Short answer: In your first year as a California homeowner, confirm that your policy matches the home you actually bought, that your dwelling limit reflects today's rebuild cost, and that your lender has proof of coverage. Then make the decisions that standard homeowners policies leave to you: earthquake coverage (your insurer must offer it, and if you decline it must offer it again every other year), flood coverage (excluded from standard policies), and enough liability protection, possibly with an umbrella. Make a home inventory, document wildfire mitigation for possible discounts, read any HOA insurance summary, and put your renewal date on the calendar so you have time to review or shop. This checklist runs in the order most new owners need it.
This page is for the first 12 months after you get the keys. If you're still shopping or in escrow, start with our first-time homebuyer insurance checklist, which covers the steps before closing. If you're buying in a wildfire area of Los Angeles, also read buying home insurance in Los Angeles after the 2025 fires. It's general information; your policy's wording controls.
Week 1: Make sure the policy matches the home
1. Read your declarations page, line by line
Your declarations page lists who and what is insured, the limits, the deductibles and the endorsements. Check:
- Names and address. Every owner on title should be a named insured or listed appropriately. If the home is owned by a trust or LLC, see insuring a home owned by a trust or LLC.
- Mortgagee clause. Your lender's name and loan number should be correct.
- Property details. Year built, square footage, roof type and construction should match the home. Wrong details can affect a claim.
- Policy form. Know whether you have an HO-3, an HO-5, a condo (HO-6) form, or a FAIR Plan policy with a separate difference-in-conditions policy. See HO-3 vs. HO-5 and the HOA master policy vs. a condo HO-6.
2. Confirm your dwelling limit reflects rebuild cost
Your purchase price includes the land, and land doesn't need to be rebuilt. The dwelling limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild the home at today's local labor and material prices. Ask how the insurer estimated it and whether you have extended replacement cost or building code upgrade coverage. See how much it costs to rebuild a home in California.
3. Confirm your lender has proof of coverage
If you have an escrow account, your servicer pays the premium. Make sure it has your declarations page and the correct insurer. If a servicer believes you're uninsured, it can buy force-placed insurance and charge you for it, after the written notices federal rules require (12 CFR §1024.37).
4. Save your documents somewhere off-site
Save your policy, declarations page, insurer's claims phone number and your closing documents to cloud storage or another safe place outside the house.
Month 1: Protect what's inside and the people who visit
5. Make a home inventory
Walk through every room with your phone and record what you own, including closets, the garage and the yard. Open drawers and cabinets. Photograph serial numbers on electronics and appliances, and save receipts for big purchases. Store the video off-site. See our home inventory guide.
6. Check your personal property limit and special limits
Most policies cap certain categories, such as jewelry, watches, art, collectibles and cash, at low amounts unless you schedule them separately. If you own valuable items, ask about scheduling them.
7. Set your liability limit
Personal liability pays if someone is hurt on your property or you accidentally damage someone else's. Now that you own a home, you have more to protect. Ask about higher limits and a personal umbrella policy. See umbrella insurance and how much umbrella insurance do I need?
8. Tell your insurer about anything that changes the risk
A pool, trampoline, dog, home business, short-term rental or an accessory dwelling unit can change your coverage needs. For an ADU, see does homeowners insurance cover an ADU in California? For a home business, see California home-based business insurance requirements.
9. Know about household employees
If you hire a nanny, housekeeper, gardener or caregiver, California can treat them as your employee for workers' comp, and a homeowners policy with personal liability coverage must include workers' comp for household employees unless other valid coverage applies (Insurance Code §11590). See household employee workers' comp in California.
Months 2 to 3: Make the decisions California leaves to you
10. Decide on earthquake coverage
Standard homeowners policies don't cover earthquake damage. Your insurer must offer earthquake coverage when the policy is issued, and if you decline, it must offer again every other year at renewal (Insurance Code §10081). You can buy it through the California Earthquake Authority or a private insurer. See earthquake insurance in California, CEA vs. private earthquake insurance and why your insurer offers earthquake coverage every two years.
If your home is an older wood-frame house on a raised foundation, a seismic retrofit may qualify for a CEA premium discount, and the Earthquake Brace + Bolt program offers grants toward a code-compliant retrofit in eligible ZIP codes. See the Brace + Bolt grant and CEA rates and the retrofit discount.
11. Decide on flood coverage
Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Your lender must require flood insurance if the home is in a FEMA high-risk flood zone and the loan is from a federally regulated or insured lender. Outside those zones, it's your choice. Check your home's flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. National Flood Insurance Program policies usually have a 30-day waiting period, so don't wait for the rainy season. See is flood insurance required in California?, the NFIP 30-day waiting period and what flood zone X means.
If you live near a recent burn area, ask about mudflow and debris flow. See burn scar mudflow and flood insurance in Los Angeles.
12. Review water and sewer coverage
Many policies cover sudden water leaks but exclude slow leaks, and sewer or drain backup often requires an endorsement. Learn where your main water shutoff is, and consider a leak detector under sinks and near the water heater. See does homeowners insurance cover sewer backup? and water heater leaks.
Months 3 to 6: Lower your risk and your premium
13. Document wildfire mitigation
The Department of Insurance's Safer from Wildfires framework lists home and community steps that insurers filing under it recognize with discounts, including a Class A fire-rated roof, ember- and fire-resistant vents, a 5-foot ember-resistant zone around the home, enclosed eaves, upgraded windows and defensible space. Take photos, keep receipts and send them to your insurer. See wildfire mitigation insurance discounts.
14. Ask about other discounts
Monitored alarms, fire sprinklers, updated plumbing or electrical, a newer roof and bundling with auto insurance may qualify for discounts, depending on the insurer's approved rating plan.
15. Fix small problems before they become claims
Clear gutters, check the roof, service the water heater and replace old supply hoses on washers and toilets. Prevention keeps claims, and premium increases, away.
If you bought a condo or a home in an HOA
16. Read the HOA's insurance summary
Every California HOA must send owners an annual summary of its property, liability, earthquake, flood and fidelity insurance, listing the insurer, limits and deductible for each (Civil Code §5300). The required notice warns that the association's policies may not cover your unit's contents or improvements and that you may owe part of a deductible. Use it to set your HO-6 coverage, including loss assessment coverage. See the HOA annual insurance disclosure and should an HOA buy earthquake insurance?
Month 9 onward: Get ready for your first renewal
17. Put the renewal date on your calendar
Look at your renewal offer when it arrives. In California, if an insurer won't renew a homeowners policy, it must send written notice at least 75 days before expiration with the specific reason, and a renewal that reduces your limits or removes coverage must be sent at least 45 days before expiration and identify each change (Insurance Code §678). See California cancellation and non-renewal notice rules.
18. Re-check your rebuild cost and coverage
Update the dwelling limit for any renovations, and tell your insurer about improvements. See the home renovation insurance checklist.
19. Shop if it makes sense, without a gap
If your premium jumped or your coverage changed, compare options well before the renewal date. Always bind the new policy before you cancel the old one. See how to switch insurance companies without a coverage gap.
20. Know what to do if you have a claim
Save your insurer's claims number in your phone and read our step-by-step guide before you need it: how to file and win a home insurance claim in California.
The one-page checklist
- [ ] Declarations page checked: names, address, mortgagee, home details, policy form
- [ ] Dwelling limit matches today's rebuild cost
- [ ] Lender has proof of coverage
- [ ] Documents saved off-site
- [ ] Home inventory recorded and stored off-site
- [ ] Valuables scheduled if needed
- [ ] Liability limit set; umbrella considered
- [ ] Insurer told about pool, dog, ADU, home business or rentals
- [ ] Household employee coverage understood
- [ ] Earthquake decision made; retrofit discount or grant checked
- [ ] Flood zone checked; flood decision made
- [ ] Water and sewer backup coverage reviewed; shutoff located
- [ ] Wildfire mitigation documented and sent to insurer
- [ ] Discounts asked about
- [ ] HOA insurance summary read; HO-6 set (condo owners)
- [ ] Renewal date on calendar; coverage reviewed before renewal
Related state tables and guides
- Homeowners non-renewal notice rules by state
- Replacement cost vs. actual cash value rules by state
- Is homeowners insurance required in California?
- Is earthquake insurance required in California?
- Homeowners insurance
- State insurance rules hub
Frequently asked questions
Is homeowners insurance required in California?
Not by state law, but mortgage lenders almost always require it, and condo HOAs may require owners to carry their own coverage.
Do I need earthquake insurance as a new California homeowner?
It isn't required, and standard homeowners policies exclude earthquake damage. Your insurer must offer earthquake coverage and, if you decline, offer it again every other year (Insurance Code §10081).
How do I know if I need flood insurance?
Your lender must require it if the home is in a FEMA high-risk flood zone and the loan is federally regulated or insured. Otherwise it's your choice. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, and NFIP policies usually have a 30-day waiting period.
Should my dwelling limit equal what I paid for the house?
No. It should reflect the cost to rebuild the home at today's prices. The purchase price includes land, which doesn't need to be rebuilt.
What should I do if my HOA has a large deductible?
Read the HOA's annual insurance summary (Civil Code §5300) and ask about loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 policy, which can help if the association passes part of a deductible or loss to owners.
When should I start reviewing my first renewal?
A few months before the renewal date. California insurers must give at least 75 days' notice of a homeowners non-renewal, and at least 45 days' notice of a renewal that reduces coverage (Insurance Code §678).
Alishahi Insurance · 439 N Canon Dr, Penthouse, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 · (877) 711-4545 · CA License #4348151. General information only. Not legal, tax or financial advice, and not a coverage determination. Coverage depends on policy language and underwriting.