It is once again time to hear from our local, residential real estate expert, Kay Bates, on a very important topic - fire insurance and fire preparedness.
Thanks, JR
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Insuring Times!
Fire insurance coverage for our homes is under attack and it is affecting us all! I am sure by now you have heard that two major insurance carriers have decided to stop insuring new coverages and even renewals in California.
As California residents we all are aware of the constant remapping of the fire zones in our state. On a local level San Diego County remapping is a cause for concern not only to new homeowners but all homeowners. The increased number and severity of wildfires in recent years has fueled
insurers’ decisions not to renew or write new homeowners insurance policies. More claims, less profits, of course they left!
Last year, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara signed into law a new insurance pricing regulation that would require insurance companies to provide discounts to homeowners and businesses for undertaking wildfire safety and mitigation efforts.
For those efforts to protect homes and reduce premiums, "home mitigation must be comprehensive and not treated as a menu of options," says Seren Taylor, Senior Legislative Advocate, Personal Insurance Federation of
California.
As homeowners in fire-prone areas face rapidly increasing insurance costs or risk losing coverage altogether, there are things we can do to mitigate the risk of fire damage.
What are the best practices for fire mitigation?
A major part of protecting a home from wildfire is paying attention to the defensible space immediately surrounding it, according to the insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. The institute recently created the Wildfire Prepared Home designation for homeowners looking to demonstrate the wildfire mitigation actions taken on their property and to qualify for insurance discounts
Here are some actions homeowners can take to improve the resilience of vulnerable areas of a home, such as the roof, specific building features and defensible space, including the zero to five foot home ignition zone, according to the institute.
What is the home ignition zone?
The Home Ignition Zone includes the area from...
