TWIA Windstorm Insurance Appraisal
Marshall Services LLC provides independent, impartial appraisal and umpire services for disputed Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) claims across the Texas coast. TWIA is the wind-and-hail insurer of last resort for the 14 first-tier coastal counties — Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Willacy — plus designated portions of Harris County east of Highway 146. TWIA claims differ from standard carrier claims in three ways: coverage is limited to wind and hail while flood and storm surge sit with a separate NFIP or private flood policy, claim handling runs on timelines set by Chapter 2210 of the Texas Insurance Code, and rebuilding can trigger coastal windstorm building code and WPI-8 certificate of compliance requirements, whose recoverability depends on the policy's ordinance-or-law coverage. The central dispute in most coastal files is the allocation between wind and storm surge, because each is covered by a different policy. IAUA CPAU-certified appraiser Marshall Smith documents the wind loss on its own evidence — directional damage patterns, roof and opening failures, water intrusion paths above the surge line, and FAA Part 107 drone imagery — and prepares Xactimate estimates calibrated to post-event coastal pricing. Serving Galveston, the Bolivar Peninsula, Corpus Christi, the Coastal Bend, South Padre Island, and the Rio Grande Valley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I invoke appraisal on a TWIA windstorm claim?
Usually, but it depends on your specific policy form. TWIA policies have generally included an appraisal provision for disputes over the amount of loss, and where one applies it tends to work like the clause in a Texas homeowners policy: each side names an independent appraiser, the two appraisers select a neutral umpire, and an award signed by any two of the three sets the amount. Confirm the provision and its procedure on your own policy before relying on it.
What differs is the surrounding process. TWIA claim handling is governed by Chapter 2210 of the Texas Insurance Code, which imposes its own notice, acceptance, and dispute deadlines that run independently of the appraisal clause. Those deadlines are strict and unforgiving, so confirm the dates that apply to your specific policy and claim before you rely on appraisal alone.
What does TWIA actually cover?
TWIA is the wind-and-hail insurer of last resort for the Texas seacoast. A TWIA policy covers windstorm and hail damage only.
It does not cover flood or storm surge — that requires a separate NFIP or private flood policy. It also does not cover fire, theft, liability, or most other perils, which stay with your standard homeowners carrier. That split is exactly why so many coastal claims turn into a wind-versus-water argument between two different insurers.
Which counties does TWIA cover?
TWIA writes windstorm and hail coverage in the 14 first-tier coastal counties: Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, and Willacy — plus designated portions of Harris County east of Highway 146.
We appraise TWIA claims throughout that territory, from Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula down through Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend to South Padre Island and the Rio Grande Valley.
How is wind damage separated from flood damage?
This is the central dispute in most coastal claims, and it is a documentation problem before it is a legal one.
Wind and surge often strike the same structure within hours of each other, and each is covered by a different policy. We establish the wind loss on its own evidence: directional damage patterns, roof and opening failures, water intrusion paths that begin above the surge line, interior damage inconsistent with rising water, and FAA Part 107 drone imagery that captures the full roof plane. Building a clear, independently supported record of the wind-caused loss is what keeps a covered claim from being under-allocated between the two policies.
What is a WPI-8 certificate and does it affect my claim?
The WPI-8 is a certificate of compliance issued through the Texas Department of Insurance confirming that a structure — or an addition, repair, or roof replacement — was built to the applicable windstorm building code and inspected accordingly.
It can matter at two moments: obtaining or maintaining TWIA coverage, and rebuilding after a loss. Where repairs to a damaged coastal structure trigger current code requirements and inspection, those code-driven costs can be a real part of what a compliant repair costs — but whether they are recoverable depends on your policy's ordinance-or-law coverage and its limits, and on how thoroughly the required work is documented. WPI-8 requirements themselves turn on the structure, the work performed, and when it was done, so treat this as a question to confirm for your specific property.
What does a TWIA appraisal cost?
You pay for your own appraiser and the insurer pays for theirs. If the two cannot agree and an umpire is needed — roughly 5% of files — that cost is split equally.
Typical appraiser fees run $1,000 to $5,000 depending on property size and claim complexity, against $20,000 to $50,000 or more for litigation. Most disputes resolve between the two party appraisers in 90 to 120 days.