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Jeffrey Brooks
San Antonio, TX · Roof evaluation
Insurance
Your insurer paid part of the claim. Your policy may give you a way to settle the difference.
Appraisal is a process written into Texas homeowners policies. It settles one question: what the loss costs. Here's how it works, what it can't do, and where a roofer's role stops.
Same-day response · No obligation.
The short version
- Appraisal settles the amount of a loss. It never decides coverage.
- Only you or your insurer can demand it, in writing. A roofer can't.
- It can lower the number as well as raise it.
- Check your own policy. The wording and deadlines depend on when it was issued or renewed.
What appraisal is, and what it isn't
Appraisal resolves a disagreement about the amount of a loss. Your insurer accepts that hail damaged your roof, and the two of you disagree on what the repair costs. Two independent appraisers measure and price the damage. If they can't agree, a neutral umpire joins them to settle the gap. The result binds both sides.
It doesn't decide coverage. If your insurer denies the claim outright and says there's no covered loss, that's a coverage dispute, and appraisal can't settle it. If your insurer blames wear and tear, appraisal can still sort out how much of the damage came from the storm. Texas's highest court allowed that in State Farm Lloyds v. Johnson (2009). If you aren't sure which kind of dispute you have, ask an attorney before you demand appraisal.
Texas now requires the clause. Under Insurance Code Chapter 1813 (SB 458), residential policies delivered, issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 must contain a binding appraisal provision. Commercial policies and Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policies are excluded. A policy issued earlier may carry older wording, so read your own.
Who can start it
Only you or your insurer, and the demand must be in writing. A roofer can't invoke appraisal for you.
That isn't a technicality. Texas keeps repair work and claim advocacy apart. A roofing contractor who'll do the work can't act as a public adjuster or negotiate a settlement for you. It also can't advertise that it will (Insurance Code §4102.163). A contract made in violation can be voided (Insurance Code §4102.207). A contractor who promises to "handle" your claim is describing something Texas has prohibited.
How appraisal works, step by step
The deadlines below come from TDI's proposed rule (28 TAC §5.9805), not from SB 458 itself. The rule isn't final yet. As drafted, it covers policies issued or renewed on or after September 1, 2026. If your policy renewed earlier, your own policy's deadlines apply. You and your insurer can agree in writing to change deadlines once the insurer has sent its appraisal notice.
- 1
Demand
You or your insurer sends a written demand naming the disputed items.
Deadline: Within one year of the insurer's notice accepting or rejecting the claim. If a lawsuit is filed, the party sued has 30 days from filing.
- 2
Appraisers
Each side hires its own appraiser and tells the other in writing.
Deadline: 20 days after the demand
- 3
Attempt to agree
The two appraisers try to agree on the amount of loss.
Deadline: 120 days after the demand
- 4
Umpire
If they can't agree, they choose an umpire. If they can't agree on one, either side can ask a county or district court where the home sits to appoint one.
Deadline: 15 days, counted from the appraisers being named or from the 120 days ending, depending on your policy
- 5
Award
The award is signed by both appraisers, or by one appraiser and the umpire. The umpire can't decide alone.
Deadline: Within 240 days of the demand when an umpire is involved
- 6
Effect
The award binds both sides on the amount.
Exception: Unless it was made without authority, without substantial compliance with the clause, or through fraud, accident or material mistake
TDI's proposed rule also requires your insurer to send you a plain-language appraisal notice at the same time as its notice accepting or rejecting your claim. If you never received one, ask for it.
Appraisal can lower the number
Appraisal measures. It doesn't advocate. If the measurements support your number, it works. If they don't, it can go the other way.
In Hennessey v. Vanguard Insurance Co., 895 S.W.2d 794 (Tex. App. Amarillo 1995, writ denied), the insurer's appraiser priced a roof repair at $2,555. The homeowners' appraiser priced it at $18,000. The two couldn't agree, so a neutral tiebreaker stepped in and set it at $800, below both. The homeowners argued the gap proved the process was unfair. The court said a gap alone, even a large one, doesn't prove that. It did send the case back on other grounds, because the appraisal paperwork conflicted with the policy.
Cost matters too. Under a typical clause, each side pays its own appraiser and the two split the umpire's fee. Ask any appraiser for the fee in writing before you hire, and read your own policy for how expenses are handled.
$2,555
Insurer's appraiser
$18,000
Homeowners' appraiser
$800
Tiebreaker's award
The practical test
Before you demand appraisal, compare your insurer's estimate to an independent written estimate, line by line. If the difference is documented, appraisal has something to measure. If it's a feeling, it doesn't.
Who can serve as an appraiser
An appraiser must be competent by training or experience to evaluate the loss, independent of both parties, and disinterested in the outcome.
For damage to a dwelling, TDI's proposed rule also requires one of these three backgrounds.
- An adjuster or public adjuster with experience estimating residential losses
- An engineer or architect with experience in residential construction or repair, investigating residential damage, or estimating residential losses
- Someone with hands-on experience building or repairing that type of property
"Disinterested" is the word that matters. A roofer who will be paid to do the repair profits from a larger number. That's a stake in the outcome, so Atrium won't serve as your appraiser, and we'd advise you against any contractor serving in that role.
What Atrium does, and what we don't
What we do
- Inspect the roof and document the damage with dated photographs and measurements, including collateral evidence such as gutters, fences, A/C units, windows and screens.
- Write a scope with named products and code-required items that you can compare line by line with your insurer's estimate.
- Explain in plain language what the documentation shows, and give you a copy. If your appraiser asks for it, you can share it.
- Meet your adjuster on the roof, if you invite us, to walk through what we documented. We never negotiate on your behalf.
- Replace the roof once your claim is settled.
What we don't do
- Demand appraisal for you, or contact your insurer as your representative.
- Serve as your appraiser or umpire.
- Negotiate your settlement, or tell your insurer we speak for you.
- Promise a result, or promise to recover a set amount.
- Pay, waive or absorb your deductible. See Texas deductible law.
Before you decide
- Read the appraisal clause in your policy and note where a demand must be sent.
- Find the date on your insurer's notice accepting or rejecting the claim. The one-year window starts there.
- Get an independent written estimate and compare it line by line with your insurer's.
- Decide whether the dispute is about amount, which appraisal can settle, or coverage, which it can't. If you're unsure, ask an attorney.
- Ask about costs before you hire an appraiser.
- Do not sign a contract or an assignment of benefits with anyone who promises to handle the claim for you.
Appraisal FAQs
No. Only you or your insurer can demand appraisal, in writing. A roofing contractor who will do the repair work may not act as your public adjuster or negotiate your claim in Texas.
We advise against it. Appraisers must be independent and disinterested, and a contractor paid to do the repair has a financial stake in the amount. Atrium doesn't serve as an appraiser.
No. It decides the amount of loss, which can include how much damage came from the storm and how much came from wear and tear. Whether the loss is covered at all stays with your insurer. Disputes over that are a matter for an attorney or a complaint to the Texas Department of Insurance.
TDI's proposed rule gives one year from the insurer's notice accepting or rejecting the claim. The rule isn't final, and as drafted it covers policies issued or renewed on or after September 1, 2026. Your policy states its own deadline, so read it.
The proposed rule sets up to 240 days from demand when an umpire is involved, and the parties can agree to change deadlines in writing.
Under a typical clause, you pay your appraiser and share the umpire's fee. Get the appraiser's fee in writing before you hire.
On the amount, yes, unless it was made without authority, without substantial compliance with the clause, or through fraud, accident or material mistake.
Residential policies delivered, issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026 must. Older policies may have older wording. Commercial and TWIA policies are outside this law.
Texas prompt-payment rules may apply, and the Texas Supreme Court has addressed this in Barbara Technologies and Ortiz (2019). That's a question for an attorney.
Yes. Appraisal changes the amount of the loss, not your deductible obligation.
This page explains general Texas law for homeowners and is not legal advice. Atrium Roofing is a roofing contractor. It is not a public adjuster, an insurance adjuster or a law firm. For questions about your policy or claim, consult a Texas attorney, a licensed public insurance adjuster, or the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Who would document your roof
Atrium is civil-engineer owned and has roofed San Antonio since 2016. Our credentials and closeout paperwork are below, so you can verify them yourself.
Credentials and registrations
Owens Corning Platinum Preferred
GAF Certified Plus
Malarkey Emerald Pro
Atlas Pro Plus
TAMKO Pro Platinum
Better Business Bureau A+City of San Antonio registration HIC-24-00295
What customers say
What you keep after a replacement
- Certificate of completion
- Registered Manufacturer System Warranty (where the system and certification tier qualify)
- Impact-resistant certification (when the system is impact-rated)
- Paid invoice
- Material invoice (shingle replacements)
Related reading
Roof insurance claims
How a Texas roof claim actually moves, from filing through recoverable depreciation.
ReadTexas deductible law
Why a contractor may not pay, waive or absorb your deductible.
ReadHail damage
Functional versus cosmetic damage, hail size, and when a claim is supportable.
ReadHow roof insurance claims work
ACV vs RCV, supplements, and when recoverable depreciation is released.
ReadFree documented inspection
Want the damage documented before you decide?
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