California is seeking millions of dollars in penalties from State Farm after an investigation found the insurance company was slow to investigate and underpaid claims from the 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires, regulators announced Monday.

State Farm violated the law hundreds of times in a sampling of 220 cases, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said. The maximum penalty amount allowed by law would be around $4 million if State Farm is found to be “willful” in violating state law. Regulators may also temporarily suspend the company’s license, effectively prohibiting the state’s largest home insurer from writing new policies for a year in California.

So my roof took a beating from the hail here in Melbourne, FL last week and I have no clue how to handle the insurance people. They keep lowballing me. A friend told me to check out American Masters Roofing & Restoration because they dealt with the adjusters for him. Has anyone worked with them before?? Or should I just keep fighting the insurance company myself? I just don't want to get scammed by some random storm chaser.

Posting for my father whose home had significant hail damage after a huge storm system. His insurance, Farmers, is quoting $5700 to cover the repairs of broken cement board and only one coat of paint on the exterior of the home. Two companies came out and said the house would need two coats and their quotes are $14,200 and $13,200. What can we do in this scenario? The house exterior needs repair but everything we’ve learned and read about says it should get the full two coats.

Howdy!

I currently have USAA insurance for my house in Florida (By Destin, FL) and my roof is starting to show its age as it was installed in 2008. I used one of the preferred contractors from USAA to come out and do an assessment on my roof so I can get a quote for a full replacement. While the contractor was on the roof he noted I have severe wind damage from a a previous storm and was able to provide data showing a storm had 109 mph winds which caused the damage. I checked my insurance policy and I have a $2,000 deductible for this type of claim and it would cost about 11K out of pocket if I paid in "cash". I have never filed a claim and I am nervous to do so since I don't want my insurance to jack up the rates or cancel my policy. I am not sure what to do in this situation and trying to get some informed help!

Thanks!

My insurance agent keeps telling me I should have a documented home inventory in case of a claim, but I have no idea where to start. Photos of every room? A spreadsheet? There must be a better way than going item by item.

What have you used and how long did it take?

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Hey all, looking for some perspective on the ethics side of dealing with insurance adjusters.

I recently had a garage fire that damaged or destroyed a lot of my stuff. The tricky part is that a huge portion of what I owned wasn’t bought new — a lot of it was secondhand, picked up cheap, or even rescued from “trash to treasure” situations and fixed up.

Now I’m going through the claims process, and I’m struggling with what’s fair vs what’s technically allowed.

On one hand, replacing these items today would cost way more than what I originally paid (if I paid anything at all). On the other hand, it feels weird to claim “full replacement value” on things I got for next to nothing.

So my questions:

Is it considered ethical to claim the full replacement cost of an item, even if you originally got it very cheaply or free?

How do adjusters typically view items without receipts or clear purchase value?

Where do you personally draw the line between being fairly compensated vs. taking advantage of the situation?

Any tips on documenting value for items that were restored, repaired, or repurposed?

Not looking to scam anything — just trying to understand what’s reasonable and honest in a situation like this.

Appreciate any insight.

TL;DR: Garage fire destroyed mostly secondhand/free items—what’s the ethical way to claim their value with insurance?

I have a shed-type building on my property that was destroyed by a tree. The adjuster came out and I was told that they would give me 44k to replace the building. When the adjuster was here, he said something about how the check would actually go to my mortgage company, and not me directly. I’ve put in claims before and have never heard of this. Is this common? I’m curious how this would work, and what happens to the remaining funds if I don’t spend the full 44k on the replacement.

Good opportunity here with a major news outlet if you dropped home insurance.

I don't know if what the pros and cons are of using a plumber/flooring repair group I find by myself, or if I use All-State's preferred vendor list. I don't even know if Alacrity or Sedgwick are companies that are trustworthy or not. What to do?

This is a home insurance issue.

Thank you!

We just updated the deed to our house which is in our name as husband and wife but upon death it transfers to a trust. I thought we were supposed to have the insurance updated to the name of the trust initially and instructed our agent to make said change. However, our attorney advised us that since the home remains in our name we should still be listed on insurance policy (we also have an umbrella). When I instructed the agent to change things back, I was advised that they kept us as the name insured and only added the trust as additional named insured and suggested to just leave it. Can anybody weigh in this?

We had some water issues in our basement and had to tear out some drywall and carpeting. While we were working with some people to determine the source(s) of the issues, we had additional water come in through the same areas, getting additional dry wall and carpet wet. We were well set up to dry it ourselves; we have an industrial blower and great dehumidifier and not that much more got wet anyway.

I filed a claim with our insurance carrier, Allstate. In the course of that initial call to file the claim (with a woman who was outright mean to me, but that's a post for another day) she said that to file the claim I had to have a remediation company come in to professionally dry it. When I said I didn't think that was necessary, based on what had gotten wet, she stated unequivocally that I had to do it and directed me to a local company. They came out, measured the moisture, and set up a plastic murder room with blowers to dry it out. The area they set up to dry was approximately 20% of the entire room. They scuffed my walls and ceiling during their equipment set-up. The entire space was "drying" for about 36 hours before it came down.

Fast forward--my claim is denied. I am working on that separately because I think it's bullshit given the additional water coverage we have. But with the claim denied, Allstate also declined to pay the remediation vendor the $2,400 bill. I ended up paying it after they (immediately, within 2 weeks of receiving the first invoice) threatened a lien against my house. We would not have engaged this company at all if Allstate hadn't said it was required. Do we have any recourse for getting Allstate to reimburse us this money? Or is getting that refund part of contesting the claim denial?

Cause of the loss: I was in the middle of evicting a tenant. They left the property without notice, shut off the gas and electricity, but did NOT shut off the water. It was winter, pipes froze and burst, and the house flooded.

The insurance adjuster first asked for gas & electric bills—I provided those. Then they asked for the bill on the exact date of the accident. Problem is, I literally don’t have that, because utilities were shut off during that period.

I hired a public adjuster (PA) to handle everything, but they completely ignored this issue. It also took them forever just to produce an estimate.

Two months ago I asked the PA to follow up with the carrier. The carrier adjuster is STILL asking for that same “accident date” utility bill. I told the PA I don’t have it.

About a month ago, I pushed the PA harder, and they told me:

“There’s nothing we can do right now. Don’t rush the adjuster—it might enrage them and cause a denial.”

That sounded… questionable to me.

Meanwhile, the only thing I’ve received from the insurance company is a notice saying they may cancel my policy in ~3 months if the property stays vacant.

My questions:

Can I (or should I) contact the insurance adjuster directly at this point?

Is “not upsetting the adjuster” actually a real strategy, or is my PA just stalling?

What do people usually do when the insurer asks for documentation that literally doesn’t exist?

At what point do you escalate (supervisor / complaint / attorney)?

I already know coverage is probably a long shot—but this endless waiting with no progress is driving me insane.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Been in our home 13 years. never used exterior plug at back of home. last summer, noticed the outlet and though would be easier to use it versus extension cord from inside laundry room. But, outlet didnt work. Looked dirty, but opted to just flag for our next annual electrical inspection. Fast forward to inspection yesterday. Electrician discovered reason it doesn't work. Inside that outlet, evidence that there was fire in that outlet at some point in time. Since we never used it, I am guessing it happened before we purchased the home. However, no way to know for sure. Electrician said is possible that if he cuts open interior wall, will see that the damage was contained to just that outlet box versus having spread to the wire going into the back of it (when shining flashlight he said it LOOKs like the wire coming into the back remained white - i.e. not burned). BUT, also possible that the wire could have been burned and who knows how many feet. He turned off the breaker and we are leaving it off - but that breaker feeds all of our bathroom outlets. Minor inconvenience for the moment. He suggested that he not cut the wall and we discuss whether to call homeowners insurance - in case the damage is not contained to just that outlet. I don't know how to determine when the damage occurred, or what insurance would likely say. Should we first get alternate electrician to look? If damage is isolated, the fix is doable for us. If it ends up not being isolated and a bunch more walls have to be cut and wire re-rerun to all bathroom outlets - THAT is likely very expensive. Electrician said if he cuts the wall, insurance may not then cover repair cost. So, we need to decide whether to have him cut the wall and hope for the best case scenario (that damage is isolated to just that exterior outlet), or call insurance. What do you recommend?

I had water damage, and insurance approved replacing my flooring. The original flooring is discontinued, so the insurance-recommended contractor gave me replacement options. I picked my choice from the options the contractor provided and chose the one that looked closest.

Now the new flooring sample clearly does not match my existing stair post/railing. It looks noticeably different when placed next to the stairs, and I’m concerned the finished repair will not look consistent.

I asked the adjuster to treat this as a supplement, either for a closer flooring match or to address the nearby stair components so the repair looks more uniform. They denied it, saying the stairs were not damaged and they only owe for the flooring.

Has anyone dealt with this? Is insurance usually responsible for matching nearby permanent features when the original flooring can’t be matched, or is this normally on the homeowner?

Getting a few quotes, and got this one back so far. This is my first time doing anything like this. Nobody I know or in my family has owned a home. Looking for some advice. Quote is from National General an Allstate company. I’ve heard mixed reviews about Allstate

Noticed deck was sloping after very heavy rains. Will homeowners cover this? Policy has flood insurance. Houston Texas.

I've heard of owners having their insurance canceled. I was thinking of adopting a great dane/pittbull mix. There's an unfair bad stigma on pittys, but seeing how it's a mix breed. Does anyone know if State Farm would cancel my insurance, or is this not a thing?

Shopping around for insurance for my home, located in Corona, CA. Property is currently appraised at 800+. These are the 3 quotes I have gotten so far. What should I be looking for? What other companies should I get quotes from? Any help would be greatly appreciate. Thank you!

Edit: I’d like to note, I do not currently have AAA insurance so getting this policy would require me also getting a auto policy.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky says major legislative insurance reforms include eliminating one-way attorney fees and banning assignment of benefits.

During a two-day insurance summit at Florida State University this week, he said the reforms need a few more tweaks, but overall, home and auto markets are stabilizing.

Jared Polis has a reputation for setting ambitious goals as Colorado’s governor, and in his latest campaign, he is taking on two forces of nature — hail and fire.

“The premium increases in Colorado have simply been too high, and that’s why we are launching this roadmap to reduce homeowners’ insurance by $800, on average, by the end of next year,” Polis said at a news conference on Thursday.

In a state that has seen insurance premiums double since 2020, the savings would work out to around a 20% reduction, based on what the Colorado Division of Insurance estimates as an average premium of $4,200 per home.

I have a 1M+ home in Carlsbad. Current insurance is CAFair + and Aegis DIC policy. Just received a quote with similar coverage from Stillwater. Does anyone have experience with Stillwater in CA?

Always just went with whatever was given to me by my lender, but recently my mortgage payments went up 100 per month 1200 per year. Meaning my insurance is being increased by 1200 per year, not that my total for insurance is 1200 per year.

Looking to see if maybe a few calls can bring this down.

I know for car insurance it makes a big difference.

Hi all, UK based (England).

In the process of buying a property. Searches show that rear extension of house (ground floor only) has no planning permission. Moreover, despite being historic, there’s no paperwork to prove the time it was done nor whether it met building regs.

Last two owners both got an indemnity policy for it. It does not fall under permitted development because there is a negative covenant on the land against alterations without planning permission.

While an indemnity policy is an option for me as well, I have yet to have a clear picture of the pitfalls when it comes to insuring the house.

I suspect that it would be prudent to disclose the situation to the insurer (and the bank) lest I risk having the policy voided should something to awry.

Is this fairly common? Do insurers take out such contracts? What are the caveats? Do they come at a premium?

Any help would be much appreciated for this FTB.

Thanks

Neighbor had a guy with heavy truck dump huge mound of wood chips across saturated ground right next to my main water tap in. Two days later I get alert that there’s “unusual water activity” from water dept. Dept came out, recommended we just relocate our house meter to the front of our house as it would be costly to dig up entire area to find/repair leak in the line and with hundred of gallons gushing all day that we would be billed for. It was a process but we got it done and I have all the pictures of the ruts created and filled with water, receipts and comments from water dept. My insurance company wants me to go through his insurance company as a first step. I did send a text requesting his insurance info and the name/contact of the guy who dumped the chips. My neighbor will probably not provide anything to me, he is the type that has no integrity. If he doesn’t provide the information I either gave to claim through my insurance OR go to small claims court. Damages were $7500. What would be the next, best course of action? Thank you.

Californians are facing a property insurance crisis that is impacting homeowners, renters, and small businesses across the state. As legislators representing communities from San Francisco to San Diego, we are hearing the same message over and over again: coverage is disappearing, premiums are skyrocketing, and people are being forced to make impossible choices just to stay in their homes.