Does your home have a flat roof? Is it made of wood, or past its expected lifespan?
These are a few factors that could cause you to be dropped or denied coverage by California’s largest home insurance companies.
The Chronicle compiled the underwriting guidelines for the 20 top home insurance companies in California, which together collected 90% of all home insurance premiums paid in 2024.
Use the chart below to see which insurance companies are placing restrictions on a given type of roof. You can click the arrow to expand the listing for an insurer, or input specific terms like “wood shake” or “flat roof” in the search box.
Experts say that more frequent storms, combined with better aerial imagery, have made insurers extra vigilant for features that could make a roof more susceptible to damage.
Even the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, won’t insure homes more than 25 years old for their full replacement cost unless their roofs have been replaced within that timeframe. Instead, it will only offer what’s known as actual cash value — the depreciated value of the home.
Admitted carriers — those with name-brands such as State Farm General, Allstate Insurance Co. and Farmers Insurance Group — must submit filings to state regulators in order to change their rates. As part of these filings, insurers disclose their underwriting guidelines — documents that describe what type of homes they will or won’t insure. Those guidelines for roofs are in the chart, above.