HOME OWNERS INSURANCE

Due to increase and severity of wildland fires in California, many of us who live in higher risk areas have been faced with the sudden cancellation or non-renewal of our house insurance.  When we do manage to find a company that will cover us, it is usually at a much higher rate. The cause of this situation stems from two factors: the combination of climate change and more and more construction in fire prone areas creates systemic risk for insurance companies that essentially break the legacy business models, and obsolete regulations. The combination of these two forces has caused many insurance carriers to either exit California, or reduce their exposure to the state. This causes huge problems for home owners. The situation remains fluid, depending on the political situation with insurance regulation. 

The best help available is United Policyholders, a non-profit organization that helps educate residents on how to navigate the insurance situation, and can help provide recommendations for finding insurance. Start by reading their California page.  This will give you the best tactical guidance.