If you're renting in Houston, you've probably heard stories about Hurricane Harvey. In 2017, Harvey dumped more than 40 inches of rain on parts of the city, flooding thousands of homes and causing $125 billion in damage across Texas. Here's what surprised most renters after Harvey: their renters insurance didn't cover the flood damage. Not a single dollar. That's because flood damage requires a completely separate insurance policy—and most people didn't know that until it was too late.
Let's be clear about what renters insurance does and doesn't cover in Houston, especially when it comes to our biggest weather threats: hurricanes, flooding, and severe storms. You need to understand the difference before the next big storm hits.
What Houston Renters Insurance Actually Covers
Houston renters insurance typically costs between $22 and $24 per month, which comes out to about $264-288 per year. That's actually higher than the Texas state average of $19 per month—Houston is the most expensive large city in Texas for renters insurance. Why? Because insurance companies know Houston faces serious hurricane and flooding risks, plus higher urban crime rates.
For that monthly premium, a standard policy typically includes $40,000 in personal property coverage, $300,000 in liability protection, and a $1,000 deductible. Your personal property coverage protects your belongings—furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen items—from specific perils. These typically include fire, wind damage, hail, lightning, theft, and vandalism. If a hurricane's wind tears off your roof and ruins your laptop and couch, you're covered. If someone breaks into your apartment and steals your TV, you're covered.
But here's the critical part: if water comes into your apartment from outside—whether it's from a hurricane, heavy rain, or overflowing bayous—your standard renters policy won't pay for any of it. Flood damage is explicitly excluded from every standard renters insurance policy in Houston. Period.
The Hurricane Harvey Reality Check: Wind vs. Flood
Hurricane Harvey taught Houston renters an expensive lesson about the difference between wind damage and flood damage. Most people assumed that because Harvey was a hurricane, their insurance would cover whatever damage it caused. Wrong.
Hurricane wind damage is covered by standard renters insurance. If Harvey's winds had blown out your windows and rain came through those broken windows, that's wind damage—covered. If the wind knocked a tree onto your apartment building and water leaked through the damaged roof, that's also wind damage—covered. Your renters policy protects you when wind is the direct cause of the damage.
But Harvey's real damage came from flooding. When Buffalo Bayou overflowed its banks and water rose into apartments, that's flood damage—not covered. When streets turned into rivers and water seeped under doors, that's flood damage—not covered. Even though Harvey was categorized as a hurricane, the vast majority of damage to Houston homes came from flooding, not wind. And a shocking three-quarters of homes that flooded during Harvey were outside the mapped 100-year floodplain, meaning most residents had no idea they were at risk.
Why You Need Separate Flood Insurance in Houston
Houston's geography makes flooding a constant threat. The city is flat, sits near sea level, and has more than 322,000 homes in FEMA-designated flood zones. We're not just talking about homes right next to bayous—Harvey proved that flooding can happen almost anywhere in Houston when we get extreme rainfall.
If you want protection from flooding, you need to buy a separate flood insurance policy. The most common option is through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a federal program that sells policies in participating communities—including Houston. Private insurers also offer flood coverage, sometimes with more flexible coverage options than NFIP.
For renters, flood insurance covers your personal belongings—up to $100,000 through NFIP. In high-risk flood zones in Houston, expect to pay an additional $200-400 per year for flood coverage. Even if your apartment is in a lower-risk area, you can still buy flood insurance for less, often around $200 annually. Given Houston's flooding history, it's worth serious consideration for most renters.
Here's the catch: there's a 30-day waiting period after you purchase flood insurance before coverage kicks in. You can't wait until a tropical storm is forecast in the Gulf and then buy a policy. You need to plan ahead.
One more important point: your landlord might have flood insurance that covers the building structure, but their policy doesn't cover your personal belongings. That's on you. Texas law now requires landlords to disclose known flood risks to tenants, so ask your landlord about the property's flood history and whether it's in a flood zone.
Beyond Hurricane Season: Other Coverage You Need
Houston's weather throws everything at us: hailstorms, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and even the occasional freeze. Your standard renters insurance covers damage from most of these events. Hail damage to your belongings? Covered. Tornado damage? Covered. Fire from lightning strike? Covered.
But here's something many renters overlook: liability coverage. This is arguably the most valuable part of your policy. If someone gets injured in your apartment—a guest slips on your wet kitchen floor, your dog bites a visitor, a friend trips over your rug—you could face a lawsuit for thousands or even hundreds of thousands in medical bills and damages. Your renters policy's liability coverage (typically $300,000) protects you financially and pays for legal defense if you're sued.
Another useful coverage: loss of use, also called additional living expenses. If your apartment becomes uninhabitable because of a covered event—say, fire damage or severe wind damage—your policy pays for temporary housing, hotel bills, and even restaurant meals while you're displaced. This can be a financial lifesaver if you're forced out of your home for weeks or months during repairs.
How to Get the Right Coverage for Houston
Start by getting quotes for standard renters insurance. Progressive and Lemonade offer some of the cheapest rates in Houston at around $18 per month, though you should compare multiple companies to find the best coverage for your needs. Make sure your policy includes enough personal property coverage to replace your belongings—$40,000 is standard, but you might need more if you own expensive electronics, jewelry, or furniture.
Next, assess your flood risk. Ask your landlord if the property has flooded before or if it's in a FEMA flood zone. Check FEMA's flood maps online. Even if you're not in a high-risk zone, consider buying flood insurance anyway—it's relatively cheap for low-risk areas, and Houston's flooding patterns are unpredictable. Visit FloodSmart.gov or contact an insurance agent to get flood insurance quotes and understand your options.
Document your belongings with photos or video. Walk through your apartment and record everything you own—this makes filing claims infinitely easier. Store this documentation somewhere safe, like cloud storage, so you'll have access to it even if your apartment is damaged.
Living in Houston means accepting that severe weather is part of life here. But you don't have to accept financial disaster when storms hit. Standard renters insurance protects you from most weather perils, but you absolutely need to understand what it doesn't cover. Flood damage is the big one. Don't make the mistake thousands of Harvey victims made—get the right coverage before you need it. The peace of mind is worth every penny.
