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Home Insurance

The contents of a home in Pajaro (Monterey County) are seen on the street weeks after a levee breach flooded the town in March 2023. Few Californians have flood insurance for their homes.

California

Flood insurance in California: Here's how to sign up

Millions of Californians are completely uninsured against the threat of overflowing rivers...

California’s insurance crisis is affecting availability and affordability for millions of residents.

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California oversight commission proposes solutions to state’s home insurance crisis

California’s insurance crisis is affecting availability and affordability for millions of residents.

California oversight commission proposes solutions to state’s home insurance crisis

USAA, which insures military families, is significantly raising rates for California homes through its two largest subsidiaries.

USAA to hike insurance rates by double-digits for 265,000 California homeowners

California real estate agents are reporting more difficulty selling homes due to the insurance crisis, even in big cities like San Francisco.

New data shows just how big an impact California’s insurance crisis is having on home sales

The Coffey Park neighborhood, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Santa Rosa, Calif. The neighborhood continues to be rebuilt after being destroyed in the Tubbs Fire of October 2017.

How to protect yourself in California’s insurance crisis? Sign up for this newsletter series

The Chronicle’s newsletter series will help you protect yourself during this unprecedented crisis.

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Insurers are using satellite images to inspect homes in California — and dropping policies in the process

Insurance companies are increasingly using aerial imagery in lieu of human inspectors to...

By Megan Fan Munce

Jean Willard, a resident of San Francisco’s Clarendon Heights neighborhood, shown from above in June, says aerial photography led to her property insurance being dropped by her longtime carrier.

Half a million California homeowners to see second insurance rate hike in a year

A major insurer was approved to raise homeowners’ insurance rates in California for the...

By Megan Fan Munce

Half a million California homeowners will see their insurance rates go up for the second time in a year after the insurance affiliate for AAA in Southern California, also known as the Auto Club of Southern California, was approved to raise rates 6.2%.

Tips for homeowners to navigate California’s ‘chaotic’ insurance crisis

Here are seven tips recommended by Bay Area insurance brokers for people trying to get...

By Clare Fonstein

Home insurance across California, including in San Francisco (seen here in spring 2023), is increasingly hard to find.

California Wildfires

This data shows just how much faster California wildfires are getting — and why that’s so dangerous

Hotter, drier California weather is creating “overlap” with fall wind events, fueling...

By Anthony Edwards

A house is surrounded by flames at the LNU Lightning Complex Fire off of Gibson Canyon Road in Vacaville on Aug. 19, 2020. The LNU Lightning Complex was one of several “fast fires” identified in a new study that found California fires are spreading nearly 400% faster than 20 years ago.

Have you struggled to get home insurance in California? Tell us your stories

Have you struggled to find insurance in California? Share your story with us below and let...

By Digital Team

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 09: In an aerial view, homes stand in front of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge on June 09, 2023 in San Francisco, California. According to a report by real estate company Redfin, owning a home in the San Francisco Bay Area is more expensive than renting. The report shows that owning a home in San Francisco can be as much as 139 percent more expensive than renting and even higher in San Jose where it is 165 percent more expensive. The national average for a typical home runs about 25 percent more to buy than to rent.

Most California residents are not insured against earthquakes despite threat of the Big One

If and when the Big One hits, only 12% of California residents will be able to seek help...

By Megan Fan Munce

A man looks over the remains of his home in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles, after a gas main ruptured, caught fire and destroyed his home in the wake of the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

California’s home insurance crisis is getting worse — but rates are still cheap compared to Florida

California’s average home insurance prices are growing faster than any other state. But...

By Megan Fan Munce

Peter Heckathorn is seen in his hometown of Orinda. After moving from Florida to the East Bay last year, he was stunned how much lower his insurance premium was.

California’s insurance crisis is so bad that home sellers are letting buyers back out of deals

California real estate transactions now come with a specific contingency allowing buyers...

By Christian Leonard and Megan Fan Munce

Many home sales in California now come with a new contingency, sparked by the difficulty many buyers face in finding insurance.

SFChronicle launches a new type of college guide — just for Californians

This new product offers exclusive tools on undergraduate acceptance rates and information...

By Jess Marmor Shaw

Share image for California college guide

California insurer to drop all flood policies as it pulls back from state

Few California residents have flood insurance, despite warnings from climate experts that...

By Megan Fan Munce

Flood waters from Hurricane Helene inundate the main street of Tarpon Springs, Fla. California also could face immense flooding risks if numerous atmospheric rivers hit back-to-back.

State Farm projects massive decline in policies in California as it faces financial instability

State Farm projects that its total policies in California could drop by more than a...

By Megan Fan Munce

State Farm General, California’s largest insurer, is projecting a dramatic decline in the number of policies it writes in the state.

Here’s how HOA fees for Bay Area condos compare with the rest of the country

Homeowners association dues in the San Francisco metro area are among the highest in the...

By Christian Leonard

Homeowners association dues in the San Francisco metropolitan area continue to spiral upward even as the median condo listing price declines.

Personal Finance

Mortgage rates are close to the ‘magic number.’ Will it matter for California’s market?

Some real estate experts say there’s a “magic number” for mortgage rates that could...

A sign is posted in front of a home for sale in San Anselmo this year. The housing market is abuzz in the wake of this week’s Federal Reserve benchmark rate cut.

As California’s home insurance crisis worsens, homeowners shouldn’t count on new legislation to help

California’s response to its home insurance crisis has been almost entirely executive...

By Molly Burke and Megan Fan Munce

As millions of Californians deal with rising home insurance prices and unavailability, few insurance-related bills passed the state Legislature. Instead, California’s strategy has been focused on executive action.

The best way to protect yourself from the home insurance crisis is also the easiest

There are countless expensive and arduous ways to protect yourself in California’s home...

By Megan Fan Munce

At the Chronicle’s live event on Sept. 4, insurance experts discussed the importance of homeowners checking their mail to protect themselves in California’s home insurance crisis.

California will create nation’s first public model to predict insurance wildfire losses

With insurance pricing at stake, the California Department of Insurance and Cal Poly...

By Megan Fan Munce

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, seen here in 2023, said his department’s plan to create a public wildfire model for use in insurance would make California a “standard-bearer for all the western states.”

California has a plan to ease the insurance crisis. But one number raises a question

California regulators want insurers to write more policies in wildfire-prone areas. But...

By Megan Fan Munce

These homeowners in Lafayette lost insurance coverage last year after their insurer left the state, citing wildfire risks — an increasingly common problem for Californians.

California insurance crisis: Northern California county asks Newsom to declare state of emergency

County leaders are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for property...

By Maggie Angst

The Mosquito Fire destroyed homes in the Michigan Bluff community of Placer County in September 2022. The county has asked California’s governor, state insurance commissioner and Legislature to declare a state of emergency for property owners struggling amid the insurance crisis.

State Farm’s ‘unprecedented’ rate request in California gives new insight into plans to avoid insolvency

State Farm’s plans to restore its financial condition include raising home insurance...

By Megan Fan Munce

State Farm's corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Il. The insurer's California subsidiary has requested a 30% rate hike for all homeowners in order to protect itself from going insolvent.

California regulators approve fourth PG&E rate increase of the year

PG&E bills will rise again this year after California regulators approved another rate...

By Kate Galbraith

PG&E electricity rates are increasing again and will have an impact on many Californians heating or cooling their homes.

California Wildfires

A bad wildfire season sparked California’s home insurance crisis. What could another one do?

California home insurers are still reeling from the bad wildfire seasons of 2017 and 2018....

By Megan Fan Munce

Flames engulf a home during the Thompson Fire in Oroville (Butte County) in July. California’s wildfire season is off to a bad start, which could have serious implications for insurance.

Here’s what kind of home you can buy with $1.5 million in 12 Bay Area cities

The price of space can vary wildly depending on where in the region — or even city — a...

By Christian Leonard

A home that recently sold for $1.5 million is seen on Talbot Avenue in Berkeley.

Allstate to raise California home insurance rates by 34% on average. Map details hikes up to 650%

Allstate’s 34.1% home insurance rate hike is the largest of any major insurer in...

By Megan Fan Munce

Allstate has been approved to raise insurance rates by 34% on California homeowners. It still is not writing new policies in the state, only renewing existing policies.

Maps show California ZIP codes where home insurance is hardest to find

The California FAIR Plan has just released data showing the ZIP codes where homeowners...

By Megan Fan Munce and Sriharsha Devulapalli

A screenshot of a three maps showing the share of homes in each ZIP code in California insured by FAIR Plan in 2019, 2021 and 2024.

17,000 California policyholders are losing fire insurance as Liberty Mutual subsidiary pulls back

A Liberty Mutual subsidiary is leaving the fire insurance market in California due to an...

By Megan Fan Munce

Beth Brown poses for a portrait outside her home in San Francisco on Aug. 18. Brown was dropped for fire insurance by Liberty Mutual several months ago.

Navigating the Insurance Crisis

Losing your home insurance (or fear you will)? What to do right now

If you fear that your home insurer will drop you amid California's insurance crisis, here...

Homes are pictured in the surrounding neighborhood near the Municipal Rose Garden in San Jose, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.

How California homeowners can assess their risk of nonrenewal

Here are some common reasons homeowners have reported losing their insurance coverage.

Dena Watson-Lamprey’s home in Berkeley, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.

How to fight a nonrenewal amid California's home insurance crisis

Getting a notice of nonrenewal isn’t always the last word. Before shopping around, there...

Zillow data shows home values have dropped in the 94127 ZIP code which includes the Monterey Heights neighborhood in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023. The data shows home values have dropped across all San Francisco ZIP codes over the past six months.

California insurance crisis: What to know about working with brokers

The first thing most folks do when they get a nonrenewal notice is call insurance brokers....

A realtor’s sign is seen on home for sale on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 in San Francisco, Calif.

What is driving California's insurance crisis?

It’s no secret that California’s home insurance market is in crisis, and has been for...

Herman Termeer, 54, stands on the roof of his home as the Blue Ridge Fire burns along the hillside Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, in Chino Hills, Calif. Facing extreme wildfire conditions this week that included hurricane-level winds, the main utility in Northern California cut power to nearly 1 million people while its counterpart in Southern California pulled the plug on just 30 customers to prevent power lines and other electrical equipment from sparking a blaze.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

When all else fails: Here’s what to know about California’s insurer of last resort

Let’s talk about California’s insurer of last resort: The FAIR Plan.

SANTA ROSA, CA - NOVEMBER 5: The aftermath of a firestorm that began in Napa Valley's Calistoga, destroying thousands of homes in the Coffey Park, Fountaingrove, Larkfield, and Mark West Estates neighborhoods, is viewed from this aerial photo taken over Fountaingrove on November 5, 2017, in Santa Rosa, California. Officials are calling it the most destructive wildfire in the State's history, the Tubbs Fire roared through forested hillsides before descending into densely populated neighborhoods, destroying more than 6,000 homes, out buildings, and businesses, resulting in an estimated $3 billion in damage, 24 deaths, and leaving thousands homeless. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

Having trouble finding home insurance in California? Try a nontraditional route

What is the difference between an “admitted” (or “licensed” insurer) and...

The Coffey Park neighborhood, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Santa Rosa, Calif. The neighborhood continues to be rebuilt after being destroyed in the Tubbs Fire of October 2017.

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