Can you get homeowners insurance without roof coverage?
Short answer. Sometimes, yes. Some insurers will write a policy on a home with an older or damaged roof while limiting the roof to actual cash value, paying it on a depreciation schedule, excluding cosmetic damage, or in some cases excluding the roof surface. Full roof coverage usually returns once the roof is replaced.
The forms a roof limitation takes
- Actual cash value on the roof: the roof is covered, but a claim pays only its depreciated value.
- Roof payment schedule: the payout is a set percentage that shrinks each year based on roof age.
- Cosmetic damage exclusion: hail dents or marks that do not cause leaks are not paid.
- Roof surface exclusion: wind or hail damage to the roof covering itself is excluded, sometimes while interior water damage stays covered.
- Separate wind coverage: in some coastal areas, wind is excluded from the main policy and written separately.
Why insurers do this
Roof claims are among the most frequent and expensive homeowners claims. An insurer may accept a house it would otherwise decline if it can cap the roof exposure. The trade off is that a storm can leave you paying most of a new roof yourself.
What to watch for
- Your mortgage lender may require coverage on the full dwelling, so check before accepting a roof exclusion.
- Read the endorsements list on your declarations page; limitations are often added at renewal.
- Ask what it takes to restore full roof coverage, usually a replacement with proof of completion.
For how roof age drives these terms, see roof age and insurance.