What your policy actually covers, in plain words.
A homeowners policy is five promises bundled into one document. Here is what each one does, so your quote reads like a choice instead of a wall of terms.
The five parts
Every quote from Casa itemizes all five for your home, with a plain label saying it is an estimate until the insurer finalizes it.
- Your home. Repairing or rebuilding the house itself. The biggest number on the policy, based on what it would cost to rebuild, not on what the house would sell for.
- Other structures. The detached things: a garage, a fence, a shed, a pool house.
- Your belongings. What is inside the house, down to the contents of the garage.
- Liability. If someone is hurt on your property, or you damage someone else's.
- A place to stay. Somewhere to live while a covered loss is repaired. Policies call it loss of use, or additional living expense.
Your deductible, and the one amount we ask you for
The deductible is the part of a claim you cover yourself before the insurer pays. A higher deductible lowers your yearly price and costs you more if something happens; a lower one does the reverse.
Every first quote starts on the same recommended choices for the deductible, personal liability, and sewer and drain backup where the insurer offers it, and your quote shows each one.
The form asks for one amount: the dwelling coverage on your current policy, or the amount you want if you are buying. Your quote uses that amount or one the insurer sets, and a licensed agent reviews it with you before anything is final. Nothing is locked in: ask on the quote page and a licensed agent re-presents your numbers with a different deductible or limit.
What a fire-only policy leaves out
Some California homes end up on a dwelling fire policy rather than a homeowners policy. The most common one is the FAIR Plan's, which covers fire and smoke, plus wind and hail if you add them, and was never built to do the rest: a burst pipe, theft, personal liability, and a place to stay are not part of it.
A second policy can add those back. Insurers call it a DIC policy, and most homeowners call it the wrap. One full policy can replace both. To see which of the five parts you hold now, read your declarations page. Look for four line items: personal liability, personal property or contents, loss of use, and water damage. Blank, zero, or absent means you do not have it.
Questions people ask us
How much coverage do I need on the house itself?
Enough to rebuild it, which is a different number from what it would sell for. Land does not burn, so rebuild cost is about materials and labor where you live. The form asks for the dwelling amount on your current policy, or the amount you want if you are buying, and your quote uses that amount or one the insurer sets. A licensed agent reviews it with you before anything is final; if rebuilding your home would cost more, ask them to raise it.
Does a homeowners policy cover earthquake or flood?
No. Both are separate policies in California, with a standard insurer or a specialty one.
Is the coverage different from a specialty insurer?
The same five parts. The differences are in the details of the form, the deductible options, and the price, which is what the itemized quote is for.
Can I change my coverage later?
Yes. Tell your agent and they handle it with the insurer. It is worth a look each year, and after any renovation.