Hail-damaged windows in Texas: what insurance covers and how to document it

What hail actually does to a window

Hail an inch or larger, which DFW sees most springs, causes four distinct kinds of damage, and only the first is obvious:

• Cracked or shattered glass. Visible, undisputed, easy to claim.
• Broken insulated-glass seals. The impact flexes the unit enough to break the seal at the spacer. Argon escapes, moisture gets in, and weeks or months later you get permanent fog between the panes. The window still looks intact on the day of the storm, which is exactly why this gets missed.
• Frame and sash damage. Dented aluminum, cracked vinyl at the corners, bent screens and screen frames, damaged weep systems that then hold water.
• Failed seals at the perimeter. Driven rain plus impact can open the exterior sealant joint, which is a water-entry path into the wall even though the window itself is fine.

The window most people forget to claim

If you had a hailstorm and later notice haze, fog, streaking, or a milky film between the panes on one or more windows, that is a failed IGU seal. You cannot clean it, because it is on the inside surfaces of the sealed cavity. It also means the unit has lost its argon fill and much of its insulating value.

The catch is timing. Texas gives you a limited window to file, and policies contain their own notice requirements. If a storm went through and you are seeing new fogging, get it documented now rather than next spring.

How to document it properly

1. Date the storm. Note the date and, if you can, pull the local hail report for your address. Adjusters work from storm dates.
2. Photograph every elevation, not just the damaged windows. Damage to the roof, gutters, screens, and soft metals on the same elevation corroborates the window damage.
3. Photograph each opening individually, close enough to see the damage and wide enough to identify which window it is.
4. Do not throw away broken glass or a damaged screen until the adjuster has seen it.
5. Get a written scope from a contractor before the adjuster's visit if you can, so there is a document on the table with the full extent of the damage on it.

Deductibles and whether to file

Many Texas policies carry a separate wind-and-hail deductible, often a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar figure. On a $400,000 dwelling, a two percent wind-and-hail deductible is $8,000. If your window damage totals $4,500, filing gets you nothing and puts a claim on your record.

Check your declarations page for the wind-and-hail deductible specifically before you file. This is one of the most common expensive surprises in North Texas.

Replacement cost versus actual cash value

Replacement cost value pays what it takes to replace the window today, usually in two payments with the depreciation released after the work is done. Actual cash value pays the depreciated value only, which on a twenty-year-old aluminum window is very little. Which one you have is on your declarations page and materially changes what a claim is worth.

Watch out for storm chasers

After every major DFW hail event, out-of-state crews appear with door hangers, offers to "waive your deductible," and pressure to sign a contingency agreement on the spot. Waiving or absorbing a deductible is insurance fraud in Texas, and the contractor offering it is telling you how they do business. A contingency agreement signed at your door can also bind you to that company for the entire claim.

Use somebody who will still be in the metroplex in three years when a seal fails.

What we do on a storm claim

We walk the house, photograph each damaged opening, and write a scope describing the damage, the required replacement, and the specs of the units going back in. That document goes to you, and you give it to your adjuster. We do not negotiate your claim for you, we do not take a percentage of it, and we will tell you when the damage is below your deductible and not worth filing.