Fort Worth rental hail, freeze and flood plan for landlords

Fort Worth’s risk profile is North Texas: hail and severe thunderstorms in spring, freezes in winter, and flooding that is real but local rather than citywide. The state’s flood disclosure in Property Code §92.0135 applies in full — a signed notice, at or before signing, on 100-year floodplain awareness and flooding in the past five years — and it is the one document in this plan that is mandatory. No city floodplain page was verified for this guide, so the flood section relies on the federal map and the state form; the rest is operational.

Flood: the disclosure and its evidence

Answer the §92.0135 questions from the FEMA Flood Map Service Center lookup for the address — the map the statutory notice itself refers to — and from what you know of the property’s history, including any seller’s disclosure from your purchase. The TREC form carries the required wording. Keep a dated screenshot of the map. Fort Worth Water runs the city’s water and wastewater systems; drainage and street flooding complaints go to the city through its service channels.

Hail: roofs, gutters and the policy you actually have

Most Fort Worth landlords will file a hail claim before they ever file a flood claim, and the size of that claim is decided long before the storm, in the policy’s deductible. Read the declarations page for a wind-and-hail deductible stated as a percentage of the insured value; on a $300,000 dwelling, a 2% deductible is $6,000 before the insurer pays anything, and some policies carry a separate figure for named storms. Then check whether loss of rents is covered and for how many months. With those two answers in hand, walk the roof each spring — or have a roofer do it — and keep the photographs. When a tenant reports a leak after a storm, their written report is the trigger for §92.056, so answer it in writing the same day and book the contractor the same week; both dates go in the log.

Freeze: what fails and who pays

North Texas freezes are brief and they find the same weak points every time: uninsulated pipes in exterior walls and attics, hose bibs without covers, irrigation backflow assemblies, and heating systems nobody tested in November. Insulate and test before Thanksgiving. Walk the tenant to the water shutoff and the breaker panel at move-in and put both on the sheet by the door, because a tenant who can close the main valve turns a flooded kitchen into a wet floor. The Fort Worth Water account named in the lease is the one that receives the bill for a burst on the house side of the meter — say whose account it is. If the grid fails, the call goes to Oncor, which maintains the lines, not to the retail provider printed on the bill.

The sheet by the door

One page, laminated if you like: Oncor’s outage line; Fort Worth Water at 817-392-4477; the landlord’s emergency number and the repair route exactly as the lease states it; the locations of the water shutoff, the breaker panel and the gas shutoff; the county and city alert channels; and a line reminding both parties that a landlord may not interrupt utilities except as Property Code §92.008 permits.

Afterwards: evidence first, repairs second

Photograph everything with a date before anyone starts cleaning up, keep the tenant’s written report and the insurer’s claim number together, and if the home cannot be lived in, read §92.054 on casualty loss before offering the tenant any arrangement — the statute already sets out who may terminate and how rent is handled. One Fort Worth-specific caution: a fire safety or sanitation condition an inspector finds after a storm is a $200-per-unit registration on a house under the city’s Rental Registration rule, so fix those conditions before the city sees them.

FORT WORTH RISK SOURCES AND WHAT THE LEASE SAYS
Risk	Where to check	What the lease or file contains
100-year floodplain	FEMA map · TREC form	Signed §92.0135 disclosure; dated map screenshot
Hail and wind	Insurance policy (licensed agent)	Deductible and loss-of-rents noted; roof photographed each spring
Power interruption	Oncor	Outage number on the sheet; §92.008 respected
Freeze damage	Fort Worth Water	Account holder named; shutoff location on the sheet
Post-storm code violations	Rental Registration	Fire and sanitation checks before any inspection

What changes in Fort Worth

Hail, not flood, is the dominant insured loss — the deductible structure matters more than the flood zone for most units.
Fort Worth Water is a city department; there is no separate flood control district to call.
Outage calls go to Oncor whatever the retail provider on the bill.
A post-storm fire or sanitation violation on a house triggers a $200-per-unit registration.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a flood disclosure for a Fort Worth rental?

Yes. Property Code §92.0135 applies to most residential leases of 30 days or more anywhere in Texas: a signed written notice about 100-year floodplain awareness and flooding in the past five years.

What should I ask my insurer before hail season in Fort Worth?

Whether the policy has a separate wind-and-hail deductible, often a percentage of dwelling value, and what loss-of-rents cover pays while the unit is uninhabitable. Ask a licensed agent; this page cannot read your policy.

Who does a Fort Worth tenant call in a power outage?

Oncor Electric Delivery, which maintains the lines for every retail provider (Oncor).

Who handles water main breaks in Fort Worth?

Fort Worth Water, the city department providing water, wastewater and reclaimed water services, at 817-392-4477 (Fort Worth Water).

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.