Accessing insurance after the Southern California fires

Thousands are left with leveled homes and marred memories after devastating fires ripped through Altadena and Pacific Palisades in Southern California.

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While they deal with the devastation, they also now have the task of filing an insurance claim, which can be intimidating.

“It’s really important to file a claim with your insurance company right away,” Janet Ruiz with the Insurance Information Institute said.

“If you have had to evacuate mandatorily, then you would have additional living expenses as part of your insurance policy. So, if you get that claim in, you’ll get assigned a claim number. You could start getting money to reimburse you for those extra expenses.”

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However, between 2020 and 2022, around 10.03% of homeowners and fire policies in the Pacific Palisades were not renewed.

In that same time frame, around 8% of policies in Altadena were not renewed.

“Insurance availability has been a problem in the real estate business for the last two to three years. This is just going to make it worse,” real estate broker Dan Scordino said.

In an attempt to help victims, the California Department of Insurance announced a moratorium, banning insurance companies from canceling or not renewing polices for homeowners affected by the fires for one year. But for some, it’s too late.

“If your policy had already expired, then it would not be brought back into force because of this moratorium,” Ruiz said.

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The insurance information institute advises people get a new policy before theirs expires or turn to the California FAIR plan.

For those with insurance, the institute suggests documenting all conversations and keeping receipts for any expenses throughout the process of filing a claim.

The California Department of Insurance will be hosting workshops in Santa Monica this weekend and Pasadena next weekend for those affected to stay informed on what their next steps should be.

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