Due to the destruction of homes caused by wildfires in California, homeowners have a difficult time finding insurance companies that specialize in “higher risk” homes and offer affordable insurance. A television news crew reports next to the ruins of (David McNew/Getty Images)
Three years ago, another insurance agency refused to renew our insurance for the same reason. I don’t have a problem with an insurance company assessing a home and determining that the risk of fire is too great because of its proximity to brush. What I do have a problem with is that we’ve been with this particular company for three years, and the reason we were referred to it was because our house was close to brush, and the company specialized in “higher risk” homes.
When I called this week to ask why they’re choosing to deny renewal now, the agent said they didn’t know we were close to brush three years ago. However, I told the agent up front when I called initially that our house hadn’t gotten up and walked closer to the brush in the last three years.
Now what I’ve tried to explain to this and other insurance agencies without success is that our house has over 100 feet clearance to the brush with nonflammable ice plant in the landscape between. We have a noncombustible tile roof, and the builders used noncombustible stucco on the outside of our home. We have indoor fire sprinklers throughout the house, including the garage. There’s a fire hydrant across the street and a fire station within three miles.
What’s more, the fire chief of the local station came out to our homeowner’s association and indicated that our complex isn’t particularly susceptible to brushfires because we’re at the foot of a mountain, and it’s much more likely that a fire would travel up a mountain and head away from us.
The insurance companies aren’t listening. “Sorry, those are our guidelines, and there’s nothing we can do.”
I have gotten quotes from two bigger insurance companies that will write the policy but at considerably greater expense.
My research has turned up a government-backed insurance called the California Fair Plan that will take on houses that are deemed too risky for conventional insurance companies, but the coverage is limited.
So we’re stuck between a rock and a brush-filled mountain. I know that we have had wildfires in California, and homes have been destroyed. Insurance companies have taken a hit in paying out to clients who have been devastated by fires.
However, homeowner’s insurance is a necessity because mortgage lenders require it to safeguard their assets, and owners need to protect their homes. I am going to keep searching to see if I can find a company that’s willing to look at the particulars of our situation rather than lumping everyone into a category based on a perceived predetermined distance to hazard.
If all else fails, maybe I’ll break out the shovel and clear out the brush on the mountain behind us. I mean it probably wouldn’t take me any longer than a couple of years to climb the mountain with a shovel and weed-whacker to carve out a 1,500-foot perimeter from our backyard.
Ray lives in California with his wife and children. Please e-mail comments to raywongwriter@juno.com.
