1. Before fire season: your policy
- ☐ Download your full policy and declarations page; store copies in the cloud.
- ☐ Confirm Coverage A (dwelling) reflects today's cost to rebuild, not market value.
- ☐ Ask about extended or guaranteed replacement cost and building code (ordinance or law) coverage.
- ☐ Check your Coverage D (additional living expenses) limit and how long it lasts.
- ☐ Check contents (Coverage C) limit and special limits on jewelry, art, collectibles.
- ☐ On the California FAIR Plan? Ask whether you need a difference-in-conditions (DIC) policy for liability, theft and water damage.
- ☐ Ask your insurer for your wildfire risk score and how it was calculated (California regulations give you this right).
- ☐ Ask which Safer from Wildfires discounts you qualify for.
2. Before fire season: your home
- ☐ Create 0–5 ft ember-resistant zone around the house (no mulch, plants or wood against walls).
- ☐ Maintain defensible space to 100 ft per CAL FIRE guidance.
- ☐ Class A roof, ember-resistant vents (1/16–1/8 inch mesh), clean gutters.
- ☐ Six inches of noncombustible vertical clearance at the base of exterior walls.
- ☐ Check your parcel on the Fire Hazard Severity Zone map.
- ☐ Keep receipts and photos of mitigation work for your insurer.
3. Document your belongings
- ☐ Walk-through video of every room, closets and drawers open.
- ☐ Fill in the free home inventory template.
- ☐ Photograph serial numbers, art, jewelry; save appraisals.
- ☐ Store everything off-site (cloud and a relative's address).
4. Evacuation go-bag
- ☐ IDs, passports, insurance cards, policy numbers and insurer claim phone numbers.
- ☐ Medications, chargers, cash, a printed contact list.
- ☐ Sign up for local alerts (e.g., Alert LA County).
- ☐ Keep receipts for evacuation costs; many policies cover them as ALE when a civil authority orders evacuation.
5. After a loss
- ☐ Report the claim promptly; record claim number and adjuster name.
- ☐ Request a certified copy of your policy (Insurance Code §2084).
- ☐ Ask for an ALE advance; after a declared disaster, insurers must advance at least four months on request for a total loss (Ins. Code §2061).
- ☐ Keep a claim journal; confirm calls by email.
- ☐ Know the deadlines: acknowledgment within 15 days, decision within 40 days of proof of claim (10 CCR §2695.5, §2695.7).
- ☐ Need help? CDI consumer hotline: 1-800-927-4357.
Free resource from Alishahi Insurance, independent broker · 439 N Canon Dr, Penthouse, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 · (877) 711-4545 · CA License #4348151. General information only; not a coverage determination. You may share or link to this page with attribution.