November 26, 2020 Smoke, Maggots, and Mold: Fire Survivors Fight Insurance Company’s Denials In the Santa Cruz mountains, the charred scars of the CZU fire stretch in every direction. But every once in a while, the scorched landscape yields to a house that survived. Theresa Brees’ home is one of the lucky ones. “Our house is basically an…
November 25, 2020 Additional Living Expenses Coverage In Homeowners Insurance There’s a battle raging over “ALE” and it has nothing to do with beer. ALE is the acronym for additional living expenses coverage. It’s the money you’ll need to live elsewhere if forced from your home due to fire or any disaster covered by your…
November 10, 2020 Who Is The California Earthquake Authority? You might call the California Earthquake Authority a financial shock absorber for the Golden State, home to nearly 40 million people and to two-thirds of the country’s earthquake risk. Created in 1996, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is the largest residential earthquake insurer in the…
November 9, 2020 California Department of Insurance Commissioner Protects More Than 2 Million Policyholders Affected by Wildfires from Policy Non-Renewal for One Year November 5, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies—helping 2.1 million policyholders, or 18 percent of California’s residential insurance market, affected to date by the record 2020…
November 9, 2020 State insurance commissioner blocks home insurers from dropping policies near Glass, LNU Lightning fires The California insurance commissioner on Thursday issued an order prohibiting insurance companies from canceling property insurance policies for one year for people who live in or around the areas burned by the recent Glass and LNU Lightning Complex fires. Ricardo Lara’s action will preserve property…
November 6, 2020 California protects homeowners from having fire insurance dropped — again As this year’s historic wildfire season winds down, Californians living in fire-prone territory got temporary relief from another threat: they can’t lose their homeowners’ insurance policies for another year. Premiums and nonrenewal rates have skyrocketed in California’s fire-prone regions since 2015 as companies are loath…
October 29, 2020 Louisiana homeowners beware: Here’s how the ‘hurricane deductible’ could limit Zeta claims Louisiana homeowners will likely face an unwelcome obstacle as they recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Zeta: the dreaded hurricane deductible. Those deductibles, which became a nearly universal part of insurance contracts on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, put the onus on homeowners…
October 21, 2020 Home warranties seem attractive amid lockdown. Here’s why you want to be careful One thing we know for sure about the coronavirus, it’s been giving our homes a workout. With many people spending all day and night in lockdown, this has placed unusual strain on such things as kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. Which may have gotten you…
October 13, 2020 Santa Rosa firm helps wildfire victims navigate battles with insurance companies Three years since the Tubbs fire, there have been some notable improvements for homeowners who are wrangling with their insurance carriers in the aftermath of a wildfire loss. The state Legislature enacted some reforms, such as boosting rental living expenses from a maximum of two…
October 5, 2020 Wildfire survivors facing total property loss struggle with insurance claims process With a destructive wildfire season still underway, Insurance Commissioner Lara is urging insurance companies to help wildfire survivors. CALIFORNIA, USA — California has had an incredibly destructive wildfire season, which have left many residences without a home or facing significant property damage. As a result,…
October 5, 2020 Gov. Newsom signs insurance bill providing quicker payments for wildfire losses Wildfire victims who lose their home and possessions will be able to recoup money for their expenses faster, thanks to legislation that makes property insurance benefits easier to collect. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 872 into law Thursday, providing a suite of insurance protections…
October 3, 2020 California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Wildfire Property Losses Without Requiring a Home Inventory October 3, 2020 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to California’s latest destructive fires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is requesting that insurance companies help wildfire survivors who are overwhelmed with the task of navigating the claims process by providing up to 100 percent of personal…
October 2, 2020 As Climate Impacts Worsen, Homeowners Struggle to Find Affordable Insurance Insurance is getting harder for some U.S. homeowners to obtain as a result of the impacts of climate change, according to reporting from The Huffington Post and Marketplace. Many insurance companies are choosing not to renew homeowner policies in areas with increased risks of wildfires,…
September 30, 2020 California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses As still more wildfires rage in the Bay Area, many wonder how to handle the practicalities if they must evacuate — or worse, if their home is lost or damaged. Here are answers to common questions about insurance, money and real estate. Q: I had…
September 28, 2020 Sonoma County fire survivors embrace roles as guides and counselors to latest wave of disaster victims Vita Iskander had no intention of taking a leadership role when she walked into Santa Rosa’s Unitarian Universalist church on Oct. 25, 2017. Seventeen days earlier, her home in Hidden Valley Estates had burned in the Tubbs fire. Still in something of a daze, she…
September 22, 2020 ‘It looked like a nuclear bomb went off:’ words of advice from a Tubbs fire survivor PHOENIX, Ore. — Janet Reisner woke up to the smell of smoke on Oct. 8, 2017, when she looked out the window, she saw fireballs landing in her backyard. Her home of 20 years in Santa Rosa, Calif. was one of the 5600 structures lost in…
September 17, 2020 Dealing With Wildfire Damage? These Free Resources Can Help You File Your Insurance Claim The trauma of a wildfire is compounded only by the stress of trying to figure out if you’re covered under your insurance and how to collect under those policies for any damage to your property. Fortunately, ample free help is available, from coverage information to…
September 8, 2020 California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Reimbursement Costs for Those Displaced During Wildfires September 7, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, Calif. – To assist Californians displaced by the current and recent wildfires throughout the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a Notice to all California property and casualty insurance companies urging them to cover Additional Living Expenses (ALE) for…