Does Texas Homeowners Insurance Cover Water Damage

The short answer

Does Texas homeowners insurance cover water damage?

This guide explains the general rules for homeowners in DeSoto and across Texas. It is not legal advice. Read your declarations page and policy, and call your agent or insurer with specific questions. The Texas Department of Insurance also has consumer guides and a help line.

What is usually covered

• A supply line or pipe that bursts, including a freeze break.
• A water heater tank that ruptures and floods the floor.
• A washing machine hose, ice maker line or dishwasher that suddenly fails.
• An AC overflow or roof leak that causes sudden interior damage (the roof itself may be treated differently).

Coverage usually pays for tearing out and drying damaged parts of the house and for damaged belongings, minus your deductible. The failed part itself, such as the old water heater, is often not covered.

What is usually not covered

• Gradual leaks. A drip under a sink or a slow shower leak that rotted the subfloor over months.
• Wear and maintenance. Old roofs, worn seals and corroded pipes that were left alone.
• Flood. Rising water from storms, creeks or overflowing drainage entering from outside.
• Sewer backup, unless you added a water backup endorsement.
• Mold, often excluded or capped at a low limit unless it results from a covered sudden loss.

Slab leaks in Texas policies

Slab leaks are common in North Texas because clay soil moves under foundations. Many Texas policies cover the cost to access the pipe under the slab (tear out and repair of the floor) and the resulting water damage, but not the pipe repair itself. Some limit or exclude foundation damage. Check your policy for a section on slab or foundation water leaks. See slab leak water extraction.

Flood is a separate policy

Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Flood insurance is sold through the National Flood Insurance Program and some private insurers, and an NFIP policy normally has a 30 day waiting period before it takes effect. That means buying it during a storm warning is too late. Check your risk on FEMA flood maps and at FloodSmart.gov.

Your duty to mitigate

Policies require you to take reasonable steps to protect the property from further damage. In practice that means stopping the water, starting extraction and drying promptly, and keeping receipts. Waiting days for an adjuster while water sits can give an insurer a reason to reduce the claim. Photograph everything first, then start drying.

Texas claim timelines

The Texas prompt payment rules in Chapter 542 of the Insurance Code set deadlines for insurers. In general, an insurer must acknowledge your claim and start its investigation within 15 days, accept or deny it within 15 business days after receiving the information it asked for, and pay within 5 business days after accepting it. Deadlines can be extended in some situations, such as declared disasters.

If you have trouble with a claim, the Texas Department of Insurance consumer help line is 1-800-252-3439.

How to make the claim go smoothly

1. Stop the water and make the home safe.
2. Photograph and video every wet room, the source and damaged items before cleanup.
3. Call your insurer to open a claim and write down the claim number.
4. Start professional extraction and ask for daily moisture readings and a written scope.
5. Keep damaged items or samples until the adjuster says you can discard them.
6. Save every receipt, including hotel or meal costs if you cannot stay home.

Written for homeowners and renters in DeSoto, TX and nearby cities. This guide is general information, not legal, insurance or engineering advice. See our editorial policy for how guides are researched and reviewed.