Georgia homeowners insurance covers sudden, accidental roof damage. It does not cover wear and tear, aging, or maintenance neglect. The line between those two categories is where most disputes happen.
What’s Generally Covered
Covered perils under a standard HO-3 policy:
- Hail damage (most common Georgia roof claim)
- Wind damage from storms
- Tree and falling object impact
- Fire and lightning
- Weight of ice and snow (rare in Georgia but covered)
- Vandalism
What triggers coverage: The damage must be sudden, accidental, and caused by a covered peril.
What’s Excluded
- Normal wear and tear
- Age-related deterioration
- Maintenance neglect
- Manufacturer defects
- Cosmetic damage that doesn’t affect function (in many policies)
- Mold resulting from long-standing moisture issues
Flood: Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage. Water intrusion during rain due to storm damage (a covered peril breached the roof) is different from flood.
Policy Types That Affect Your Payout
ACV (Actual Cash Value): You receive the depreciated value. A 15-year-old roof on a 20-year lifespan might be 75% depreciated — you get 25% of replacement cost.
RCV (Replacement Cost Value): You receive the actual cost to replace with like kind and quality. Significantly better, worth the premium difference.
Common Policy Traps in Georgia
Percentage deductibles for wind and hail: Some policies have moved from flat dollar deductibles ($2,500) to percentage deductibles (2% of dwelling value). On a $400,000 home, that’s an $8,000 deductible.
Age-of-roof restrictions: Some carriers exclude coverage or move to ACV-only for roofs over 15-20 years old.
Cosmetic damage exclusions: Some carriers exclude damage that is purely cosmetic. This exclusion is growing more common.
Pull out your declarations page and look for: covered perils, ACV vs. RCV, deductible type, and any age-of-roof language. Questions? Talk to our team →