After a hailstorm, someone will knock on your door and offer to “take care of” your deductible. It sounds like a discount. It is actually a felony-adjacent proposition that puts your insurance claim, and potentially you, at risk.
This is the single most useful thing a North Texas homeowner can know about hiring a roofer, so it is worth understanding properly.
What the law says
Texas law prohibits a contractor from paying, rebating, waiving, or absorbing all or part of an insurance deductible on a property insurance claim. It also requires contractors to include a written notice on repair contracts stating that the homeowner is responsible for paying the deductible.
The reasoning is straightforward. Your deductible is the portion of risk you agreed to carry in exchange for a lower premium. When a contractor secretly covers it, the cost gets absorbed somewhere — usually by inflating the claim to the insurer, which is fraud, or by cutting corners on your roof, which you discover years later.
How the offer usually sounds
It is rarely stated plainly. Watch for phrasing like: we will work with you on the deductible, we can make the deductible disappear, we will just bill insurance for the whole thing, or no out-of-pocket cost to you on an approved claim.
All of these describe the same arrangement. On a legitimate approved claim there is always an out-of-pocket cost, and it is your deductible.
What you actually owe
On an approved storm claim, insurance covers the repair cost minus your deductible. In Texas that is often a separate wind and hail deductible set as a percentage of your dwelling coverage rather than a flat dollar amount, which catches people off guard.
Estimate your out-of-pocket cost
On an approved storm claim you generally pay your deductible, not the full roof price. Enter your numbers to see roughly where you land.
Estimate only. Your policy governs what is actually covered — confirm with your agent. We never waive or absorb deductibles; that is illegal in Texas.
Questions worth asking any contractor
Texas requires a written statement that the homeowner is responsible for paying the deductible. If it is not in the contract you are handed, that is a significant red flag.
Not a PO box, not a truck. Storm chasers work out of hotels and leave when the season ends. Ask where their office is and whether you could visit it.
A contractor who is confident in their assessment will walk the roof with your adjuster. One who avoids that conversation may be relying on an inflated scope.
Manufacturer warranties cover the materials. Workmanship warranties cover the installation, which is what actually fails most often. Ask for the term in writing and whether it transfers if you sell the house.
Where we stand
We do not waive, absorb, or rebate deductibles, and we include the required notice in every contract. That is not a marketing position, it is the law — and honestly, a company that needs to break it to win your business is telling you something about the quality of its work.