What is the standard option versus a roof deductible endorsement?

How the standard setup works

Most homeowners policies list an all other perils deductible and, in hail country, a separate wind and hail deductible. With no special endorsement, a hail or wind roof claim takes the wind and hail deductible and a non storm roof claim takes the regular one. That is what agents often call the standard option.

What the endorsement changes

A roof deductible endorsement sets a separate deductible just for roof damage. It may be a flat dollar figure or a percentage of your dwelling coverage. Some versions apply it only to the roof surface, while interior and other exterior damage from the same storm stay under the regular deductible. Others apply one figure to the whole loss. The form number and wording on your declarations page decide which.

Run the math before you choose

• Take your dwelling limit. On a $320,000 dwelling, a 2 percent deductible is $6,400; 1 percent is $3,200.
• Compare that with your standard deductible, for example $1,500.
• Divide the extra out of pocket amount by the yearly premium savings. If it takes many years of savings to cover one roof claim, the endorsement may not pay off in a hail prone area.

Also ask whether the endorsement comes paired with an actual cash value or roof payment schedule settlement, since insurers sometimes bundle these. Our page on the percentage wind and hail deductible shows how percentage figures are calculated.

Whichever option you pick, the deductible is yours to pay. In Georgia it is illegal for a roofer to waive, absorb or rebate it.