Frequently asked questions

No. California Fire Insurance Project is a research initiative. We collect homeowner experiences to understand California's homeowners and fire insurance market. We do not sell or bind insurance.

Not at this time. This website is not offering, selling, binding, or servicing insurance policies. If you need insurance advice or a quote, contact a properly licensed insurance agent or broker.

The California FAIR Plan is a state-backed insurance pool that can provide basic property coverage when homeowners cannot find coverage in the standard market. It often covers fire and related perils, but policies may not include all the protections a standard homeowners policy provides.

Many FAIR Plan policies cover fire-related perils but not everything a standard homeowners policy includes. Some homeowners add a difference-in-conditions (DIC) or wrap policy for additional protection. Whether you need one depends on your property, lender requirements, and the coverage gaps in your FAIR Plan policy.

Insurers may non-renew for several reasons, including wildfire risk in your area, claims history, changes in a carrier's appetite for certain regions, or underwriting updates. The notice should explain the reason, but many homeowners report confusion about next steps and limited time to find replacement coverage.

Premium increases can reflect wildfire risk modeling, reinsurance costs, statewide loss trends, and property-specific factors. Even homeowners who have not filed claims report large renewal increases, especially in wildfire-exposed counties.

No. This project is not affiliated with the California FAIR Plan, the California Department of Insurance, CAL FIRE, or any insurance company.

We are trying to understand where California homeowners are facing non-renewals, premium increases, FAIR Plan placement, coverage gaps, lender issues, and wildfire-related underwriting challenges.

No. We do not publish personally identifiable information without express permission. Public research summaries use anonymized and aggregated information.