March 21, 2026

Can you Get Home Insurance in California in 2026?

Yes., you can still get home insurance in California in 2026 for the vast majority of properties out there. However the cost of the policy might be much higher, and the terms less generous. But yes- Home Insurance is still available in California.

There are, however, still several issues with getting insurance. The main thing for people purchasing new homes to know is that insurance is available for most well maintained homes, to some extent. However the price can often be quite high. And the terms and conditions may not be as generous as they once were. [In other words the coverage might not be as broad.] Additionally it might not be possible to get all of the coverage that you want.

While the admitted homeowners market remains partially closed, lots of new nonadmitted insurance options have appeared in the past two years. Even in the $2MM dollar range new nonadmitted [or Surplus Lines] insurers have entered the market.

Considerations for California homeowners Insurance in 2026:

The Exact location of the property remains one of the main considerations when insurers decide which properties to insure. If your home is further than 5 miles form the Fire Department or the Fire Hydrant is more than 1000 feet away – insurance issuance will be tough. The location relative to wildfrie and earthquake and tidal risk are also very important [among other location considerations.]

The Age of the home has always been an underwriting concern. Over a hundred years old, Built before 1900 – those can be harder to find a home for.

The Age and Conditions of the home systems has always been a key underwriting selection point. How old is the Roof, Furnace, Plumbing, Etc. An asphault shingle roof over 20 years old? Plumbing that is 70 years old?

Non Safe build characteristics. This open ended build characteristic includes lots of things, such as Knob and Tube Electrical, Recalled Circuit Breaker Boxes, Leaning homes, missing siding. Stairs with no railings, etc, etc. Pools with no fences.

Dog Bit and Breed Challenges: If your dog has a bite history or if you even have a dog on the insurers breed list, getting home insurance can be a real challenge. Dog Bites constitute a staggering amount of liability claims.

Wood Shake Roofs and Open Pier Homes. These are both extremely hard to insure. Both wood shake roof and open pier homes are more of a wildfire risk.

Significant Claims Experience. Have you or the property had insurance claims?

Occupancy and Business Usage: What is the home used for, who lives there, is a business run out of it or is it vacant? Occupancy is a huge underwriting criteria for all the insurers. Its often the first question we ask when we discuss writing an insurance policy quote.

Gaps of Coverage. If you have owned a home but not had coverage – that is a very important consideration as lots of insurer only want continuous coverage. Even just being nonrenewed used to be a flag for future insurers. However in recent years, since so many insurers are nonreweing entire books, it is less important. Clearly a full gap of coverage or about a week or more is a problem.

Are those all the underwriting criteria? Not at all. Those are just a few examples.

What to Do if you are Shopping for a New Home in 2026?

The smartest thing, hands down consumrs can do it to contact an insurance agent before you either put an offer in or before you remove all the contingencies. An agent can never guarantee coverage, but they can often note odd, unusual build charactertics. They may also be able to assist in helping to discover that the systems of the home are too old. As an example few consumers even think to ask about knob and tube electrical.