California is in the middle of a home insurance crisis. A series of natural disasters, including California’s widespread wildfires, has caused many insurance companies to leave the state. As a result, many residents of San Francisco, CA, and the Bay Area are facing insurance nonrenewals and reduced coverage options.
How Did We Get Here?
In the last few years, wildfires, flooding, mudslides, earthquakes, and other extreme weather events have caused brand-name insurance carriers to cease writing new policies or withdraw from the state. They were concurrent and frequent, making it challenging for insurance carriers to fulfill insurance claims and keep policy adjustments up to date. The final straw was the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
The disaster caused billions of dollars in damage. Most damaged homes are worth six, seven, or eight figures in affluent neighborhoods. The influx of home insurance claims overwhelmed insurance providers. They were short on funds to fulfill insurance claims and couldn’t build up more insurance money fast enough. Policyholders were unhappy, and the companies could not course-correct the situation. The deadlock left insurance companies no choice but to leave the state.
Where Can San Francisco, CA, Residents Find Home Insurance?
Local home insurance carriers and companies are still available. As a local carrier, our agents at Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services, Inc. will use our resources to find policies. California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) program may be able to offer you the minimum home insurance coverage. A third option is to use an excess and surplus lines insurance provider.
While it’s a challenging time, our team will review home insurance carriers that will offer coverage for your home. If you have home insurance, we will discuss home upgrades to avoid a nonrenewal. Contact Biddle-Shaw Insurance Services, Inc. for more information on home insurance.
