Home listings now come with their climate risks—and the results are terrifying
Home listings now come with their climate risks—and the results are terrifying
A Florida homeowner was dropped by his insurer over drone images of his roof — here’s how to keep your policy intact
A Florida homeowner was dropped by his insurer over drone images of his roof — here’s how to keep your policy intact

When Mike Arman of Oak Hill, Florida, received notice that his home insurance policy wouldn’t be renewed, he was furious about the reason. Despite 52 years without a claim, his insurer claimed his roof was deteriorating based on satellite images, without conducting an in-person inspection.…
Bonny Doon homeowners to hear from state on insurance crisis
Bonny Doon homeowners to hear from state on insurance crisis

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has accepted an invitation from the Rural Bonny Doon Association to speak at an online forum at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, on the home-insurance crisis facing residents of Santa Cruz County who live in wildfire-prone areas. “All of us…
What to do if you can’t get insurance in California
What to do if you can’t get insurance in California

While plenty of Californians will tell you there’s nowhere they’d rather live, many will also tell you they’re fed up with trying to get affordable home and auto insurance. Still, homeowners insurance is not optional if a house is mortgaged, and all California drivers must…
Coverage shrinks, premiums skyrocket as wildfire risk hits OC multifamily complex
Coverage shrinks, premiums skyrocket as wildfire risk hits OC multifamily complex

At Laguna Village, insurance costs double while damage benefits drop 98% Laguna Village, a townhome community in Laguna Hills, is facing a severe insurance crisis as rising wildfire risks have drastically reduced its coverage while premiums skyrocket. Two years ago, the insurance coverage for the…
California Insurance Commissioner says ‘real change’ coming to homeowners insurance crisis
California Insurance Commissioner says ‘real change’ coming to homeowners insurance crisis

In the last few years, most of California’s major homeowners insurance companies have paused or limited business in the state, citing the rising risk of wildfire, the cost of rebuilding homes and what they consider burdensome state regulations. As a result, hundreds of thousands of…
Anguished homeowners struggle to keep their insurance
Anguished homeowners struggle to keep their insurance

Kerry McCalmont’s insurance company told her to cut down the majestic oak tree towering over her Glendale house if she wants to renew her homeowner’s policy. But there’s a catch. A city ordinance declares that indigenous trees are “natural aesthetic resources” that add “distinction and…
California’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy: What the most extensive insurance overhaul in 30 years means for homeowners
California’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy: What the most extensive insurance overhaul in 30 years means for homeowners

It was a historic summer for California, with 2024 bringing the most severe wildfire season in 16 years. The Park Fire, which began in late July, has burned over 400,000 acres and blazed its way into history books as the fourth-largest wildfire in the state’s…
The best way to protect yourself from the home insurance crisis is also the easiest
The best way to protect yourself from the home insurance crisis is also the easiest

There are countless expensive and arduous ways to protect yourself in California’s home insurance crisis, but brokers say the simplest and most effective may be this: Check your mail. It may seem obvious, but letting a piece of mail from your insurance company fall through…
Nosotros la Gente: FEMA – Dysfunction or distraction
Nosotros la Gente: FEMA – Dysfunction or distraction

My habitual optimism now faces an insurmountable conclusion concerning the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Claims Office. When any governmental effort of that size, especially one with a clear and straightforward mission, remains in chaos two years after initial implementation, something is basically wrong. I have…
Many people don’t realize their home insurance doesn’t cover flooding
Many people don’t realize their home insurance doesn’t cover flooding

Hurricane Francine made landfall in Louisiana Wednesday night and has been dropping huge amounts of rain across much of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. It’s now a tropical depression and is headed north into Tennessee. Some 14 million people have been under flood watches from…
Park Fire Survivors Stuck in Recovery Limbo as Officials Figure Out What to Do
Park Fire Survivors Stuck in Recovery Limbo as Officials Figure Out What to Do

Under a low-slung ceiling of flashing disco lights, Yahmo Ahqha roared into the mic during his band’s practice. The band, called Yahmo, is in the performance space of an independent radio station in Chico. They have shows coming up, want to record an album, and…
Harris used her big climate moment to talk about … insurance?
Harris used her big climate moment to talk about … insurance?

The vice president was asked one climate question at the Tuesday debate. Her answer surprised analysts. When Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about climate change at Tuesday’s presidential debate, she used an unusual example to emphasize its importance. Property insurance. Harris’ description of how…
Think wildfires and hailstorms are raising the cost of home insurance? Technology may be the bigger culprit
Think wildfires and hailstorms are raising the cost of home insurance? Technology may be the bigger culprit

Homeowners in Colorado have been watching their insurance costs increase at rates faster than the national average. And they pay more on average to insure their homes than homeowners in other states – about $1,700 more, according to recent figures. You might hear that and…
California FAIR Plan Insurance: What You Need to Know
California FAIR Plan Insurance: What You Need to Know

What Is California FAIR Plan Insurance? The California FAIR Plan provides fire insurance for high-risk homes and businesses that private insurers won’t cover. FAIR stands for Fair Access to Insurance Requirements. The plan, established by state legislators in 1968, is a pool of all insurers…
State officials scramble as insurance companies abandon at-risk homeowners: ‘It’s the perfect storm’
State officials scramble as insurance companies abandon at-risk homeowners: ‘It’s the perfect storm’

“We just do not have companies willing to write business in Louisiana right now, and you can’t blame them.” Facing down a natural disaster is never ideal, but things are about to get even worse for Americans who are losing home insurance primarily as a…
‘They’re using anything as an excuse’: Home insurance companies are canceling policies based on aerial images, advocacy group says — here’s what you can do to protect yourself
‘They’re using anything as an excuse’: Home insurance companies are canceling policies based on aerial images, advocacy group says — here’s what you can do to protect yourself

John D’Entremont has owned his home in Malden, Massachusetts, for more than 40 years, but last year, his insurer unexpectedly asked him to make some major repairs. “I felt like I was blindsided,” he told Boston 25 News. “If you look at the things they…
As wildfire risks intensify, California insurance rates keep rising
As wildfire risks intensify, California insurance rates keep rising

Allstate will increase rates by an average of 34.1 percent as part of the state’s deal with the industry to expand coverage to homeowners in risky areas. California insurance officials have approved Allstate’s request to raise insurance rates for homeowners by an average of about…