Do I need wind and hail insurance?
Weather patterns will always bring change across the United States, meaning more unpredictable weather and greater risk of damage to homes from windstorms and hailstorms. Because mortgage companies are interested in protecting the homes they lend against, homeowners insurance, including roof insurance, is required for most homeowners. Yes, you need to carry wind and hail coverage sufficient to provide financial protection in the event of severe weather damage.
Wind and hail claims have accounted for up to 42% of home insurance claims in the U.S. between 2019 and 2023.
This makes wind and hail damage the greatest threat to American homeowners for over two decades now. These growing risks and the requirements mentioned above provide homeowners two important reasons to learn more about their own home roof insurance needs.
Many Americans quickly discover that deductibles are rising at rates higher than other parts of their policy. Wind and hail deductibles and premiums are especially volatile in recent years. Those costs have seen significant increases as insurers seek new ways to pass on the cost of wind and hail claims to the customer.
Home insurance carriers often price wind and hail deductibles separately, sometimes calculated as a percentage of the home’s value. In states with greater risk of windstorms and hailstorms, these costs can easily reach tens of thousands of dollars. A deductible that equals 2-5% of the value of the home is becoming more common, as opposed to the flat-priced standard deductible more common in the past.
What does wind and hail insurance cover?
A homeowners insurance policy may include wind and hail insurance coverage, but there are typically strict limits to the kinds of damage that are covered.
What homeowners wind and hail insurance covers:
- Damage from straight-line winds to roofs and siding
- Broken windows
- Broken skylights
- Detached structures on the property
- Debris removal (in some cases)
What homeowners wind and hail insurance doesn’t cover:
- Damage from named storms, meaning hurricanes or tropical storms
- Cosmetic damage to homes
- Flooding damage
- Automotive damage near the home
Ask your insurance agent for more specifics about what your home insurance policy does and does not cover before making a policy purchase. These are common limitations of a roof insurance policy, but details will vary by provider. Also, some homeowners in storm-heavy areas may learn that their insurance carrier excludes wind and hail damage from their policy altogether.
How is wind and hail insurance priced?
Wind and hail insurance is typically paid for as monthly or annual payments called premiums. The premium you pay will be determined by the insurance carrier based on the location of the insured structure, weather risk, and other factors. The premium price for a policy will be provided as a quote by an insurance agent or by the insurance carrier company that offers the policy.
Further costs to the policyholder appear in the form of the deductible, or the amount that is deducted from the insurance company’s payout if a claim is made on the policy.
Example: Say that your wind and hail deductible was $5,000 for a policy that provides up to $20,000 in coverage for qualified damage. If you experienced storm damage and the cost to repair your roof was $12,000, the insurance company would pay $7,000 toward the repairs, and you would be responsible for the $5,000 deductible amount.
[Repair Costs - Deductible = Insurance Company Payout]
How much wind and hail coverage do I need?
Your wind and hail insurance policy should cover the potential cost of repairs that could be caused by a weather event. A popular guideline is to maintain homeowners insurance coverage for at least 80% of the total replacement cost of your home.
An online home insurance cost estimator can help you determine the precise amount of coverage needed for your home. Sites like Bankrate also provide state-by-state breakdowns of home insurance prices to help you estimate insurance costs in your state more accurately.
Before deciding on the amount of coverage to buy, you should understand how your roof’s value is calculated by the insurance company. These calculations are usually done in one of two ways: actual cash value or replacement cost value.
ACV vs. RCV roof insurance
What is ACV roof insurance?
Some roof insurance policies depreciate the value of a roof with age and other factors. When estimating the current-day cost of your roof, an Actual Cash Value will be assigned to it, indicating the dollar amount that the insurer is willing to pay to compensate you for the damage. This will be less than what you may be quoted to have your roof repaired or replaced. It represents the calculated value of an older, more worn roof.
What is RCV roof insurance?
Other policies may value your roof at the full Replacement Cost Value, or the dollar amount needed to repair your roof with materials of a similar kind and quality to those used when it was new.
Note the type of roof insurance calculation used by the home insurance provider you are considering. Be mindful of the fact that wind and hail deductibles may have their own pricing that is different from that of the standard homeowners insurance policy.
Does my policy provide enough roof insurance to cover any repairs I might need?
Take care to understand any coverage limits that may be set on roof repairs from wind and hail damage as part of your policy. Some insurance carriers will offer lower premiums–the bill you pay for insurance each month or year–in exchange for a policyholder accepting a larger deductible amount if they should need to make a claim on the policy.
Example: For a lower monthly cost, you accept that if damage occurred and you made a claim on your policy, you would owe a significantly higher portion of the repair costs before the insurance company contributed anything toward the repairs.
When you’ve found a policy that matches your needs, work with your local insurance agent to secure the home insurance coverage that you need. If your insurance carrier makes any exclusions regarding windstorm or hailstorm damage to your home based on state regulations or regional weather conditions, you may find value in a supplemental policy that offers additional protection or deductible assistance for the excluded type of coverage.
Compare prices and coverage levels available for your home. Find out if a supplemental wind and hail policy would be useful. Talk through your options with an insurance agent, and secure the peace of mind provided by wind and hail insurance for your home.
Sources:
Kendall, Catriona. “Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Hail Damage?” U.S. News & World Report, April 10, 2026, https://www.usnews.com/insurance/homeowners-insurance/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-hail-damage
“Home Insurance Calculator: Estimate your Costs”, Bankrate, https://www.bankrate.com/insurance/homeowners-insurance/home-insurance-calculator/
Gray is the Senior Content Specialist at Sola Insurance, working with the Sales and Marketing teams to provide helpful, valuable content for homeowners and agents. Gray has worked previously in finance, logistics, and advertising.
