can’t order a carrier to pay, but the complaint goes on record and carriers do respond to them. It’s most useful where the problem is process — nobody returning calls, deadlines blown, an adjuster who never showed.
Which brings up the deadlines. Under Texas’s prompt-payment rules, a carrier generally has 15 days to acknowledge a claim and begin investigating, 15 business days after receiving everything they asked for to accept or reject in writing, and 5 business days after accepting to pay. Missing those carries interest penalties. Keep a dated log of every call and email — it’s boring and it’s exactly what makes a complaint land.
6. Talk to an attorney
Worth doing when the number is large and the carrier won’t move. Texas generally allows two years from the date of loss to file suit, and for weather claims there’s a required written notice period before you can file — which means “I’ll deal with it later” quietly runs out the clock.
We’re roofers, not lawyers, and we don’t take referral fees from any of them. Ask around, and ask what they charge.
What not to do
Don’t let anyone sign for you. A contractor who wants to “handle the whole claim” and asks you to sign an assignment of benefits is asking to control your money. Read anything before you sign it.
Don’t accept a deductible waiver. If a roofer offers to eat, waive, or absorb your deductible, that’s insurance fraud in Texas — a crime for them and a problem for you. It also tends to come from the crews that won’t be here when the warranty matters.
Don’t wait. Every month between the storm and the fight makes “how do we know this wasn’t the next storm” a better argument for the carrier.
Common questions
Can I just refile the claim?
Generally you reopen or supplement the existing claim rather than filing a new one for the same storm. A second claim for the same date of loss usually gets merged, and it can look like you’re claiming twice.
Will fighting a denial raise my premium?
Weather claims are non-fault, so a single hail claim isn’t treated like an at-fault accident. Carriers do watch claim frequency, and some move a home to actual cash value or a roof payment schedule at renewal after a roof claim — see how that works.
Should I hire a public adjuster?
Sometimes. They typically take a percentage of the settlement, they must be licensed in Texas, and they’re most worth it on large or complicated losses. On a straightforward roof scope disagreement, a documented reinspection often gets you there without giving up a share.
What if the damage really is old?
Then the denial is right, and the roof is a purchase rather than a claim. That’s a worse answer but a cleaner one — the roof becomes a planned purchase rather than a claim.
Start with the documentation
Everything above depends on having a record. Get it before you make the call.
Texan Roofworks is veteran-owned and woman-owned, fully insured with $2M general liability, EagleView certified, with a verifiable Texas license and crews working DFW year round. Free drone inspection, no obligation, and about half the time the honest answer is that your roof is fine.
Call (972) 584-7849 or book a time. Serving Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Arlington, and the rest of DFW.
General information about the Texas claims process, not legal advice. Your policy language governs, and deadlines vary — talk to a licensed professional about your specific claim.