PARADISE, Calif. — A nonprofit organization focusing on fair insurance practices, disaster preparedness and recovery held a meeting in Paradise to educate residents about the home insurance crisis in wildfire-prone areas.

Non-renewals have become more common, with premiums doubling and tripling, forcing many to rely on the California Fair Plan.

It is imperative that homeowners take steps to secure their property and mitigate fire risks. United Policyholders has shared some crucial tips to help you secure homeowners insurance at a reasonable cost. These tips include identifying available insurance discounts, raising your deductible, reducing coverage you can live without, and most importantly, mitigating fire risks to your property. It is crucial to understand that fire risks are a significant factor in securing affordable insurance in the Northstate. Therefore, it is essential to take action to minimize these risks and protect your property.

“We’re hoping through action that the insurance companies will see this information and be able to assimilate it to our cost, and perhaps even use us as the example of ‘this community is doing what they need to to reduce these insurance costs,’ you may want to look at some of the models,” said Mark Thorp, business advocate at the Paradise Chamber of Commerce.

Things you can do to harden your home include creating defensible space, installing double-paned windows, mesh covering vents, and using a Class-A fire rated roof.

United Policyholders encourage Northstate residents to take their survey about the California property insurance crisis, which will help them collect data and find ways to decrease insurance costs. In addition, they hope to connect with residents to find resources that can navigate through securing affordable home insurance.

To fill out the survey, click here. For more information on United Policyholders, click here.

—

To report errors or issues with this article please email the editorial team.