Will Insurance Pay for Old Windows? Drafts, Age and Failed Seals
The windows are thirty years old, two are fogged, the bedroom one whistles in January, and someone told you insurance might replace them.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Will insurance pay for old windows? Usually not. Homeowners policies are written for sudden damage like hail, wind or a break-in, and drafts, rot and seals that failed with age are generally wear, not a covered loss. Check your policy and ask your agent. If a storm did damage them, that is a claim no matter their age. If not, JMB Builders in the Twin Cities replaces them retail, priced per window.
- Age and drafts are usually wear, not a claim
- Storm damage is a claim at any age
- Retail replacement priced per window
Homeowners insurance is generally written to cover sudden, accidental damage: hail cracking a frame, wind blowing out a sash, a burglar breaking glass. Most policies exclude wear and tear, deterioration and maintenance. Old windows that leak air, sashes that rotted, balances that wore out and glass seals that fogged slowly with age fall on that side of the line. Your policy wording decides it, so check your policy and ask your agent. We do not give coverage advice.
Be wary of anyone who offers to get old windows replaced by calling the wear hail damage. Filing a claim for damage a storm did not cause is a problem for you, not the person who suggested it. If a storm did hit your windows, that is a real claim regardless of how old they are, though older windows may be paid at a depreciated value first; the actual cash value page covers that. We document real storm damage the same way on any window.
When the honest answer is no claim, the windows can still be fixed or replaced on a budget you control. A fogged glass unit can be replaced in the sash. A worn sash can be replaced alone. A drafty window can sometimes be helped with new weatherstrip. When the whole window is done, replacements are priced per window, one room at a time or the whole house, and you choose the order. Utility rebates or tax incentives for efficient windows come and go; check with your utility and your tax preparer for what applies this year.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Photos of the windows you are worried about, inside and out
- What bothers you: drafts, fog, rot, sashes that will not stay up, condensation
- Whether a storm hit the house recently and when
- Your budget and which rooms come first, if replacing in phases
What JMB supplies
- An honest look at whether anything you see is storm damage or age
- Photos and a written note of any storm damage we find, for your agent
- Repair options where they make sense: glass unit, sash, weatherstrip or balances
- A quote for replacement windows, priced per window, room by room or whole house
- Install with sill pan, flashing tape, low-expansion foam and interior trim
- Painting quoted as its own line, or leave the trim primed and caulked
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Repair (glass unit, sash, weatherstrip) vs whole window replacement
- Insert vs full-frame replacement, depending on the condition of the old frame
- Window type, size and material: vinyl, fiberglass or clad wood
- How many windows are done at once, and which floors
- Interior trim kept or replaced
Send a photo of each window and a note of what is wrong with it. We reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
How long it takes
Repairs: a few hours. Replacement windows are built to order over weeks; most homes take one to three days to install.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Storm damage found
Cracked frames, dented cladding or broken glass from a known storm. That is a claim regardless of age. We photograph it with a scale and write a line-item scope; you file.
Fogged glass only
A sealed glass unit that fogged with age is usually wear. If the frame and sash are sound, the glass unit alone is replaced and the window keeps working.
Drafty but sound
Worn weatherstrip or balances can sometimes be replaced. If the frame is rotten or the sash no longer seals, replacement makes more sense.
Replace in phases
Worst windows first: the north bedroom, the fogged picture window. The rest follow when the budget allows, matched to the first ones.
Will Insurance Pay for Old Windows? Drafts, Age and Failed Seals: questions, answered
Will homeowners insurance replace drafty windows?
Usually not. Drafts come from wear and aging seals and weatherstrip, and most homeowners policies exclude wear and tear. Check your policy and ask your agent. If a storm actually damaged the windows, that is a different question and worth a look.
Does insurance cover window seal failure from age?
Generally no. A glass seal that fogged slowly over years is usually treated as wear. A seal broken by a hail strike, with fog that shows up after a known storm, is a different case. Check your policy and ask your agent, and note when you first saw the fog.
Someone said they can get my old windows replaced by insurance. Should I let them?
Be careful. If the windows are just old, filing them as storm damage is a problem for you, the policyholder. Ask what storm, what date and what damage they saw, and look at it yourself. Real storm damage on old windows is a valid claim; wear is not.
Are old windows paid at full value on a storm claim?
It depends on your policy. Many replacement cost policies pay the depreciated value first and the rest after the work is done; some older-home or actual cash value policies pay only the depreciated value. Ask your agent which you have. We write the scope the same way either way.
Are there rebates for replacing old windows in Minnesota?
Sometimes. Utilities and tax rules change what is offered from year to year, and many programs have requirements for the window's energy rating. Check with your utility and your tax preparer before you order, and tell us so the windows you pick meet the program's rules.
Can a contractor pay my deductible to get old windows replaced on a claim?
No. Minnesota law (Minn. Stat. 325E.66) bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or paying any part of your deductible, and JMB Builders does not do it. That applies to any claim, old windows or new.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
Where we work
Insurance & Storm Damage Repairs near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: