Home insurance inspections in Texas — what they look for and why they happen

Some home insurance policies may involve an inspection report or a photo of the roof. This guide explains where an inspection may fit, using Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) consumer pages.

The short version. TDI's Auto and home policy underwriting says a Texas home insurance company has 60 days after issuing a policy to do more underwriting research, could cancel or change the premium depending on what it finds, and must give 10 days' notice if it cancels. TDI does not say a home insurance inspection is part of that research; Credify's reading is that one may be.

Here's what we'll cover: how underwriting may connect to an inspection, what TDI says most companies consider, what TDI says about the first 60 days, the certificate standards TDI publishes, and the Voluntary Inspection Program, in which the homeowner hires the inspector.

Where an inspection may fit after you buy

TDI's consumer pages do not say that home insurance companies in Texas inspect a home after a policy starts. Credify's reading is that an inspection may be one way a company does the further underwriting research TDI describes.

TDI's Auto and home policy underwriting tip sheet describes underwriting as how insurance companies look at your house, car, and personal history to decide whether to offer you a policy, and says they then use that information to help price it. Each company, the tip sheet adds, has different underwriting rules that determine who it will sell a policy to.

On timing, the TDI tip sheet says: "When you are issued a policy, a company has 60 days to do more underwriting research. They could cancel your policy or change your premium depending on what they find. They must give you 10-days' notice if they cancel your policy."

In plain terms, paying for a policy may not be the end of the company's review, and the notice TDI mentions applies if the company cancels.

What TDI says most home insurance companies consider

Underwriting covers more than the physical state of the house. TDI's underwriting tip sheet, linked above, lists what it says most companies consider during home underwriting, and the descriptions below are TDI's:

Age and condition. "Companies can't turn you down just because of your home's age or value, but they can charge you more."
Replacement cost. How much your company has to pay to replace your old property with new materials.
Construction materials. Claim costs tend to be higher for houses built completely of wood and lower for houses built of brick or stone.
Where you live. Companies might not write policies in certain areas where costs are higher for storms or crime.
Occupancy. Companies might limit the types of policies they sell for houses that are vacant, unoccupied, leased, secondary, seasonal, or rented for short-term home-sharing.
Local fire protection. Companies check how close you are to a fire station.
Claims history. Premiums might be higher if you've had claims in the past. The tip sheet adds that companies can't charge you more for claims you file but they didn't pay, for calling your company and asking questions, for claims for damage from weather, or for certain appliance-related water damage claims.
Credit score. A company can't turn you down based only on your credit but can consider your credit together with other factors.

TDI's list is about underwriting in general and does not say which of these items an inspection checks. Of the items on it, the condition of the home is one that a homeowner may be able to change through repairs, while the home's age and location stay the same.

What TDI says about the first 60 days and inspection reports

TDI's Home insurance guide lists two situations in which a Texas home insurance policy can be canceled in its first 60 days, and one of them concerns an inspection report. The guide, which covers home insurance in general, says a company must give you 10 days' notice before it cancels your policy and may cancel in the first 60 days if it learns about a risk you didn't tell it about that wasn't part of a previous claim, or in this second situation: "It doesn't accept a copy of a required inspection report before the policy starts."

TDI's wording in that second situation is about the company not accepting the report. The guide does not explain what makes a report acceptable or when a report is required, so those are questions for the company or agent that asked for it. The guide separately lists reasons a company may cancel at any time, such as unpaid premiums.

On refunds, the same Home insurance guide says that if either you or the company cancels the policy, the company must refund any unearned premium to you within 15 days after the date of the cancellation. TDI describes unearned premium as the amount you paid in advance that didn't go toward coverage.

The condition of a home also appears in what the guide says about renewal. TDI's Home insurance guide lists a house in bad condition among the reasons a company may nonrenew a policy, and says that instead of nonrenewal the company might require you to repair damage before it renews. It adds: "Companies usually give you at least six months to make repairs." If you're already in that situation, what to do about a Texas home insurance non-renewal covers the next steps.

What TDI's certificate standards cover

TDI does not publish a list of what a home insurance company's own inspector checks in Texas. What TDI does publish, on its Voluntary Inspection Program page, is a set of standards a home must meet to get a certificate of insurability under that program. Paraphrased, except for the roof item, the page says the standards include:

The home is well maintained, with no unrepaired damage and a yard free of trash, brush, and debris.
Wiring works properly, with no flickering lights and no evidence of overheating.
Roof coverings, in TDI's words: "No curled, cracked, or significantly deteriorated roof coverings, or missing shingles."
Plumbing, heating, and cooling systems are in good condition and do not leak.
Space heaters and hot water heaters are vented properly and are not too close to walls and furniture.
Swimming pools, hot tubs, fishponds, bodies of water, and trampolines are fenced.
Fire-fighting equipment can get to the property.
There are no signs of active termites and no unrepaired insect damage.

These are the program's certificate standards, and a company's inspector may look at different things. They are still a published checklist of home condition that you can walk through yourself, and some items, such as yard debris or a missing shingle, may be visible without any special equipment. For background on the roof and storm claims, see how the wind and hail deductible works.

The Voluntary Inspection Program

The Voluntary Inspection Program is a TDI program in which a Texas homeowner hires a program inspector and can apply for a certificate of insurability. TDI's Voluntary Inspection Program page says some Texas homeowners have trouble getting home insurance for reasons such as the age or location of their home, and that if the home is in good condition the homeowner can try to get insurance by going through the program.

For a homeowner who gets the certificate, the TDI page says: "An insurance company can't refuse to sell or renew a policy because of your home's condition unless: (1) it inspects your home again and (2) it describes the issues in writing."

TDI's page does not say a certificate means any company will sell you a policy. What it describes is narrower, covering refusals based on the home's condition.

On duration, the same TDI page says the certificate is good for three years if you don't make a lot of changes to your property. If you do make a lot of changes, it says an insurance company can require another inspection and may also require a written statement that there haven't been a lot of changes to the property since it was last inspected.

On cost, the Voluntary Inspection Program page says: "The 2026 inspection fees are limited to $159.29. If you need a follow-up inspection to verify corrections of problems identified the first time around, you will need to pay an additional $79.63." The page adds that an inspector may charge a mileage fee for each trip to and from the home by the most direct route, at no more than the IRS standard mileage rate for businesses.

Because you hire the inspector, the program is one where the homeowner starts the inspection, and the follow-up fee TDI's page lists is for verifying corrections of problems identified the first time.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take around a home insurance inspection in Texas. The facts inside each step come from the TDI pages linked.

Inspection reports. If your company asked for an inspection report, ask when it is due and what it needs to show. TDI's Home insurance guide lists a company not accepting a copy of a required inspection report before the policy starts as one situation in which it may cancel in the first 60 days, with 10 days' notice.
Condition checklist. Walk through the certificate standards on TDI's Voluntary Inspection Program page yourself, including roof coverings, wiring, leaks, venting, unfenced pools or trampolines, and yard debris.
Voluntary Inspection Program. If your home is in good condition and you are having trouble getting insurance, read TDI's Voluntary Inspection Program page, which says that with a certificate a company can't refuse to sell or renew because of the home's condition unless it inspects the home again and describes the issues in writing.
Renewal. If a condition problem comes up at renewal, ask your company whether repairs are an option. TDI's Home insurance guide says a company might require repairs instead of nonrenewal and that companies usually give at least six months to make them.
Questions. TDI's underwriting tip sheet lists 800-252-3439 as the number to call TDI with questions.

Key facts

TDI's Auto and home policy underwriting tip sheet says a company has 60 days after issuing a policy to do more underwriting research, could cancel the policy or change the premium depending on what it finds, and must give 10 days' notice if it cancels.
TDI's Home insurance guide says a company may cancel a policy in the first 60 days if it doesn't accept a copy of a required inspection report before the policy starts, and must give 10 days' notice before it cancels.
The same TDI Home insurance guide says that if either you or the company cancels, the company must refund any unearned premium within 15 days after the date of the cancellation.
TDI's Auto and home policy underwriting tip sheet says most companies consider a home's age and condition during underwriting, and that companies can't turn you down just because of the home's age or value but can charge you more.
TDI's Voluntary Inspection Program page says that with a certificate of insurability a company can't refuse to sell or renew a policy because of the home's condition unless it inspects the home again and describes the issues in writing.
The same TDI Voluntary Inspection Program page says the certificate is good for three years if you don't make a lot of changes to your property, and that 2026 inspection fees are limited to $159.29, plus $79.63 for a follow-up inspection and a possible mileage fee.
TDI's Home insurance guide says a company may nonrenew if a house is in bad condition, might require repairs instead, and that companies usually give at least six months to make repairs.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto and home policy underwriting, Voluntary Inspection Program, and Home insurance guide.

Take the next step

If an inspection has you reviewing your home insurance, how to choose home insurance in Texas covers the coverage side, and independent agency vs going direct covers the two ways to shop it.

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