Can you insure a parent's home after they pass away in California?

Usually, until the policy year ends. California's standard fire policy covers the person named on it "and legal representatives."

The FAIR Plan's dwelling policy says that if the person named on it dies, it covers their "legal representatives" for "the remainder of this policy period."

Until a legal representative is appointed, the policy also covers "the person having proper temporary custody of the property."

Many policies follow the model HO-3 homeowners form. It covers "the legal representative of the deceased" too, and a relative who lived there, but "only while a resident" of the home.

That cover reaches only the property the owner had insured, not your own belongings. And you cannot simply take over the policy: California's standard form says assignment "shall not be valid except with the written consent of this company."

So keep paying the bill. California's standard form lets an insurer cancel for an unpaid bill on 10 days' written notice.

That depends on how the house passes. The California courts' self-help guide says property in a living trust, a home held in joint tenancy, or a small estate can often pass without probate.

For a death from April 1, 2025, through March 31, 2028, a main home worth $750,000 or less can pass by court petition instead of full probate. Assembly Bill 2016 made that change, the guide says.

Otherwise, a judge appoints a personal representative, also called the executor or administrator, who is "responsible for representing the estate in the probate process."

California's Probate Code sets the standard. The personal representative "shall use ordinary care and diligence" in managing the estate (Section 9600).

Section 9656 says the personal representative "may insure the property of the estate against damage or loss."

Under Section 9601, a representative who breaches a duty can be charged with any "loss or depreciation in value of the decedent's estate" that results. A court may excuse one who "acted reasonably and in good faith."

If a trust holds the house, its trustee manages it. Section 16006 gives a trustee "a duty to take reasonable steps" to "preserve the trust property."

Insuring a house in a living trust explains how the trust should be named on the policy. An estate or trust attorney can tell you what these duties mean for you.

As soon as you can, and in writing. The policy's declarations page, its summary page, names the insurer and often the agent. A recent bill does too.

Telling the insurer early also helps any later claim. After a loss, California's standard fire policy has you list "any changes in the title, use, occupation, location, possession or exposures" of the property.

If there is a mortgage, tell the loan servicer too. Federal rules call a relative who becomes an owner after a borrower dies a successor in interest. Once a servicer learns of a death, the rules require many servicers to have procedures to "promptly facilitate communication with any potential or confirmed successors in interest."

Keep the insurance from lapsing, or the servicer can buy insurance itself and charge it to the loan.

Put these in your letter or email, and keep a copy:

• The owner's name, the date of death, and the policy number.
• Who is handling the estate, how to reach them, and whether a court has appointed them yet.
• Where to send bills and notices from now on, so a notice about an unpaid bill does not go unread.
• Whether anyone lives in the house now, and if not, the date it became empty.
• The plan for the house, if you know it: selling, keeping or renting.
• A request to confirm in writing who the policy covers now, and what papers the insurer needs.
• Whether the policy can renew in the estate's name, a trustee's name, or a new owner's.

Then the vacancy rules start counting. California's standard fire policy lets an insurer refuse to pay a loss once a home has been vacant or unoccupied more than 60 days in a row.

A policy can change that only in writing. Some rules start sooner: the FAIR Plan's policy stops covering vandalism once a home has been vacant or unoccupied more than 30 days in a row.

Furniture left in the house does not stop the clock under those words. How long a house can sit vacant covers the rules and the checks that keep an empty house safe.

Ask the insurer what changes once the house is empty, and whether it offers written permission for a longer vacancy or a vacant-home policy. Meanwhile, have someone check the house and keep it locked. Keep the heat on, or shut off the water and drain the pipes.

The insurance follows the plan for the house. Each plan needs the right kind of policy, in the right name.

Selling it: keep the house insured until the sale closes and the buyer's own policy starts. If it will sit empty while listed, ask about a vacant-home policy.

Keeping it as your home: once the house is yours and you live there, it needs a homeowners policy in your name. Ask the insurer to rewrite the policy, or apply for a new one.

Renting it out: a homeowners policy is written for a home its owner lives in, so a rental usually needs a landlord policy. Read what changes when you rent out a house before a tenant moves in.