What does the new Texas seller's disclosure ask about insurance?

Effective July 1, 2026, it asks whether the property is covered by homeowners and windstorm insurance and whether the seller has ever been unable to obtain that coverage. The point is to surface a home's insurability up front instead of leaving the buyer to discover it during financing or inspection.

Do I have to disclose that my house is on the FAIR Plan when I sell in Texas?

If the disclosure asks whether you were able to obtain standard-market insurance and you could only get FAIR Plan coverage, you answer it honestly. Being on the FAIR Plan is exactly the kind of insurability fact the July 1, 2026 form is designed to capture. It does not stop the sale, but it should be handled before you list.

Can I still sell a house I could not insure on the standard market?

Yes. Houses on the FAIR Plan and houses with insurance history sell all the time. The change is that the insurance story is now disclosed by you at the start rather than uncovered by the buyer mid-negotiation. Fixing the underlying reason, usually the roof, before listing often nets more than it costs.

When should I deal with my home's insurance before selling?

Before the sign goes in the yard. Know your roof year, pull your claim history, and get documented coverage quotes while you still control the timeline. Doing it after you are under contract hands the leverage to the buyer during the option period.

Tarrant County · Owner Guide

Do I Have to Disclose Insurance Problems When Selling My House in Texas?

By Andrew ChavisUpdated July 18, 20264 min read

The Short Answer

Yes. As of July 1, 2026, the Texas seller's disclosure notice asks whether the property carries homeowners and windstorm coverage and whether you have ever been unable to obtain it. If you were dropped, non-renewed, or ended up on the state's last-resort FAIR Plan, that now surfaces in the sale itself rather than during the buyer's inspection. If you are selling in the next year or two, the cheapest time to fix the insurance story is before the sign goes in the yard.

What Actually Changed on July 1, 2026

The Texas seller's disclosure notice was updated effective July 1, 2026 to add insurability questions. The form now asks whether the property is covered by homeowners and windstorm insurance, and whether the seller has ever been unable to obtain that coverage. Before this change, a house's insurance history was largely invisible until a buyer's lender or inspector went looking. Now insurability is a written attribute of the sale, disclosed by the seller up front, the same way a roof leak or a foundation repair is. It applies to standard residential resales across Texas, Fort Worth and 76179 included.

Why This Matters More in Tarrant County

Insurability is not a hypothetical problem here. Carriers have pulled back across North Texas over hail and roof age, and the state's last-resort FAIR Plan has swelled to roughly 3,800 Tarrant County policies, the eighth-highest count of any Texas county. If your home is one of them, or if you were non-renewed and had to scramble for coverage, the new disclosure line tells every future buyer that in writing. A buyer reading 'seller was unable to obtain standard-market insurance' will assume the worst about the roof and price it in, whether or not that assumption is fair.

Handle the Insurance Story Before You List, Not During the Option Period

The worst time to discover an insurance problem is in the middle of a negotiation, when the buyer holds the leverage and the clock is running. Do it in this order before you list. Know your roof year and condition, because most declines and non-renewals trace back to the roof. Pull your claim history so you know what a new carrier will see. Get fresh coverage quotes documented, and if you can only get FAIR Plan or excess-lines coverage, find out exactly why. Then price the fix against the disclosure hit: a roof replacement often re-opens the standard insurance market, and the value it adds to the sale can exceed what it costs, because it converts a red flag into a clean disclosure.

What This Does Not Mean

It does not mean a house on the FAIR Plan cannot sell. Plenty do. It means the insurance story is now part of the price conversation instead of a surprise, and the sellers who do well with it are the ones who saw it coming and got ahead of it. It also does not turn you into an insurance expert. Your insurance agent tells you why you were declined and what fixes the problem; your agent on the sale tells you how to position it. The disclosure form is a fill-in-the-blank honesty requirement, not a trap, as long as you answer it accurately and are not caught flat-footed by it at the closing table.

Common Questions

What does the new Texas seller's disclosure ask about insurance?: Effective July 1, 2026, it asks whether the property is covered by homeowners and windstorm insurance and whether the seller has ever been unable to obtain that coverage. The point is to surface a home's insurability up front instead of leaving the buyer to discover it during financing or inspection.
Do I have to disclose that my house is on the FAIR Plan when I sell in Texas?: If the disclosure asks whether you were able to obtain standard-market insurance and you could only get FAIR Plan coverage, you answer it honestly. Being on the FAIR Plan is exactly the kind of insurability fact the July 1, 2026 form is designed to capture. It does not stop the sale, but it should be handled before you list.
Can I still sell a house I could not insure on the standard market?: Yes. Houses on the FAIR Plan and houses with insurance history sell all the time. The change is that the insurance story is now disclosed by you at the start rather than uncovered by the buyer mid-negotiation. Fixing the underlying reason, usually the roof, before listing often nets more than it costs.
When should I deal with my home's insurance before selling?: Before the sign goes in the yard. Know your roof year, pull your claim history, and get documented coverage quotes while you still control the timeline. Doing it after you are under contract hands the leverage to the buyer during the option period.