The fear of losing your home to a wildfire is now a reality for many.
The "What if it happens here?" question is on many people’s minds as the Los Angeles area fires have displaced thousands of people from their homes.
“Unfortunately, we have several clients whose homes are completely gone and just trying to walk them through the claims process,” said Brette Womack, a local insurance broker in Grover Beach.
Womack says the sad reality is that many insurance companies are canceling their homeowners policies throughout the state because of risks like wildfires.
“Carriers are writing less and less in California so you're left with very few options," she said.
But there are still some things you can do. Womack says if you own your home outright, you can self-insure or conduct risk mitigation on your own home if you are in a fire-prone area. That could help you get a discount on your homeowners premium, something longtime realtor Ashlea Boyer says is important for her own home on a hillside in Pismo Beach.
“When I'm thinking about my own home and I'm looking at those Palisades homes, I'm thinking about what do we need to do to clean up?” Boyer said.
Boyer, the CEO of the Pismo Beach Homes group with Keller Williams, says that they are looking into insurance options for their clients way before they even purchase a home.
“We start the process of asking if that property is insurable way before, even before you're really even under contract,” she said.
Even with limited options for coverage, Womack, Boyer and local Farmers Insurance Agent Scott Astrosky say that there is the last resort of getting coverage through the California Fair Plan which provides basic property coverage.
“All insurance professionals by law are required to exhaust all of their markets to find home insurance," Astrosky explained. "And then if that doesn't work out, then we can all broker through and write a policy through the California Fair Plan.”
Additionally, Womack advised homeowners to keep a list of items and their value on hand in the event of an emergency so that you can be reimbursed by your insurance company for full value.
For ways to protect your home against potential wildfires, you can visit the CAL FIRE website for more details and if you have questions regarding your coverage options, reach out to your insurance agent to see what option is best for you.
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