If you own a Texas house with an older roof, two announcements from the past six weeks are worth reading closely, and one of them is easy to over-read. Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) on August 24, 2026 to act on property insurance costs. On September 16, reporting on his follow-up announcement said TDI will enforce a bulletin on FORTIFIED roofs and propose a rule on roof age. That is real movement. It is also not yet a rule that protects your policy.
This guide separates what has been announced from what is in force, explains what it could mean for a homeowner with a 15-to-25-year-old roof, and lays out what to do this month. We are not insurance agents and this is not insurance advice. For questions about your own coverage, call TDI’s consumer help line or a licensed Texas insurance agent.
What was actually announced
The facts, in order, from the Governor’s office and later reporting:
- August 24, 2026. Governor Abbott’s directive cited an average annual Texas homeowners premium that rose 79 percent in six years. It told TDI to do five things: require insurers to account for a home’s FORTIFIED roof status when setting rates; bar insurers from refusing to write or renew residential policies based solely on the age of the property or of individual components, specifically including roof age; issue a bulletin banning “price optimization,” meaning the use of personal data unrelated to insured risk to set rates; create an insurance fraud task force; and study excessive, unnecessary, and inflated claims costs. TDI’s recommendations on further steps and statutory changes were due September 14.
- September 16, 2026. Reporting on the governor’s follow-up said TDI would enforce Commissioner’s Bulletin B-0008-26 on FORTIFIED roof status in rate-setting, propose a rule clarifying the prohibition on using property and component age to refuse or non-renew residential coverage, and enforce Bulletin B-0007-26 on price optimization. It also described a fraud task force, a claims-cost study due by the end of 2026, and plans for 2027 legislative proposals including a Texas Roof Fortification Program.
For context on the premium figure, TDI’s own preliminary numbers put the 2025 statewide average annual homeowners premium at $3,506. TDI’s June 2026 transparency release also reported $8.74 billion in homeowners losses paid in 2025, with wind and hail averaging 62 percent of losses since 2019. That last number is why roofs sit at the center of this story. Wind and hail is the dominant loss, and the roof is the part of the house that takes it.
What is not settled
Three caveats matter more than any headline.
A proposed rule is not a rule. Reporting says TDI will propose a rule. Proposals go through public comment before adoption, and the final text can differ from the proposal. Until a rule is adopted and takes effect, an insurer’s current underwriting practices are what you are dealing with.
“Solely” is doing a lot of work. The directive targets refusals based solely on age. An insurer can still cite the condition of the roof, a claims history, missing shingles, granule loss, or an inspection photo. A 22-year-old roof in poor shape may be non-renewed for its condition rather than its birthday. Do not assume age alone is the only story in your letter.
Rate credits depend on filings. A bulletin telling insurers to account for FORTIFIED status is not a price list. Each carrier files its own rating plan with TDI, and a credit’s size is a carrier decision. Insurers in some other states already offer FORTIFIED discounts, but what your Texas carrier will give, and when, is something to ask them in writing.
What FORTIFIED means, and what it costs
FORTIFIED is a voluntary construction and re-roofing standard developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) to help homes withstand high wind and hail. The FORTIFIED Roof level involves specific roof-deck attachment, sealing, and roof-covering details, and an independent evaluator verifies the work before a designation is issued. A standard re-roof that skips those details does not qualify.
Published cost figures vary. One Texas insurance agency estimates evaluator fees at about $500 to $1,500 and added re-roofing cost of about $1,000 to $3,000 on a 2,000-square-foot home, with wind-premium reductions of 10 to 35 percent depending on the carrier. Treat that as one source’s estimate, not a quote. In a house paying $3,000 or more a year for wind coverage, even a 10 percent reduction is $300 a year; at 35 percent it is more than $1,000. The math only works if your carrier actually applies the credit, which is why the written answer comes before the roofer’s contract.
Our roof replacement cost guide for DFW puts a typical asphalt-shingle replacement at roughly $10,000 to $17,000 in 2026. A FORTIFIED-spec job is an upgrade on top of that, not a replacement for it. Texas already requires insurers to offer a credit on roofs that pass UL 2218 impact-resistance testing, with the size set by each company, so ask about that credit in the same conversation.
What it could change for your house
If your roof is 15 to 25 years old and you are renewing normally
Nothing changes today. Use the window to ask your carrier three questions in writing: what roof age or condition triggers non-renewal or actual-cash-value roof coverage, what credit it gives for impact-resistant or FORTIFIED roofs, and what documentation it wants. Photograph the roof and keep the dates. If a rule on component age is eventually adopted, you will want your own record of the roof’s condition.
If you got a non-renewal letter
Texas law for decisions made on or after January 1, 2026 requires the insurer to give a written statement of the specific reason. Read it. If it says roof age and nothing else, keep the letter and tell TDI, because that is exactly the practice the directive targets. If it cites condition, you have a repair question rather than an age question. Our guide to Texas homeowners insurance non-renewal walks through the order to work it in. The one rule that does not change: do not let coverage lapse if you have a mortgage, because lender-placed insurance protects the lender’s interest, not yours.
If you are thinking about selling
A roof that no insurer will cover is a selling problem before it is an insurance problem. Financed buyers need a homeowners policy in place at closing. If the house cannot be insured on acceptable terms, a retail deal can stall at the finish line, and the buyer who stays tends to ask for a roof credit or a lower price. Texas sellers must also disclose known roof problems and repairs on the Seller’s Disclosure Notice under Property Code §5.008.
If the roof is failing or the house is uninsurable, the realistic choices are to fix it first, price it into a listing with a repair credit, or sell as-is to a buyer who does not need a lender’s insurance requirement. We are a direct cash buyer, not a real estate agent, and we do not list homes. Our any-condition page explains what we will buy and how our offer is built.
The math: fix the roof, take the credit, or sell as-is
Put numbers on all three before you choose. Take a hypothetical 2,000-square-foot DFW house with a 20-year-old roof, a $300,000 after-repair value, and a $14,000 replacement quote.
- Replace the roof and keep the house. Cost: about $14,000 for standard replacement, perhaps $15,000 to $17,000 if built to FORTIFIED specifications plus evaluator fees. The return is continued insurability and any premium credit your carrier grants. You get paid back over years, not months.
- Replace it, then list. A new roof helps with inspections and financing, but you still carry the cost, the months on market, and negotiation. See our breakdown of cash offer versus listing for what those costs do to your net.
- Sell as-is. An as-is cash buyer deducts the roof from the offer. Our public offer formula is ARV × 75–80% − repairs for a typical project, and 85–92% of ARV on clean, light-rehab houses. On this example, 75–80% of $300,000 is $225,000 to $240,000, less $14,000 for the roof and any other repairs. The number is lower than a clean retail sale, which is the trade for speed, certainty, and no repair bill. Whether it beats option one or two depends on your carrying costs, your timeline, and what else is wrong with the house.
If you are also paying on a vacant house, add what the clock costs. Our guide to what a vacant Texas house actually costs covers the vacancy clauses in policies and the other meters that keep running.
What to do this month
- Read your declarations page and renewal notice. Look for roof coverage terms, any actual-cash-value roof endorsement, and the wind and hail deductible.
- Get a roof inspection. A written condition report from a licensed roofer, with photos, is your best evidence either way.
- Ask your carrier in writing about FORTIFIED and impact-resistant credits and what roof age or condition triggers action.
- Check TDI’s website for the status of the proposed rule and the bulletins, and use TDI’s rate-filing search and HelpInsure.com to compare carriers.
- If you are non-renewed, ask for the reason in writing and start shopping before the expiration date.
- If you cannot afford the roof, price a sale before the problem compounds. Tell us about your Texas house and we will give you an honest as-is number with no obligation.
What to watch next
- The text and effective date of TDI’s proposed rule on property and component age.
- How individual insurers file FORTIFIED rate credits under the bulletin.
- TDI’s claims-cost study, due by the end of 2026.
- The 2027 legislative session, including any state-funded roof fortification program.
Sources: Office of the Texas Governor, Governor Abbott Directs TDI to Take Action to Make Property Insurance More Affordable (August 24, 2026); reporting on the Governor’s September 16, 2026 announcement of TDI actions; Foley & Lardner summary of the directive (August 2026); Texas Department of Insurance, Transparency Initiative release (June 22, 2026); IBHS FORTIFIED program materials; Texas Property Code §5.008. Cost figures from a Texas insurance agency’s published estimate are labeled as such. This article is general information, not insurance, legal, or financial advice.