Does home insurance pay anything before you meet the deductible?

Home deductibles apply per claim

Health insurance deductibles usually reset once a year, and you build toward them over many visits. A homeowners deductible applies to each separate loss. Two storms in the same year generally mean two claims and two deductibles, and money you spent on an earlier claim does not count toward the next one.

An example

Wind damages a section of roof and the repair is $1,800. With a $1,000 deductible, the insurer pays $800. With a 2 percent wind and hail deductible on a $300,000 dwelling limit, the deductible is $6,000 and the insurer pays nothing. See percentage deductibles.

What is free

The adjuster's inspection costs you nothing, because investigating claims is the insurer's expense. Many roofers also inspect for free. Liability claims against you, such as a guest injured on your property, often carry no deductible at all.

Under the deductible? Think before reporting

A reported loss can be recorded in your claims history even when nothing is paid, and insurers look at that history at renewal. If an inspection and estimate show the damage is clearly below your deductible, it often makes more sense to repair it and keep receipts and photos. If you are unsure, a full inspection may reveal more damage than you can see from the ground. See whether a claim raises premiums.