--- title: Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know --- # Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know * * * ## Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know - Posted on Thursday, September 17, 2026 Michigan homeowners are familiar with unpredictable weather. Strong winds, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail are part of living in our state, and they can also cause significant damage to homes and roofs. What may be less familiar is the way some homeowners insurance policies are changing how policy deductibles are applied when roof damage occurs. At Rathbun Insurance, we represent many different insurance carriers. Not every carrier we represent currently has a mandatory wind and hail deductible, and coverage varies significantly from company to company. However, we are seeing more carriers introduce percentage-based wind and hail deductibles, roof depreciation schedules and other changes related specifically to storm losses. We expect these conversations to become increasingly common in the Michigan homeowners insurance market. That makes understanding your policy more important than ever. Most homeowners are familiar with their standard deductible, sometimes called an all-peril deductible. It is generally a fixed dollar amount, such as $1,000 or $2,500. Some policies now have a separate deductible specifically for losses caused by wind or hail. Instead of being a fixed dollar amount, that deductible may be expressed as a percentage of your home's insured dwelling value, the amount typically shown as Coverage A on your declarations page. The important part is this: The percentage is generally calculated using your Coverage A (Dwelling) limit, not the amount of your claim. For example, imagine your policy shows: Coverage A: $350,000 All-peril deductible: $2,500 Wind/hail deductible: 1% If you experienced a covered theft loss, your $2,500 all-peril deductible would apply. But if a hailstorm caused covered damage to your roof, a 1% wind/hail deductible would equal: $350,000 × 1% = $3,500 That means your deductible for that wind or hail loss would be $3,500 rather than $2,500. If the wind/hail deductible were 2%, the deductible on the same $350,000 Coverage A amount would be $7,000. This is why simply seeing "1%" or "2%" on a policy doesn't tell the whole story. Homeowners need to understand what that percentage means in actual dollars. Examples are for illustration only. Deductibles, coverage and claim settlement provisions vary by policy and insurance carrier. Please refer to your individual policy for the coverage provided. Severe weather is an ongoing exposure in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) specifically identifies thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and wind among the severe-weather risks Michigan homeowners face. DIFS also encourages homeowners to review their policies and make sure they understand and are financially comfortable with their deductibles before a loss occurs. The cost of repairing and replacing homes has also increased, while insurers continue to evaluate the frequency and severity of weather-related claims. DIFS notes that large numbers of claims following severe weather such as heavy winds and tornadoes can contribute to higher insurance costs. In response to those pressures, insurance companies may adjust rates, underwriting requirements, deductibles or coverage provisions. At Rathbun, we currently represent carriers with different approaches to wind and hail losses. Some have separate wind/hail deductibles, while others do not. Some policies may also treat roofs differently depending on their age, condition and the coverage selected. We believe homeowners will increasingly encounter these provisions as the Michigan insurance market continues to evolve. Another important consideration is how your roof will be valued after a covered wind or hail loss. Historically, many homeowners have been accustomed to replacement cost coverage for their roofs. Depending on the policy, however, a carrier may use a roof depreciation schedule or other loss-settlement provision that changes the amount payable as a roof ages. For example, a policy could provide less reimbursement for an older roof than for a newer one following wind or hail damage. Michigan has also established consumer-protection requirements surrounding certain types of depreciation. For personal-lines homeowners and dwelling policies issued or renewed beginning July 1, 2025, insurers that depreciate certain nonphysical costs, including labor, taxes, fees, overhead and profit, must do so through a standalone optional endorsement offered in exchange for a corresponding premium reduction. The takeaway for homeowners isn't that every roof is covered one particular way. It's actually the opposite: You need to know how YOUR policy works. When reviewing your homeowners coverage, don't look only at the premium. Consider these questions: 1. What is my standard deductible? 2. Do I have a separate wind and hail deductible? 3. If it's a percentage, what does that equal in actual dollars based on my current Coverage A? 4. Is my roof covered at replacement cost, actual cash value or according to a depreciation/payment schedule? 5. Are there endorsements or coverage options available that could change how a wind, hail or roof loss would be settled? Those questions can be especially important at renewal, because insurance policies and carrier requirements can change. One of the advantages of working with an independent insurance agency like Rathbun Insurance is that we represent multiple insurance companies. That doesn't mean every carrier will offer the same coverage or that there will always be an option without a wind/hail deductible. It does mean our team can help customers understand the differences between available policies and what those differences could mean after a claim. A policy with the lowest premium isn't necessarily the best fit if you don't understand the deductible or how your roof would be covered. Likewise, a percentage deductible isn't automatically the wrong choice. What matters is understanding the financial responsibility you're accepting and making an informed decision. The worst time to discover that you have a $5,000, $7,000 or larger wind/hail deductible is after a storm has already damaged your home. Michigan DIFS recommends reviewing your insurance coverage before severe weather strikes, including understanding the deductible you'll be responsible for before your insurer begins paying a covered claim. As Michigan's homeowners insurance market continues to change, education matters. At Rathbun Insurance, our goal is to help our customers understand not just what their insurance costs, but what their insurance actually does when they need it most. If you haven't reviewed your homeowners policy recently, reach out to our team. We can help you identify your current deductibles, understand how your roof is covered and discuss the options available through the insurance carriers we represent. Being there matters most, and sometimes being there starts long before the storm arrives. ## Insurance Proposal Give us some info and we'll help you find the best coverage options. [Get Started](/insurance-proposal) **Request your insurance proposal online or contact our office to find out how we can help you find a policy that fits your needs.** [Get Started](/insurance-proposal) [Contact Us](/contact) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/blog/2026/wind-hail-deductibles-are-changing-in-michigan-what-homeowners-should-know#blogposting","url":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/blog/2026/wind-hail-deductibles-are-changing-in-michigan-what-homeowners-should-know","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/blog/2026/wind-hail-deductibles-are-changing-in-michigan-what-homeowners-should-know#webpage"},"headline":"Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know","datePublished":"2026-09-17T20:02:20Z","dateModified":"2026-09-17T20:02:20Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/#organization","name":"Rathbun Insurance"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/#organization","name":"Rathbun Insurance"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/blog/2026/wind-hail-deductibles-are-changing-in-michigan-what-homeowners-should-know#image","url":"https://webtricity-assets-2.wbtcdn.com/c6ce3622-8279-4b81-bdb0-96d1c9e6f684/images/upload/screenshot-2026-09-17-160035-1170x780.627c43222ede141adba77cd43b7af3fa5173333cc874a068f35cdc61ecfdb10c.png","width":1170,"height":780}},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/#organization","url":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/","name":"Rathbun Insurance"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/#webpage","url":"https://www.rathbuninsurance.com/","name":"Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/blog","name":"Blog"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/blog/2026/wind-hail-deductibles-are-changing-in-michigan-what-homeowners-should-know","name":"Wind & Hail Deductibles Are Changing in Michigan: What Homeowners Should Know"}}]}]} ```