How to Get Homeowners Insurance to Pay for New Windows 

Picture this scenario: You’re coming home from a long vacation, only to find that a storm ravaged your neighborhood while you were out. The windows of your home are broken and need replacement. But you don’t know how to get homeowners insurance to pay for new windows because you’ve never filed a claim for this before. In fact, you don’t even know if your insurance covers the damage at all.

Getting your insurance provider to cover the cost of anything can feel like pulling teeth at the best of times. There’s a lot of legal jargon and contracts to navigate to get to the money you might be entitled to.

So, how can you get your insurance provider to cover the cost of replacing windows that break in a storm? It all begins with preparation…

How to Get Homeowners Insurance to Pay for New Windows: Check Your Coverage!

First thing’s first: Before you can get your homeowner’s insurance to pay for new windows in your home, you need to verify that your insurance:

• Covers window replacement.
• Specifically covers the type of damage inflicted to your windows (i.e., it’s a ‘covered peril’).
• Defines how much it will pay for home repairs and any deductibles you may have.
• Doesn’t exempt you from coverage for common situations (or that you’ve taken measures to address existing exemptions).

Knowing the exact terms of your insurance policy is absolutely crucial for knowing whether your insurance will pay to replace your broken windows.

What’s a Covered Peril, and How Can It Keep Me from Getting Paid to Replace My Windows?

Companies that sell insurance policies for homes may refer to the kinds of damage they cover as ‘covered perils.’ And the truth is that the list of covered perils is incredibly important for determining whether or not the policy will pay a dime for damage.

As noted by The Gordon Agency (TGA), an insurance brokerage offering homeowners insurance, “Each insurance policy will have a list of specific perils that are covered. Anything not listed on this list will be considered an exclusion and will not be covered by your insurance.”

Say, for example, that you have a homeowner’s insurance policy that lists “wind pressure” as a covered peril in the policy, but doesn’t specify wind-borne debris. In that case, the insurance company might try to claim that damage to your windows caused by flying debris isn’t covered, since it wasn’t specifically called out in the “storm damage” language of the policy.

There are laws on the books that are supposed to prevent misleadingly-worded insurance coverage such as Florida Statute 627.4143, which mandates that brief, accurate, and transparent summaries of coverage and benefits must be provided “prior to issuance of the policy or accompanies the policy when issued.” However, that might not prevent an insurer from giving you the runaround. 

This is why it’s very important to check your policy before purchasing it.

What’s a Deductible? 

As noted by Allstate, “Your deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket before your insurance kicks in to help cover the claim.” Virtually every insurance policy has a deductible that you need to pay before the insurer will start covering (or, more likely, reimbursing) your costs. 

How to Get Homeowners Insurance to Pay for New Windows: Verifying Exemptions

An insurance contract almost always has some kind of exemption where the coverage is limited or becomes null and void in some specific circumstances. 

When you sign up for insurance coverage on your home, be sure to ask the insurance broker to tell you about all of the exemptions on the policy so you know how to avoid them. 

For example, one common exemption to a homeowner’s insurance policy affecting your windows is the requirement to use impact-rated window protection. If your insurer determines that you had a window that lacked impact protection, they may deny the claim.

If your policy has an exemption requiring impact protection, then using impact windows in your home is a great way to ensure that your insurer can’t weasel out of paying for replacements in the future!

How to Get Homeowners Insurance to Pay for New Windows: Filing a Claim

Okay, say that you’ve checked your coverage and you’re confident that the cause of the damage is covered, the amount you’ll have to pay for replacement is more than your deductible, and that none of the policy’s exemptions apply. How do you file your claim?

The process may vary depending on your insurer, but it can be split into two major steps:

Step 1: Collect Proof of Damage

One of the first things you should do is collect evidence and documentation proving the damage and its cause. This can include taking photographs of your damaged windows, any damage to the interior of your home, the objects (if any) that caused the damage, etc.

You should also collect reports from local authorities and disaster response crews, if possible. Official reports can help to establish the cause of the damage from a non-biased source, making it easier to prove to your insurer.

Step 2: Reach Out to Your Insurer

Reach out to your insurance company as soon as possible after you discover the damage. The faster you can act on this, the better. The insurance provider can provide you with instructions on how to file your claim and get reimbursed. 

They may even provide you with advice on how to collect the proof of damage you need to file a claim.

Different insurers might have different claim submissions processes. For example, some might require you to submit your claim electronically or they may require you to send a physical form along with copies of your documentation. Be sure to check with your insurer to get details.

Should I Get Impact Windows for My Home Using My Homeowner’s Insurance?

Yes! Even without the insurance considerations, you should be using impact-resistant windows in your home in Florida simply to comply with the Florida Building Code (FBC). Impact windows are much less likely to break when a major storm rolls through your neighborhood, which minimizes the risk to your family and property.

In fact, that risk reduction can be a key consideration for your insurer, too! As noted earlier, some insurance policies might have exemptions for if you don’t use impact windows in your home, making it harder to get reimbursed for hurricane damage.

However, adding impact windows to your home can provide you a discount on your insurance premiums! As noted in a My Florida Fact document: “The State of Florida requires insurance companies to offer discounts for protecting your home and mitigating damage that may be caused by hurricane-force winds.”

Because insurance premiums are risk-based, reducing risks can help you qualify for lower premiums. Think of it this way: the insurance company needs to know that they’re going to make money from providing you with insurance. The less chance there is of your home getting damaged by a storm, the less the insurer needs to get paid to offset your risk.

Will Homeowners Insurance Pay for Impact Windows?

Here’s a question that a lot of people have. The truth is that if you’re looking to proactively upgrade your home against wind damage by installing impact windows, your homeowners insurance won’t cover that bill. Insurance typically only covers the cost of repair or replacement if the windows are damaged by a covered peril.

So, if you’re just looking to upgrade your home with impact windows without there being any damage, then the answer is “no.” However, if your windows are broken, then the insurance provider may help you pay to replace your existing windows with impact windows, at least up to the established value of your old windows or the limit of your coverage, depending on the terms of your policy.

If you want to upgrade your existing windows, other forms of funding and support may be available, however. 

For example, the Florida PACE program can provide loans for making wind mitigation upgrades (though availability is limited and, as a loan, you need to pay it back). 

Alternatively, the My Safe Florida Home program can provide you with rebates for making wind mitigation improvements like installing impact windows to your home. 

Some window installation companies also work with financial institutions to provide window financing options that can help you delay or spread out the cost of installing new windows in your home.

Get the Best Impact Windows for Your Home!

Now that you know how to get homeowners insurance to pay for new windows in your home, where should you get those windows?

Karoly Windows & Doors is the most trusted window installation company in Tampa Bay! Since 2001, we’ve installed over 120,000 windows for homeowners throughout the area while earning numerous “Best of the Best” honors for our dedication to doing things the right way, every time.

All of our installations are performed by an in-house team of experienced professionals and are backed by our Platinum Standard Lifetime Guarantee so you can rest easy knowing that your windows will last for decades to come.

Reach out today to request a quote for window installation from the best team of installers in Tampa Bay!