If you own a home, you probably own a homeowner’s insurance policy. That applies in California as well as in the other states across the United States. As wonderful as it may be to live in California, which is extremely desirable for many people, it may be extremely difficult to navigate if your home is damaged because of a wildfire. As beautiful as it is to live surrounded by warm sunshine and gorgeous beaches, it is also important for you to be practical and to recognize that there is another side of the coin.
California is unfortunately one of the states that is vulnerable to wildfires and earthquakes and it is important for you to embrace what you must do in the event of a wildfire as well as what you can and should do after your home has already sustained damage from such as disaster. Wildfires ravage a huge volume of land every year and there is certainly a chance that your land may come to meet such a disaster. It is important to have wildfire insurance in the entire state of California because it is such a widespread problem throughout the state.
The challenges of obtaining wildfire insurance in California
Because wildfires are so prevalent in California, many people in the state have difficulty obtaining wildfire insurance that they can afford. The more an area is prone to wildfires, the more expensive the wildfire insurance will be. The insurance rates are based on the amount of wildfire risk in that particular area. Many California homeowners encounter insurance policies that have high premiums, increasing deductibles, payouts that are capped or they will be denied insurance coverage entirely.
Most standard homeowner insurance policies in California will cover the damage that wildfires cause and the insurance companies try to make the policies as affordable as possible for the policyholders if they need to repair the damage to their home or they need to replace their home completely.
Breaking down the specific types of coverage within the policy
Within the policy coverage, one part of the homeowner’s coverage is “dwelling coverage,” which will pay for rebuilding or replacing the actual structure of the home and any other structure(s) that may have been attached to the main structure. That would include a deck or a garage, for example.
Another part of the coverage is called “other structures coverage,” which will pay to replace or rebuild structures that are not physically attached to the house. Some examples of those are sheds, garages that are not attached to the house, fences and pools.
“Personal property coverage,” which is separate from those other coverages that were already discussed here, will pay for replacement or repair of your personal belongings. Some of those are appliances, furniture, clothing and electronics. It is important for you to make sure that you have enough coverage for all of those items when you buy the policy initially.
Sound advice from a knowledgeable attorney who is well-versed in insurance recovery
If your home has been damaged or destroyed by a California wildfire, the sound advice of an attorney who specializes in California insurance recovery may make a tremendous difference to your case. It is difficult enough for you to suffer such loss. Having hope that you may be able to be compensated so that you can either renovate or replace what you have lost may give you the ability to look to a brighter future for you and for your family.