If something happens, you call your insurer first.
Claims are handled by the company that wrote your policy, the same as any policy anywhere. Here is who to call, what to have ready, and what your agent does alongside you.
Who you call
Your insurer. The claims number is on your policy documents and your declarations page, and most insurers take claims by phone and online, around the clock. Report it as soon as you safely can, and write down the claim number.
If you cannot find the number, call us on (602) 476-1003, Mon-Fri 9-6 Pacific, or reply to any email from us. Do not wait on us for something urgent, though: call the insurer, then tell us.
What your agent does
Your agent is not the claims department. What your licensed agent can do is real, though.
Find the right claims number and department, quickly.
Read your policy with you and explain what it says about what happened.
Tell you what the insurer will ask for before it asks.
Follow up with the insurer alongside you when it goes quiet.
Help you understand a decision you disagree with, and your options.
What we never do
casa does not decide claims, and neither does your agent. The insurer that wrote your policy investigates and decides, under California's claims rules. Anyone who tells you a website can settle your claim is selling something.
How a claim works with a specialty insurer
The same way: you file with the insurer, and your licensed agent can walk you through it. Specialty insurers are real insurance companies that pay real claims, and California regulates how claims are handled here.
One thing to know: the specialty insurers are not covered by California's insurance guaranty fund, the state backstop if an insurer becomes insolvent. That is part of why they can write homes the big names won't, and why the insurer's financial strength rating matters more here. Each one we work with is rated, and you can ask how yours is rated before anything is final. The state disclosure form you sign before a specialty policy starts, the D-1, says the same thing.
What to have ready when you file
Stop further damage, keep the receipts, and do not throw away what was damaged until the insurer has seen it.
Your policy number, and the claim number once you have one.
The date and time, and a plain description of what happened.
Photos or video of the damage, before anything is moved or repaired.
Receipts for emergency repairs and for anywhere you had to stay.
A list of what was damaged, room by room, however rough.
Questions people ask us
Will a specialty insurer pay a claim the same as a big name?
What if my claim is closed without payment?
Will filing a claim make me hard to insure later?
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