Homeowners insurance

EXPERTS SHARE TIPS ON FIRE INSURANCE CHANGES, NEW “ZONE ZERO” REQUIREMENTS IN HIGH-FIRE RISK AREAS

By Miriam Raftery
 
Photo: Cal-Fire/San Diego County Fire Authority Captain Thomas Shoots
 
June 27, 2024 (Jamul) – Soaring and often inaccessible fire insurance rates, new defensible space mandates for the five feet closest to structures, and how to form fire-wise communities were among the hot topics discussed at the Jamul-Dulzura Fire Safe Council meeting on June 11. Speakers Sharon Smith, outreach analyst with the Calif. Dept. of Insurance, and Cal Fire/San Diego County Fire Captain Thomas Shoots provided insights including:

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CALIFORNIA PUSHES INSURERS TO COVER MORE HOMES IN SPECIFIC AREAS

California can’t legally require insurers to write either residential or commercial property policies. But the state expects insurers to comply with the options unveiled Wednesday in part because they get something they want in return: catastrophe modeling.
 

By Levi Sumagaysay, Cal Matters
 
CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.
 
Photo: Firefighters battling a fire in Valley Center, one of the zip codes designated as "high-fire-risk," where officials would encourage more policies to be written, 2010 file photo
 
June 18, 2024 (Sacramento) -- California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara unveiled Wednesday an effort to force insurers to resume writing policies in high-fire-risk areas — part of an overall plan to address the state’s insurance crisis
 
It consists of three different ways insurers can meet minimum requirements for writing policies in areas deemed “high risk” or “very high risk” by the department, which aligns with Cal Fire’s identification of hazard zones. Insurance Department regulators said this hybrid approach takes into account the state’s complex geography as well as the different risk levels that big and small insurers can afford to assume. Lara said this should help homeowners who have lost coverage or been forced to turn to the last-resort FAIR Plan.
 
Insurance companies would have these three options:

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DEPT. OF INSURANCE SPEAKER JUNE 11 AT FIRE-SAFE MEETING IN JAMUL

By Miriam Raftery
 
June 8, 2024 (Jamul) – Concerned about losing homeowner’s insurance, fire insurance, or rising rates? The Jamul Fire Safe Council invites you to its meeting on June 11. Sharon Smith, insurance outreach analyst from the Calif. Dept. of Insurance will be on hand to address insurance concerns and provide information on the California Fair Plan.

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LEGISLATION AIMS TO PROVIDE ALL CALIFORNIANS WITH QUALITY HOMEOWNERS’ INSURANCE AND GRANTS TO FIRE HARDENING

East County News Service

Photo: CC by SA

February 6, 2022 (Sacramento) -- As homeowners across California continue to find their property insurance policies cancelled or struggle to find affordable, comprehensive property insurance, Assemblymember Marc Levine (D – Marin County) today announced legislation that will require mandatory issuance of homeowners’ insurance and establish a grant program to harden residential properties in areas prone to wildfires.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.