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Losing your home is devastating. What many homeowners don’t expect is how much of what comes next — the claim process, the negotiations, the paperwork — feels like a second fight on top of the first one.
Your homeowner’s insurance policy exists exactly for a moment like this. But navigating it successfully requires understanding how the process works, what you’re entitled to ask for, and where mistakes are most commonly made. This article walks through the key things you need to know as you work through your insurance claim to rebuild your home after a wildfire in Los Angeles.
File Your Claim Immediately — and Document Everything
If you haven’t filed your claim yet, do it today. Most policies require timely notice of a loss, and delays can create complications. Call your insurer’s claims line directly rather than waiting for them to reach out to you.
From the moment you file, begin documenting everything. Keep a log of every phone call — date, time, name of the person you spoke with, and what was said. Send follow-up emails after substantive conversations so there’s a written record. Save every piece of correspondence your insurer sends you.
Also begin documenting your losses as thoroughly as possible. Photographs of the lot, any salvageable items, the original lot conditions — all of this becomes relevant during the claims process. If you have prior photos of your home’s interior and exterior (from social media, real estate listings, or family photos), gather those as well. They help establish what you lost.
Understand the Four Major Coverage Categories in Your Policy
Most homeowner’s policies include four types of coverage that apply in a total loss wildfire situation. Understanding each one helps you know what to ask for and what you’re entitled to receive.
Dwelling coverage (Coverage A) pays to rebuild the structure of your home. This is the primary coverage for your rebuild and is subject to your policy’s stated limit. As we discuss below, this limit is one of the most important — and commonly contested — figures in the entire process.
Other structures coverage (Coverage B) covers detached structures on your property — a garage, shed, guest house, or fence. This is typically set at 10% of your dwelling coverage limit.
Personal property coverage (Coverage C) covers the contents of your home — furniture, clothing, electronics, appliances. You’ll need to create a detailed inventory of everything you lost. This is painstaking work, but it pays. Most people who do this carefully recover significantly more than those who provide a rough estimate.
Additional living expenses (Coverage D / Loss of Use) pays for your temporary housing and increased living costs while your home is being rebuilt. This coverage is critical and often underutilized. You’re typically entitled to be housed at a comparable standard to your original home — not just the cheapest available option. Keep all receipts for rent, hotel, meals above your normal food budget, storage, and other costs directly related to your displacement.
The Coverage Gap: Why Your Payout May Not Cover Your Full Rebuild
One of the hardest realities many homeowners face after a wildfire is discovering that their dwelling coverage limit is significantly lower than what it actually costs to rebuild their home in today’s market.
This gap exists because most policies are written with a coverage limit set at some point in the past — and construction costs have risen substantially over the last several years. A home that would have cost $800,000 to rebuild in 2018 may cost $1.2 million or more to rebuild today. If your policy limit wasn’t updated to reflect that increase, you’re underinsured.
If you find yourself in this situation:
- Check your policy for an extended replacement cost provision — some policies provide an additional 25% or 50% above the stated limit for exactly this scenario.
- Get a detailed, line-item rebuild estimate from a qualified contractor immediately. Submit this estimate to your insurer as documentation of actual rebuild costs. Insurers are required under California law to consider actual rebuild costs, not just depreciated values.
- Consider working with a public adjuster. Unlike your insurer’s adjuster (who works for the insurance company), a public adjuster represents your interests. They’re typically paid as a percentage of your settlement, but for complex or undervalued claims, they often recover amounts that significantly exceed their fee.
California Law Offers Important Protections — Know Them
California has some of the strongest policyholder protections in the country when it comes to wildfire claims. A few you should know about:
You can rebuild to code. If current building codes require upgrades beyond what your original home had — fire-resistive construction, updated electrical, stronger foundation requirements — your insurer is generally required to cover those upgrades under the dwelling coverage, not just the cost of rebuilding what you had before.
You’re entitled to at least 24 months of loss of use benefits — and California law extends this to 36 months in the case of a state of emergency declaration, which applies to the recent LA wildfires. This means you should not rush out of a good temporary housing situation because you’re worried about your ALE benefits running out.
You can ask for your full personal property limits upfront. Under California law, after a declared disaster, insurers must advance at least four months of your ALE benefits and at least 30% of your personal property limit without requiring an itemized claim first. If your insurer hasn’t offered this, you can request it.
The clock on your policy’s claim deadline may have been extended. Many policies have time-of-rebuilding provisions that set a deadline for completing the rebuild in order to collect full replacement cost benefits. In disaster situations, California law often extends these deadlines. Check with your insurer and confirm the applicable deadline for your specific policy and situation.
Get Your Own Independent Rebuild Estimate
One of the most practical things you can do early in the claims process is to get an independent rebuild estimate from a contractor who has current experience rebuilding in your area. This estimate should be detailed — line items for site preparation, foundation, framing, systems, finishes, permits, and fees — not a rough per-square-foot guess.
This serves two purposes. First, it gives you a realistic picture of what your rebuild will actually cost so you can plan. Second, it gives you documentation to present to your insurer when disputing a low settlement offer. Insurers respond to specific, well-documented estimates from qualified contractors differently than they respond to general complaints that the offer isn’t enough.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
The insurance process after a wildfire is complex, and it can feel like every party involved knows more than you do. That’s partly true — which is why building a team matters. An experienced contractor, a public adjuster if your claim is complex, and a construction attorney if disputes escalate are all resources available to you.
At Vaisman Construction, we’ve worked alongside homeowners navigating the insurance process from the earliest stages of their claim. We can provide the documentation your insurer needs, work within your approved budget to build the best possible home, and help you understand what’s realistic at every step. Learn about our fire rebuild process, or reach out to schedule a conversation.
Getting the right information early is one of the most important things you can do right now. You have more rights, and more options, than many insurers will volunteer upfront.
