1 · The deadlines that bind them
The Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (Insurance Code, Chapter 542) sets clocks your insurer cannot legally ignore. Every one of these is a lever - note the date, hold them to it, and log every miss in your claim diary.
| They must… | Within | Or else |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge your claim & start investigating | 15 days | Chapter 542 violation on the record |
| Accept or reject, once you've sent all requested docs | 15 days (+45 max ext.) | Must state reasons in writing |
| Pay, after accepting the claim | 5 business days | 18% annual penalty + your attorney's fees |
| Give you time to file suit / demand appraisal | 2 years+ | Check your policy - some shorten it by contract |
2 · The dispute process, step by step
Texas insurers must state the reasons for denial. If yours came by phone, request it in writing - that letter is the document everything else answers.
Match every clause they cite against the policy's actual words. Enclose your evidence - estimates, photos, weather records - and send it certified, return receipt requested.
Most Texas property policies contain an appraisal clause - a neutral process that sets the amount of loss without a lawsuit. Insurers frequently settle rather than face the umpire.
A Texas Department of Insurance complaint puts a regulator between you and the adjuster. Past that: public adjusters and bad-faith attorneys, with your organized file as their head start.
The analyzer applies everything on this page to your letter - the clauses, the Chapter 542 clocks, your exact deadline - free, in about 90 seconds.
3 · Complaining to the Texas Department of Insurance
The TDI logs every complaint against every carrier - and carriers must respond to the regulator within 15 days. It's free, it's public record, and it changes the temperature of a stalled claim.
The toolkit drafts the complaint narrative from your diary automatically - names, dates, and the paper trail, already in order.
4 · Public-adjuster rules in Texas
If your claim is large or technical, a licensed public adjuster may be worth their fee. Texas regulates them tightly - use that.
- Fees are capped at 10% of the settlement by Texas law (Ins. Code §4102.104) - lower than most states.
- License required. Verify any adjuster's TDI license number before signing - takes two minutes at tdi.texas.gov.
- You can cancel within 72 hours of signing a public-adjuster contract, no penalty.
- Roofers can't adjust. A contractor may not negotiate your claim - beware anyone offering to “handle the insurance” for a signature.