Val Zavala Reads Your Comments

As for me .. here’s my beef with fire insurance. More and more companies are simply not offering it. In fact, our insurance company cancelled our policy a few months ago. Why? Because I live in the “wild outback” of Eagle Rock. Ok, I’m on a slope, but I keep the brush cleared and I don’t think there’s been a brush fire in Eagle Rock since the Native Americans set up shop. But that doesn’t matter. It’s a slope. So my insurer did a Sarah Palin “thanks but no thanks” to our premium checks.

Ok. No problem. They aren’t the only insurance company around, right? That’s when I found out how many companies are getting out of fire insurance biz. After numerous calls I finally got a policy. Sent in the check. Breathed a sigh of relief. But nooooooooo. Two weeks later the broker calls. They just talked to the inspector. “Sorry. No can do.” Why didn’t they do the inspection before they sold me the policy?! (Don’t bother asking.)

Bottom line, we ended up going with CalFair, an agency set up by the state for rejected homeowners like myself. But listen up CalFair policyholders - and there are thousands of us -- be sure to get additional coverage for all your cool stuff inside your house, because the CalFair policy only covers the structure, not your new plasma flat screen. (Unless you’re sick of looking at the sofa you inherited from your folks, in which case you might consider the blowtorch trick. Hold the gel.)

Val Zavala
Anchor, SoCal Connected

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Photo Credit: Michael Wells