Living in an area exposed to wildfires can make homeowners insurance feel more complicated. You may wonder whether your current policy covers wildfire damage, whether you have enough insurance to rebuild, or what happens if an insurance company decides your property has become too risky.
Those are important questions. A wildfire can threaten your home, personal belongings, vehicles, landscaping, and even your ability to return home for an extended period. Understanding your insurance before a fire occurs can make an enormous difference when you need protection most.
At Bakersfield Insurance Agency, we help homeowners understand wildfire insurance, review their current coverage, and explore available insurance options. Here are answers to some of the most common wildfire insurance questions.
Prepare Before Fire Season
The best time to review your wildfire coverage is before a fire threatens your community.
1. Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Wildfire Damage?
Many standard homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for fire damage, including wildfire, subject to the terms, limits, deductibles, and exclusions of the policy. Coverage may include the dwelling, certain other structures, personal belongings, and additional living expenses after a covered loss.
However, insurance availability and policy terms can vary considerably, particularly in areas with significant wildfire exposure. Never assume your coverage is adequate simply because you have a homeowners policy.
2. What Parts of My Property May Be Covered?
| Coverage Area | How It May Help |
|---|---|
| Dwelling | May help repair or rebuild your home following covered wildfire damage. |
| Other Structures | May provide coverage for certain detached garages, sheds, fences, and other structures. |
| Personal Property | May help replace covered belongings damaged or destroyed by fire. |
| Additional Living Expenses | May help with certain increased living expenses if a covered loss makes your home temporarily uninhabitable. |
| Debris Removal | Coverage may help with certain costs associated with removing debris after a covered loss. |
3. How Much Dwelling Coverage Do I Need?
Your dwelling limit should generally reflect the estimated cost to rebuild your home, rather than simply its real estate market value. These numbers can be very different.
Construction costs can change because of labor, materials, building codes, inflation, and demand. After a widespread wildfire, rebuilding costs may also be affected by increased demand for contractors and construction materials.
Reviewing your home replacement cost regularly can help determine whether your dwelling limit continues to reflect current rebuilding expenses.
Review Your Home Value
Make sure your insurance reflects estimated rebuilding costs, including significant renovations or additions.
Document Your Property
A home inventory with photos or video can help document belongings if you experience a covered loss.
Review Your Coverage
Wildfire exposures and insurance options can change, making regular policy reviews especially important.
4. What Is Extended Replacement Cost Coverage?
Some homeowners policies may offer extended replacement cost coverage. Depending on the policy, this can provide additional dwelling coverage above the stated limit when rebuilding costs exceed expectations after a covered loss.
This can be particularly important after a widespread disaster, when labor and material costs may increase. Ask your insurance agent whether this coverage is available and how it works under your specific policy.
5. What Happens If I Have to Evacuate?
Homeowners policies may include additional living expense or loss-of-use coverage. After a covered loss, this coverage may help pay certain increased costs of temporarily living somewhere else while your home is being repaired or rebuilt.
Coverage involving evacuations, prohibited use, or government orders can depend on the specific circumstances and policy language. Understanding these provisions before an emergency can help you know what to expect.
6. What If My Insurance Company Will Not Renew My Policy?
Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas may sometimes experience difficulty finding or maintaining coverage. An insurer may change its underwriting requirements, reduce its exposure in certain areas, or decide not to renew a policy.
If you receive a nonrenewal notice, contact your insurance agent promptly. There may be other insurance companies, specialty markets, or state-supported insurance options available depending on where you live.
Do not wait until your policy is about to expire to begin looking for alternatives.
7. Can Improving My Property Reduce Wildfire Risk?
Yes. Creating defensible space and improving the fire resistance of your home can help reduce wildfire exposure.
Risk reduction may include removing combustible vegetation near structures, cleaning roofs and gutters, trimming trees, maintaining appropriate spacing between vegetation, protecting vents, and considering fire-resistant building materials when making improvements.
Insurance company requirements and potential discounts vary, so ask your agent whether specific wildfire mitigation improvements may affect your insurance options.
8. What Should I Do Before Wildfire Season?
- Review your homeowners insurance limits.
- Update your home inventory.
- Photograph valuable personal property.
- Clear combustible debris around your home.
- Clean leaves and debris from roofs and gutters.
- Review your family's evacuation plan.
- Keep important documents accessible.
- Know how to contact your insurance agency.
- Review additional living expense coverage.
- Discuss wildfire mitigation options with your agent.
9. Should I Create a Home Inventory?
A home inventory can be extremely useful after a major property loss. Walk through your home and photograph or record rooms, furniture, electronics, appliances, clothing, tools, artwork, and other belongings.
Store the inventory somewhere that can be accessed even if your home is damaged. Secure cloud storage or another off-site location can make your records easier to retrieve following an emergency.
10. Are My Trees and Landscaping Covered?
Homeowners policies may provide limited coverage for certain trees, shrubs, plants, or landscaping damaged by specified causes of loss. Limits and covered causes can differ significantly from the protection provided for the home itself.
If you have extensive or valuable landscaping, discuss this exposure with your insurance agent rather than assuming the entire replacement cost would be covered.
11. Does Wildfire Insurance Cover My Vehicles?
Your homeowners insurance generally is not the primary policy protecting automobiles. Wildfire damage to a vehicle may be covered under the comprehensive coverage portion of an auto insurance policy, subject to the policy terms and deductible.
If you live in a wildfire-prone area, review your auto insurance as part of your overall wildfire preparation plan.
12. What Should I Do If a Wildfire Damages My Home?
First, follow instructions from emergency officials and do not return to your property until authorities say it is safe. Once immediate safety concerns have been addressed, contact your insurance company or agent as soon as practical.
Document damage with photos or video when it is safe to do so. Keep receipts for temporary living expenses and emergency purchases that may relate to your claim. Avoid making major permanent repairs until you understand the claims process, although reasonable steps may be needed to prevent additional damage.
13. When Should I Review My Wildfire Insurance?
Do not wait until smoke is in the air or a wildfire is approaching your community. Insurance companies may place temporary restrictions on writing or changing coverage when a wildfire is active nearby.
Review your homeowners insurance well before wildfire season and whenever you renovate, add square footage, build additional structures, purchase expensive personal property, or make significant improvements to your home.
Preparation Can Make a Difficult Situation Easier
No insurance policy can replace the memories connected to your home, but the right coverage can provide important financial resources when a covered wildfire causes serious damage.
At Bakersfield Insurance Agency, we help homeowners understand their wildfire exposure, review replacement cost estimates, evaluate available insurance options, and identify potential coverage gaps before an emergency occurs.
Call Bakersfield Insurance Agency today at 661-206-2011 to schedule a wildfire insurance review and make sure your home, belongings, and financial future have the protection you expect.
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