SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — After a fire that destroyed several homes Monday at a Lakeside mobile home park, insurance officials say homeowners need to understand what their policies cover and take steps to keep or obtain fire coverage.
Before flames reach homes, insurance officials say homeowners should make sure they know what type of fire coverage they have.
"Your homeowners insurance basic coverage is fire, which includes wildfire, kitchen fires and any type of fire. We've seen wildfires and people get evacauted and when they're out of their homes for a few weeks to a year or two while they're rebuilding, the additional living expenses are really an important part of your homeowner's policy," said Janet Ruiz, with the Insurance Information Institute, which is a nonprofit that gathers insurance data.
In San Diego, the average cost of homeowners insurance can run from $109 to $119 a month. But in recent years, getting and keeping fire insurance has become difficult for some residents in high fire hazard zones, as some insurance companies stopped issuing policies or drastically increased rates because of the fire risk.
The state rolled out a new map of fire hazard severity zones for San Diego County in March that shows a 26% increase in acreage designated as very high fire risk.
According to the State Fire Marshal’s website, the location of this week’s fire at the Lakeside mobile home park did not fall in a fire hazard severity zone.
Ruiz says policyholders who are dropped can ask their insurance companies whether changes focused on mitigation could result in their policies being reinstated.
"If you look at wildfireprepared.org, you'll see that you can get a certificate that's good for 3 years when you've done your work. Insurance companies highly respect those certificates," she says.
If homeowners cannot obtain private coverage, Californians have the option of the California FAIR Plan, which requires homeowners to show they have been turned down for traditional homeowners insurance. That plan doesn't include homeowner’s insurance coverages, such as liability.
Ruiz called the FAIR Plan "the insurer of last resort."
"It's more expensive, it's less coverage," she says.
Ruiz advised homeowners who use the FAIR Plan to keep shopping for coverage.
As the California Department of Insurance modernizes the regulatory process, Ruiz said they are bringing more companies back into the fold, and they'll see in 2026 that more insurance will be available.
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