Home insurance went from $990 to $2400 in 2 years, with a max deductible (I think $5000, but could be $10,000), and no contents covered, so just house replacement, and I was just notified last week that the house is a bit under-insured, but we declined to adjust it this year, will relook at it next year.

I can only complete the defensible space on my property but my neighbors haven't done theirs. I can't force them to but it effects my access to insurance.

I have a new insurer. When I moved 1.4 miles down the road (from rescue to shingle springs) AAA cancelled my policy and woudl not insure my new home.

What rights do we have about home owners insurance getting cancelled for no reason other than they deemed it too risky? I live in a neighborhood in El Dorado Hills and my insurance company asked me to take photos and document my defensible space. My home is fully landscaped meeting all defensible space requirements.

Thank you for conducting this survey. We need to appeal to the CA Insurance Commissioner or other appropriate entity to deal with homeowner's insurance pertaining to fire, as most of the state is at high risk.

It feels that property owners that live in a semi-rural to rural area are now being punished due to the financial cost of fires felt by the insurance companies and utility companies. Either they are raising our fire insurance or they are shutting off power due to the "potential" of a possible fire threat.

Our community's Fire Safe Council has spent millions (in grant money) to create a large fire break around the community. However, the biggest threat comes from adjacent National Forest property which the US Forest Service seems unwilling or unable to address. The County needs to sue the USFS to bring this issue to the forefront. The inability to obtain affordable homeowners insurance is affecting property values and, in turn, County tax revenue.

I'm deeply concerned with the direction that the insurance industry is headed. My belief is that they are using recent California fires as a reason to increase rates to unimaginable heights. 5 or 10 % might be understandable but a neighbor recently had his rates, which were increased last year, increased to $10,000 annually. More than 300%. And he has great defensible space.

Hartford Insurance through AARP works for us.

My insurance renews in January so there may be repercussions in the next renewal cycle. Also the defensible space and county requirements have cost us over $8000.00 so far and I still need the 100' separation from neighbors who have not complied. Cheers... keep up the pressure on Sacramento for insurance reform. Earthquake insurance fund may need to be broadened to include other disaster items. California Fair Plan and earthquake insurance have two cost sinks with two administrative structures. Maybe combination would be a good use of the budget "surplus"?

I would appreciate a service that will assess each property owners risk and offer suggestions for fire mitigation. Ideally this would be in conjunction with insurance services to help either obtain insurance or keep premiums at a reasonable rate.

I have a complaint filed with the California Insurance Commission. My insurance company sent a very threatening letter stating that my fence did not show "pride of ownership" and they would be cancelling my policy if the problem was not addressed. They did not specify which side of the house the fence needed repair and I did repairs at great expense in time and money to what eventually turned out to be the "wrong side". I requested clarification about the what specifically needed to be repaired with photos of the other side of the fence. The insurance company replied that the other side, which they initially wanted repaired, was okay and they would not be cancelling my policy. I believe the insurance company did an "about face" due only to the complaints I filed with the Insurance Commission. I believe the Insurance Companies doing business in California need to be held more accountable for their policies and the actions they take to intimidate their clients.

I own two homes near Lake Tahoe and one got the coverage cancelled and the other did not and they are right next to each other so I am thinking that I was with the insurer on the one that did not get cancelled for over 25 years and on the other for about 6 years so maybe that is why one got cancelled. Both are on small lots that we keep quite clean and with good defensible space ... so says Cal Fire who sends us notices when they do inspections. ..... Bob

I have met the TRPA and Lake Valley Fire district defensible space requirements but I heard that the county of el dorado has adopted even stricter rules more in line with some insurance companies. This makes me very angry!!! Because the new rules extend beyond my property and authority and require far too much thinning causing an even hotter backyard/front yard situation requiring more irrigation without much increase in safety or lowering of risk. The county is playing in to the hands of the insurance companies who would prefer we are all surrounded by concrete!!! This is unacceptable! I want my county to stand up against insurance companies and maintain defensible space requirements that are reasonable, support native wildlife and plants and prevent erosion of soil to nearby streams and lakes!!! Fight back county! I don’t support the new requirements!

It is increasing difficult to find insurance and the premiums have been raised significantly. I was dropped by one insurance two years ago (no missed/late payments, no claims, just live in "fire area" AKA Lake Tahoe) and notified recently by the new company (with higher costs than the first) that they will not renew next year due to "living in a fire area". Insurance is required for my home loan, not to mention my piece of mind as my home is my largest investment. I have heard similar stories from many others all over California. Insurance companies calculate risks and charge accordingly, insuring they make a profit- which is fine, now it appears they are only covering homes/areas with little to no risk, ensuring themselves a profit while abandoning homeowners who have diligently paid them for years. What is the government doing to regulate these companies and their practices???

Had to purchase a separate home owners insurance for fire so have 2 policies. Also built new construction with fire sprinklers and Hardy siding.

Our annual premium went from ~$800 to ~$4,100 after we lost fire coverage from our insurer and had to go with the California Fair Plan.

My policy with State Farm was cancelled in 2015 after 40 years due to fire danger. . I was able to secure new homeowners insurance by bundling all of my policies with one company. Otherwise it would be Lloyds of London at 3x the current rate.

If you are unable to afford the insurance or are concerned about that insurance my not be available do not buy or build a house at that location. Go to a Subdivision that is not in the middle of a forest, has fire hydrants and nearby fire stations.

El dorado county needs to get involved at the state level to deal with the homeowners insurance. The fact that the county has been asleep at the wheel on this is distressing.

WE have concerns that if we try to sell and relocate, the new buyers won't be able to get affordable insurance, resulting in no sale or lower sale price.

The increased cost of homeowners insurance or the inability to obtain it have hit people hard who are trying to buy or sell a house in El Dorado County. We have very good defensible space around our home, but it doesn't seem to matter to the insurance companies.

All homeowners insurance is way to expensive. What impact does your organization have to do with insurance rates?

I think it would be good to do deals per neighborhood. Say Tree cutting will be in x neighborhood this week sign up. Or gutter cleaning for $XX this week in this neighborhood. Sign up. Creates momentum and efficiency, saves time and costs. I know quite a few people losing or not getting insurance or whose rates are up. Problem for my friends has been trees in neighboring lots owned by CTC, County or vacate lots whose branches are close to our friends homes.

Several (At least 4) of my friends have moved out of the County (and some out of state) as their insurance costs increased significantly.

Some thing is not right.... there is no checks and balances on what and why companies are doing what they are doing with little real "data" to prove their actions.... other than "zip code" and "Fire Rating".... no hard data on facts, probabilities of a fire, fire layover maps for the past 50 years. Seems to be a reactionary insurance pull out with large Government basically letting them do it, which we know the insurance lobby is huge, and probably not on the up and up.... kinda like the State letting PG&E off the hook .... something is not right and dirty!! Sorry yo be so pessimistic, but talk about transparency.....

I was able to get insurance through Loyds Od London at about 70% higher than my previous rate at Nationwide, the. Ones who cancelled me after 30 years with no claims.

We live in a forested area for the trees, but would have to clear cut our lot for the recommended 100 ft clearance for defensible space. It is extremely expensive to have trees removed - one beetle killed tree 34" in diameter cost $4,000 (a crane was required). We lost 10 large trees to beetle kill. PG&E cut them down & left them on the ground (slash and all) , so we had to pay someone to haul away the slash and wood. We have a few trees left to provide a little shade on our little town lot. We choose to live where we do, and take the insurance premiums as part of the cost of doing so. I think that for-profit insurers looking out for the interests of the shareholders will always be at odds with the interests of the rate-paying stakeholders (who might even be adding to the problem by being under-insured in order to keep their own costs down).

The high cost of or absence of homeowners insurance has had a significant negative impact on home values!

The Fire dept walked our neighborhood to evaluate our yards. I let them walk our yard. He gave an excellent report card and I immediately submitted that to my insurance company.

Since we have an insurance commission in California telling how and what the insurance companies can do, why not stop the insurance companies fromraisinf rates so high. They can spread the expense to their other customers. Even better, have the commission sue the state of California on behalf of insurance customers for the poor policies that the state has in place that causes the fire problems! I would love to assist in directing our state employees in instituting this process.

Insurance Commission needs to get involved when premiums go up over 100% and companies like PGE get bailouts when claiming bankruptcy.

I’m worried that my fire insurance won’t be renewed.

My insurance has gone up to over $6,500 a year. Shocking and I have a grave concern about another increase next year. This is driving me from my home.

Coordinated outreach from the appropriate impartial, expert consumer agencies is needed ASAP. It has been very alarming to see that most of our residents do not know where or how to seek our accurate information. Increased transparency and uniform risk modeling standards need to be applied across the Insurance industry that takes into consideration a) individual homeowner fire mitigation efforts (i.e. vegetation management and home hardening), local certification programs (i.e. Boulder Colorado's Wildfire Partners Program, Fire Wise, etc.) c) neighborhood mitigation programs (i.e. Firewise Communities, etc), and d) regional fire mitigation activities at the local and state levels (i.e. CalFIRE firebreak projects, increased County hazardous vegetation inspections, etc.)

I have been weedeating to provide defensible space but it is taking me a really long time because I work full-time. I can't afford to have someone do it as my home insurance has gone up so much. I am looking at moving out of California.

We need to reopen Station #18 on the corner of Sly Park Rd and Sierra Springs Drive. If this does not happen soon we will not be able to afford to live here! The community is suffering as homeowners are moving out of the area because of the outrageous cost of home fire insurance; the county is suffering because of the drop in home value and the loss of the tax base; and, the businesses are suffering as their clients are forced to move out of the area. Paying $300 to 500 a month for insurance is unsustainable.

Most people are not as fortunate as we are. We live within the five mile radius of the Fire Station (fully manned). It seems that is important to insurers. Also, I am on the Board of the Aukum Fairplay Fire Safe Council so I am probably better informed than most.

Homeowners need to understand the connection between forest health/defensible space and home insurance. I hear too many of my neighbors criticizing well planned forest health measures while other neighbors are having their home insurance canceled.

I live in Rescue, CA on Winchester Dr. and my neighbors on both sides are more overgrown than our lot — every chance I am working on making our property less and less risky — they are grandfathered in as far as I know and didn’t or have not lost their homeowners insurance — I had to go to Cal Fire — it doesn’t seem fair — I’m constantly working on it and they are not — I know life is not fair — but if their houses burned down and mine did not I’ve put more $$ into the insurance system which is not fair!

General publication of insurance rates applicable to homes in an area would inform the owners as to what is happening in the market place. This data is not readily available to the consumer.

It should be illegal what the insurance companies are doing. People have paid these same insurance companies for years without any claims, they are being allowed to rob us

One of the biggest issues is: I've spent thousands of dollars and invested lots of time in clearing my property (and it still needs more work), but many of my neighbors either don't care or they're elderly/sick and can't do the clearing themselves. As a County, we need more needs-based programs to help the truly indigent/elderly/infirm and more enforcement for those who are able to do the work, but just don't care. We had TWO homeowners insurance companies cancel on us in the past 3 years and are now with the CA Fair Plan; there should also be more education about the Fair Plan's availability and better cost.

State Farm indicated (about 2 years ago) they “grandfathered” us in and not to let our insurance premium lapse as they are not issuing new policies in our area. They continue to renew our policy and have not substantially raised rates. I am in fear though that this may not last and we will be canceled.

Insurance rates are too high for many homeowners. It is going to be difficult to buy or sell property and that will leave many of us stranded in a home we can no longer afford. If my rates increase I will not be able to make my mortgage payments and will likely end up being foreclosed. Or bankrupt.

State insurance commissioner assures everyone he can find insurance for them, but the only thing we were able to find was the Fair Plan... which was about $1000 more than the $3500 a year we payed the prior year... Two years ago we only payed about $850 a year.

Sad that even with defensible steps taken, insurance is still sparse or incredibly high priced without being backed by the CDI.

We had to find a new carrier, and also purchase the Fair Plan. Collectively, our homeowners insurance tripled from what it was previously. The increase in our annual premium was a shock. We are fortunate that we can afford it; but, it does create a burden. We are saddened for others less fortunate who may not be able to afford insurance for their homes and property.

I was able to secure new insurance but for over $1000 more a year. It was the only insurer that was willing and they wouldn't insure all of my outbuildings.

This situation is not getting enough attention from our State government or insurance commissioner. I believe our commissioner is being influenced by lobbyists/money. This will have a huge impact upon our retirees, all homeowners and property values, and will therefore have a negative effect on CA economy.

Lack of options for insurance is a huge issue to support locals living in town vs hotels. High premiums will make local living less attainable. This is a huge issue for town.

I have spent many, many thousands of dollars to create a more defensible space for my property and for those who live nearby who do not care about such things. Their attitude is - "that is what insurance is for". That is part of the reason we are having the fire problem we have now because too many people have that attitude.

It would be great to have some resources for insurance needs with good and consistent information. I have heard many different stories and it seems to depend on which individual broker the information came from. I have heard that there are companies that may rate you depending on individual circumstances (distance to fire station, access to hydrants, etc.). I live in Garden Park(in Garden Valley) with two fire stations within a couple of miles from my house and a hydrant at the end of my driveway. I have not been able to find a company (other than the Fair Plan) that will insure my property, but have heard rumors that other people have found companies that will insure based on different factors. It would be great to have a place to get all of the correct information in one place. People have to largely rely on the experience of neighbors and word of mouth when (not if) the cancellation notice comes in the mail.

I’ve heard it’s hard to sell in our area as buyers can’t get fire insurance reasonably

Something has to be done about the insurance problem or areas like Pollock Pines will become a ghost town!

Defensible space requirements specified by my previous insurer were far too stringent to implement here in the Tahoe Basin. They required that I cut down the small grove of 80+ years-old trees on my property to be in compliance. Even if I were willing, I could not afford to do so at $1500/tree, nor do I think I could get a permit to do so. Other than that, no one has ever given me defensible space info beyond the suggestion that I have nothing planted within 20 feet of the dwelling or other structures.

Insurance companies should not be able to just drop you. I have been with the same company for 30 years. We have defensable space. 15, 000 gallons of water, two fire pumps and 1500 feet of hose. Not to mention we have a hydrant on the property. My brother and I have extensive fire department experience and believe we are in a very good position to defend out homes. The insurance companies do not even look to see how you are doing with property fire defense. I have no issue with insurance companies setting standards that a homeowner needs to meet to get fire insurance, but to just deny coverage is wrong

As a single senior with a mortage payment I appreciate making sure that options for affordable home insurance are available. Some assistance with defensible space would be nice - after helping the liwest income folks 1st. I'm on lower edge middle income.

Concerns would include: * property owners who do not live or do not have a house on their property, and CHOOSE not to clear their property. It puts all of the other property owners at a higher risk. * fixed income folks have to allow for outrageous homeowner insurance costs. In our case, the rates went up 5x, and apparently, if we're even covered next year, it should go up another 300%. * due to the exceptionally high insurance rates, we may be unable to sell the home we can no longer afford. Do we have to walk away? * We are long time homeowners in El Dorado County (30 years) and thought this would be our forever home. We've raised our children here, and although my husband has retired, I am a teacher in our schools, and we have successfully created a productive life. We are devastated.

My insurance has been canceled twice in last two years. I live in a forest atmosphere which is next to impossible for a defensible space.

look for insurance via a Lloyds of London broker.

Yes, I have had two friends who have lost their insurance due to not having enough defensible space. In addition, there rates went up and they already were living on a tight budget. I believe there should be some stipends available for families that have experienced a hardship with the new regulations. Insurance companies are just canceling policies.

Worried that existing insurance won’t be renewed.

Are there standard criteria used by insurance companies to determine fire risk? If our local fire department is highly rated and I have defensible space, will I pay less for insurance? Are some neighborhoods in South Lake Tahoe considered more of a fire risk than others? Where do I go to get answers to these questions?

Insurance is suppose to be a pool to cover all

Though my insurance company didn't cancel me or drastically raise my rates this year, I know some of my friends and family have been cancelled and forced to insure at a much hire rate, as much at triple what they were paying. I am pretty sure that my company will do the same thing to me when my policy is up for renewal in April 2020.

Disabled and retired. Fair plan only alternative. Triple the price. Can’t sell home because folks can’t get insurance

my association has taken steps to insure a denfensible space/

Two separate carriers have cancelled our home owners insurance in the past two years.

Sad that people are having so much trouble getting insurance. I’m fine after 46 years living here it just gets renewed.

Our insurance was cancelled 2 years ago and will not be renewed at the end of August.

We need all existing fire stations manned now, and perhaps more opened, as insurers say having one within 5 miles of your property is a key criterion for insurance rates.

My household is not yet directly affected by rising fire insurance costs, but I anticipate it will eventually trickle to our premiums for at least two reasons: Cameron Park is a moderate-high fire risk area per State Fire Marshall's High-Risk Map, and that the state is likely to intervene in the insurance market to ensure residents can access reasonably-priced coverage. EDC should be aggressively lobbying state legislators through CSAC, etc for insurance reform, funding/tax credits for fire resistant retrofitting of structures, and an increase in prevention funding. The Cameron Park Fire Safe Council left money on the table this year. They were awarded a state climate change grant to partially fund the district's fire risk mitigation ordinance, but failed to apply for the CA Fire Safe Council grant, forgoing a potential doubling of the funding. Lastly, I notified PG&E in writing of tree branches on power lines for a 2 mile stretch of Bass Lake Road between US 50 and Green Valley Road

I’m surprised insurance doesn’t cost more, considering the billions of dollars that have been paid out in recent years.

Fred Ott with State Farm is still insuring our home.... thank goodness.....

This is a huge issue for current and future homeowners. Property values will go to zero if people can’t insure their homes at reasonable rates.

I fear that few will be able to own here if fire insurance becomes impossible to get or two expensive.

There need to be higher risk pools. As it is right now if you have insurance you can recover. If not you lose everything. Lloyd’s of London is not really an alternative. Why not creat a hybrid coverage that allows the industry And owners to share the risk in high risk areas¿

I don’t want to seem ignorant or too Polly Anna but it seems to me that my personal insurance did not cancel us because of our proximity to a fire hydrant across the street. How much does it cost to install additional fire hydrants? Should that be on the radar for new construction or remodels where possible?

I have done all of the defensible space requirements and the insurance company cancelled me anyway. The California unfair plan was my only option. Insurance tripled which is a difficult pill to swallow. It will drive us our of our homes.

Homeowners in my neighborhood (about 80%are second homes with high short term rental turnaround) choose to ignore TRPA and NTFPD regulations regarding defensible space, particularly tree/crown density, annual maintenance, and posted high fire danger no burn bans. As a full time resident I am deeply concerned about the lack of cooperation from lackadaisical home owners. If I owned an insurance company I’d cut my losses and drop these people too - like a hot ember.

Options for protecting our home and communities that are affordable. It's criminal the amount of money we are expected to come up with and then the jump in mortgage payment is a hardship. At the end of the day, is it helpful? Are we addressing the issued and protecting our land or just scraping the pockets of those of us who keep this town alive and full if love. I have lived her 40 years, andit saddens me that others that have as well or longer are at risk of losing their homes because they can't afford the insurance. Homes are, allot of times, all an individual has, in terms of investment. It's unfair how the hardworking citizens keep getting affected.

Met Life has been a good company - much more affordable than the local options. One must really do the homework to ensure you're not being talked into more insurance than you really need. Agents "may" try to use scare tactics to get you to buy too much coverage - that which you would never be paid out because your home is not worth that much. Be careful and do your homework.

many of the defensible space requirements a very expensive for those of us on fixed incomes + insurance increase's are killing the housing market!!

Looking at buying. There's no clear information on fire insurance. That's a big deal for home sales and renter's.

I have gone over and beyond what has been requested of clearing my property. My insurance was cancelled and rewritten without the fire policy. I now have to go through California FAIR...LOL Doesn't seem fair at all to me...My fire insurance is now close to $3000/year. That really hurts!

Insurance companies are taking advantage of a terrible situation that PGE caused and responsible homeowners caught in the middle are being fleeced. This is a major economic issue and will detract people from becoming or staying El Dorado Co business owners and homeowners.

It is a frustrating position that homeowners are in due to the recent fires and PG & E negligent condition of their equipment. Each year when you see the tree companies come out and trim only a few inches off the tree so that the branch does not touch any part of the wire and then come back the next year and do it all over again. Seems like they want to insure they have a job each year to trim and not remove the tree. I have to remove and clear trees to keep my home safe. We have also designed a sprinkler system that is placed on our roof in case of fire. We have used it once for a fire that was miles away, and the embers were falling on our property. We are on a well and would have to start a generator if PG & E were to turn off the power. Not being able to insure your home will cause a huge housing issue, with people walking away from their home because of the high cost or unable to sell their home. We have just been renewed for our homeowners insurance for this year.

Insurance companies should not be able to cancel your insurance without first giving homeowners the chance to meet the defensible space requirements. ALSO, the state of California should give us homeowners a tax break for the cost of tree and brush removal.

I haven't had my insurance canceled at this home but I did at my previous home. Allstate dropped us after having us as customers for almost 18 years. I purchased my current home in 2018. I had to shop A LOT before finding my policy with Farmers Insurance. The quotes I got from the California Fair Plan were over $3000 (1600 sq ft house on 1.5 acres in Grizzly Flats). I was thankful to find my policy with Farmers and hoping they continue to cover me!

Insurance companies getting rich on our backs. That's all it is. Not unlike Health Insurance. Shame on our representatives for NOT representing our interests.

Companies are refusing to sell insurance in high risk areas are leaving folks helpless as it is required by the mortgage company.

Rather than funding economy destroying programs like the bullet train and health insurance for criminal illegal aliens, the State should be deploying our resources to dramatically reduce wildfire threat which will encourage insurers to again write homeowner policies.

My insurance premium went up only 12%, but that was after significantly increasing the deductibles, which is why I selected significant.

Many insurance companies appear to be using Google Earth to decide if defensible space is in place. Unfortunate, depending on the satellite view, it can look as though a home is covered in trees even though you can stand outside and see completely clear sky for 30+ feet. I have had to take ground level pictures to argue my point with insurance companies in the past.

Something needs to be done! Insurance companies should not arbitrarily hold counties at fault.

Why doesn't someone figure out how to make Fire Insurance a pooled resource like flood insurance? We subsidize flood insurance on homes in every state wouldn't a pool of Western States or Wild Fire Zones help to spread the risk for companies offering insurance in California

From speaking to other residents, if you are not renewed, the alternative is an extremely expensive policy through the State. We've done most of the work to make our home defensible. However, insurance companies don't recognize that you can have a small "cluster" of trees with touching canopies, as long as that cluster is separated by other trees by a minimum of 10 feet. This is a burden and requires cutting down too many of our beautiful trees.

Absolutely terrifying to think we may lose our house because insurance is too expensive for us to get, if we can even get it, and can’t sell because no one can get insurance. CA Fair Plan is even too expensive for us and doesn’t have great coverage. I’ve looked to 20 different companies to see if we could get insurance in case we don’t get renewed and we can’t. The only thing we can get is the expensive CA Fair Plan that we can’t afford. I’m going to end up losing my house.

I know this issue is affecting thousands of people, probably more. I was with my insurance carrier for 31 years. Now no one will insure me. My rate used to be lower than most because I am within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant and less than 3 miles from the fire station. That means nothing now. I have contacted at least 20 insurance companies or insurance agencies and still nothing. Will have to go with the "FAIR" plan. Being retired and on a fixed income, this is a huge strain. On top of that, I couldn't sell my house if I wanted to because no one is willing to pay these outrageous prices.

Our Fire Safe Council is having a community meeting with a panel of Insurance brokers to inform residents of the issues. We feel the State Insurance Commissioner should be doing more for folks - it is just so unclear as to what we can do to keep our insurance or control rate increases.

We need help from somewhere. We need help getting insurance rates stabilized. We need help prepping our homes. We need help.

vacant lots, conservancy lots (next to residences, 2nd homes, and VHRs), sometimes are not maintained creating a possible fire hazard. This could affect the renewal of insurance, so should there not be a requirement for an annual cleanup?

I was none renewed about five years ago by Liberty Mutual. We had been insured with them for about 20 years with no claims. We had done our defense space already. They would not reconsider, saying they were pulling out of CA, period.

We need fire hydrants down Blair road. My hazard insurance increased 50 % because a hydrant was more than 1000 feet from my driveway. This is likely the same for properties that have acerage...

We opted to sell our home in Swansboro due to the astronomical increase in insurance rates. We were dropped twice in the last 2 years despite meeting defensible space requirements and insurance rate nearly tripled.

they cancelled my insurance they said because of my goats, which doesn't make sense as my whole neighborhood is goats, chickens and cows. They I couldn't find another insurance company because I had prior claims 4 years ago which the pay out on was under $500. Our trampoline was picked up by the wind and slammed into our neighbors roof.