CA fires brought reports of insurers canceling home, fire coverage. Can that happen in WA?

Daniel Schrager, The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)Bellingham Herald

Jan. 11—The devastating wildfires in California have brought reports that insurers had recently dropped the policies covering thousands of Los Angeles area homes to the forefront.

In the wake of the fires, Washingtonians might be wondering if something similar could happen to them in the event of a natural disaster in the Pacific Northwest. We reached out to Washington state's insurance commissioner's office to find out. Here's what they had to say.

Insurers must give 45 days notice in WA

According to Aaron VanTuyl, a public affairs manager at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, Washington hasn't seen a similar mass cancellation of policies, leaving high-risk homes vulnerable.

"It's not really something we've seen up here," VanTuyl told McClatchy in a phone call. "From the reports I've seen, it does sound like there was a number of people that had their insurance in California canceled or non-renewed months ago, and were without coverage now. But that's not something we've seen around here."

While insurers are allowed to cancel policies, state law requires that they give customers 45 days notice.

"Insurance companies can non-renew any policy they have on the books, as long as they give you a 45 day advance notice in writing," VanTuyl said.

According to VanTuyl, that typically comes in the form of a clearly marked notice in the mail that's difficult to miss.

"I can't think of any instances where we've gotten complaints or concerns from people who were non-renewed and didn't find out about it," VanTuyl said.

So if you don't have reason to suspect your policy's been canceled, you're probably in the clear. But if you want to double-check, VanTuyl recommends contacting your insurer. If you still have questions, reach out to the Insurance Commissioner's office.

"If you have questions about your insurance, you can contact our office as well," he said. "We have a consumer protection staff that is here to answer any questions people have about their coverage or how to file a claim, or a dispute they might be having with an insurance company."

You can call their office toll-free at 800-562-6900.

Fire coverage is included in standard WA policies

VanTuyl said that another common concern he's heard in the wake of the southern California fires is that some home insurance policies don't cover wildfire damage. However, that's not the case in Washington.

"That's not something we've seen in Washington," VanTuyl said. "Any kind of fire damage is considered the same type of claim by insurance companies. So if you have a basic homeowner structure policy, then you have insurance protection from wildfires."

However, the same can't be said about flood and earthquake insurance.

"The two big ones that we hear about the most are floods and earthquakes," VanTuyl said. "Earthquake insurance is a separate policy. The vast majority of you know your basic homeowners policies don't cover earthquakes, and we think that it's a fairly low number of people that have earthquake insurance. Flood coverage is available for most people in Washington — you can get it through a private insurance company or the National Flood Insurance Program, which is administered by [Federal Emergency Management Administration]."

What should you do if your policy is canceled?

If you receive a notice that your policy will be canceled, you can reach out to an insurance broker, or research new policy options online, well before the 45 day window closes.

"In an ideal world, you could have a new policy in a couple of days," VanTuyl said. "It just depends on how much time you want to spend researching insurance online."

The Insurance Commissioner's office provides resources to help Washingtonians find a new insurance policy as well.

"We have a consumer toolbox on our website, insurance.wa.gov, that you can look up insurance agents and insurance companies to see if they have been subject to any consent orders or any infractions or anything like that by our office, and to make sure they are licensed through business in Washington state," VanTuyl said.

One thing the insurance commissioner's office recommends to make your house more insurable against wildfires is getting the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety's "Wildfire Prepared Home" certification.

"If you are at all concerned about wildfires, make sure to look into the IIBHS Wildfire Prepared Home system, which... it's just a way of certifying your home is defensible against wildfires. It's a program we're pushing, and it also makes you a more attractive risk as far as insurance companies go," VanTuyl said.

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