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Supplement, reinspection, or appraisal: which one should you use on a Texas roof claim in 2026?

Short answer: start with a documented supplement, use a reinspection when the disagreement is about what is physically on the roof, and reserve appraisal for a carrier that accepts coverage but refuses to move on the number. That last option got significantly stronger this year. Texas Insurance Code Chapter 1813 requires covered personal residential policies issued, delivered, or renewed in Texas on or after January 1, 2026 to include a compliant appraisal provision, so the escalation path behind your supplement is now far more predictable than it used to be.

Knowing which of the three you are actually in is the difference between closing a file in three weeks and letting it rot for eight months.

The supplement: your default move

A supplement is a request to the carrier to add or correct items in its own estimate. It happens inside normal claim adjusting. There is no filing, no fee, no umpire, and no deadline structure beyond the claim's own timelines.

Most scope gaps on roof claims belong here, and most of them are winnable, because most carrier estimates are not written in bad faith. They are written fast, sometimes from imagery, by an adjuster carrying a heavy storm load. Drip edge gets missed. Layers get counted wrong. Steep and high charges get dropped. Square counts come in short.

What separates a supplement that gets paid from one that gets ignored is the format. Do not send a higher total. Send a line-item request where every added item carries a one-sentence reason: manufacturer installation requirement, code requirement, access condition, or a component that cannot be reused once disturbed. Attach the measurement report and the photographs that prove each item.

If your square count is even slightly off, the whole supplement gets discounted. Measurement accuracy is the foundation, and it is worth the few minutes it takes to get a report you can attach rather than a number you defend from memory. Our breakdown of cutting estimate turnaround with AI measurement covers how to get that report without adding a site visit.

The reinspection: for physical disagreements

A reinspection is the right tool when the disagreement is about what is actually on the roof rather than what it costs. The adjuster wrote a repair when the damage pattern makes matching impossible. The file says one layer and there are two. Test squares were never marked. Damage on the rear slopes was never inspected.

Request a reinspection in writing, ask to be present, and have your documentation on site: marked test squares, a chalked slope map, the measurement report, and a camera. Contractors who show up to a reinspection with nothing prepared generally get the same estimate back.

The mistake to avoid is asking for a reinspection when the physical facts are not in dispute. If the adjuster agrees about the damage and simply prices it differently, another site visit changes nothing.

Appraisal: for an accepted claim with a stuck number

Appraisal is a formal process invoked by the policyholder under the policy. Each side names an appraiser. The appraisers review the loss and try to agree on the amount of loss. If they cannot, an umpire resolves what remains, and an award meeting the legal and policy requirements is generally binding as to the amount.

What Chapter 1813 changed is availability and predictability. Before 2026, appraisal depended on carrier-specific wording that varied in clarity and usability. Now it is a required provision on covered personal residential policies. The Texas Department of Insurance has also proposed rules, published as 28 TAC §§5.9800–5.9806, adding a written demand process, carrier notice of appraisal rights with the coverage acceptance or rejection letter, deadlines for naming appraisers, and independence, disinterest, and competency requirements for appraisers and umpires. The proposal contemplates a general one-year window to demand appraisal after the coverage notice, with appraisers identified within about 20 days. Proposed rules are not final rules — TDI's comment period closed in June 2026 and no final version has been adopted as of this writing — so confirm the current text before quoting a deadline to anyone.

The line that disqualifies appraisal

Appraisal decides amount of loss. It does not decide coverage.

If the carrier's position is that the damage is wear, tear, or age rather than hail or wind, or that an exclusion applies, or that notice was late, you are in a coverage dispute. Appraisal will not resolve it, and pushing it there produces delay plus an award that gets contested afterward. Those files still have value to you — our piece on turning denied claims into referral revenue covers the route that actually pays on a coverage fight.

Read the carrier's letter, not the adjuster's tone. A letter accepting the loss with a low estimate attached is an amount-of-loss dispute. A letter denying causation is not.

Three rules for the sales conversation

First, appraisal belongs to the policyholder, not to you. You can explain the process and build the file. The homeowner invokes it, ideally with advice from a qualified attorney, public adjuster, or appraisal professional.

Second, never promise an outcome. Appraisal does not guarantee that your estimate gets paid. Contractors who sell it that way create angry customers when an award lands below the contract price, and those customers leave reviews.

Third, be honest about cost. Typically the homeowner pays their appraiser, the carrier pays theirs, and the two sides split the umpire fee. On a $4,000 gap that math rarely works. On a $24,000 gap it usually does. Homeowners deserve to hear that before they commit — and your own margin math should be just as explicit, which is what our guide on pricing a roof for profit is about.

A simple decision tree

1. Did the carrier accept the loss? No means coverage dispute, and appraisal is off the table. Refer out.
2. Is the disagreement about what is physically on the roof? Yes means request a reinspection and show up prepared.
3. Is it about scope, quantities, or pricing? Yes means send a line-item supplement with reasons and proof attached.
4. Did the carrier refuse a documented supplement? Yes means the homeowner may have grounds to demand appraisal, and this is the point to bring in a professional.

Speed through the first three steps is what keeps files from aging. Estimating accuracy and turnaround are the levers, which is what RoofMetric is built around.

The bottom line

Chapter 1813 gives Texas roof claims a dependable back end for amount-of-loss disputes, but it does not replace the front end. Most money still gets recovered through supplements written well enough that the carrier has nothing to push back on. Build the file the same way every time, know which of the three tools your file needs, and stop promising outcomes you do not control.

This article is general information for construction professionals and is not legal advice. Appraisal rights, deadlines, and procedures depend on the specific policy, the loss facts, the policy date, and the final Texas Department of Insurance rules. Homeowners with an active claim should consult a qualified Texas insurance professional or attorney.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a supplement and appraisal?

A supplement is a request to the carrier to correct its own estimate inside normal adjusting. Appraisal is a formal process invoked under the policy, with appraisers and an umpire deciding the amount of loss.

Should a contractor push a homeowner straight to appraisal?

No. Most scope gaps resolve through a documented supplement, which is faster and free. Appraisal belongs to the policyholder and carries deadlines and fees.

Does the new Texas appraisal law change how supplements work?

Not directly. It standardizes the appraisal provision on covered policies, which gives a refused supplement a more predictable escalation path.

How long does a policyholder have to demand appraisal in Texas?

The proposed TDI rules contemplate roughly one year from the carrier's coverage acceptance or rejection notice, with appraisers named within about 20 days. Confirm the current rule text before relying on it.