The 30-second version
- File within 72 hours — call the carrier's claims line, get a claim number, request an emergency ALE advance ($5,000–$15,000 typical).
- Document everything before cleanup — full 360° video, photos of every room, close-ups of significant items. Cloud-back it up. Save all receipts.
- Know what your policy covers — Dwelling A, Personal Property B, ALE (Additional Living Expense), Ordinance & Law (code upgrades). The four buckets total roughly 200–250% of your listed Dwelling coverage.
- Never sign the first offer. Initial offers are typically 20–40% below fair replacement cost. Get a licensed public adjuster or independent contractor estimate for total-loss claims.
- You have 24–36 months from date of loss to complete rebuild on most policies. Don't rush.
The four buckets your policy actually covers
California homeowners policies (HO-3 is the most common) have four primary coverage categories relevant to a wildfire loss:
Coverage A — Dwelling
Repair or replace the physical structure. If your policy lists Dwelling A at $800,000, that's the ceiling for structural replacement — unless you have Extended Replacement Cost or Guaranteed Replacement Cost endorsements, which add 25–100% coverage above the listed amount for large losses (increasingly important as construction costs have outpaced inflation).
Common mistake: assuming Dwelling A is enough. Post-2020 LA rebuild costs have escalated 30–50%. Many pre-2020 policies are underinsured for current construction pricing. Check for Extended or Guaranteed RCV.
Coverage B — Other Structures
Detached garages, ADUs, sheds, gazebos, fencing, in-ground pool equipment. Usually 10% of Dwelling A. Often overlooked in initial claim inventories.
Coverage C — Personal Property
Contents of the home — furniture, clothing, electronics, kitchenware, art, jewelry. Usually 50–75% of Dwelling A. Requires a full inventory (see below).
Sub-limits apply to certain categories (typically $1,500–$5,000 caps on jewelry, silverware, cash, firearms, business property). If you had items above sub-limit, you need scheduled personal property riders — most homeowners don't. This is often the largest gap in claim recovery.
Coverage D — Loss of Use / Additional Living Expense (ALE)
Pays your reasonable costs to live elsewhere while the home is uninhabitable — rent, extra transportation, storage, restaurant meal cost differential (yes, really), pet boarding. Usually 20–30% of Dwelling A. Duration typically 24 months, some policies 12 months, premium policies 36+ months.
Get an ALE advance immediately. Most carriers will advance $5,000–$15,000 within 5 business days of the loss if you request in writing. You need this to secure housing before rents spike (which they always do after major fires).
Ordinance & Law (Coverage — often separate)
Pays for the code upgrades required to rebuild that weren't in your original home. In a Palisades Fire rebuild, this covers the Chapter 7A upgrades (Class A roof, WUI vents, non-combustible eaves) that are now mandatory but weren't when your home was originally built.
Typical coverage: 10% of Dwelling A ($80,000 on an $800,000 dwelling limit). Some policies have higher endorsements. Many carriers do NOT proactively surface this coverage — you have to ask.
The documentation stage (do this first, before anything else)
On-site documentation (the moment it's safe to return)
- Full 360° video walkthrough of the exterior — every side of the home, landscape, driveway, outbuildings
- Interior video (if any structure remains) — room by room, opening every closet and drawer
- Close-up photos of anything valuable that's identifiable — art, appliances, custom finishes, equipment
- Documentation of the foundation, mechanical systems (HVAC condensers, water heater, pool equipment), and any custom features (built-ins, wine cellar, home theater, etc.)
Upload everything to cloud storage immediately. Multiple redundant locations — Google Drive + iCloud + Dropbox. Do not rely on a single device or single service.
Personal property inventory
This is the most time-consuming part of a wildfire claim. Expect 40–120 hours of work for a typical single-family home.
Tools that help:
- Encircle (encircleapp.com) — free contents inventory app, built for insurance claims. Photograph, categorize, estimate values.
- State-required inventory templates — California DOI provides templates. Some carriers require their own format.
- Amazon/Best Buy/etc. order histories — download 5+ years of order history from every retailer you shop. This proves what you bought and when.
- Credit card statement archives — download 5–10 years. Enormous help proving personal property values.
- Social media photos — Instagram, Facebook, iCloud Photos. Every photo of your home's interior over the years is contemporaneous evidence of what was there.
Categorize as you go: furniture, electronics, clothing, kitchenware, art, jewelry, tools, sports equipment, seasonal items. This becomes the itemized claim you submit.
Filing and negotiating the claim
First 72 hours
- Call the carrier's 24/7 claims line — get a claim number
- Request written confirmation of coverage limits (Dwelling A, Personal Property C, ALE, Ordinance & Law)
- Request ALE advance in writing — do not accept vague verbal commitments
- Do NOT sign anything with a public adjuster, roofing contractor, or restoration service in these first days. Scammers arrive with the fire trucks.
Weeks 2–8: adjuster interaction
The insurance company will assign an adjuster (staff or independent contract) who inspects, negotiates, and settles your claim. Everything they say is subject to policy language — get significant commitments in writing, not verbal.
Common adjuster tactics to watch:
- Offering "actual cash value" (depreciated) instead of "replacement cost" — insist on your policy's replacement cost language
- Low-balling structural replacement — insist on current LA construction pricing per square foot for your specific material spec
- Excluding items from personal property claim — every single item should be paid at replacement cost per policy language (if you have RCV)
- Not surfacing Ordinance & Law coverage — you must ask specifically
- Time pressure to settle — do not accept any final settlement until you've fully evaluated the offer
Public adjusters — when they're worth it
Licensed California public adjusters take 8–15% of your settlement in exchange for handling the claim negotiation. On total-loss claims (structure destroyed), they typically recover 30–60% MORE than homeowners negotiating solo — even net of their fee. On partial-loss claims under $50,000, the math is closer to break-even.
Verify licensing on the California Department of Insurance website. Never work with a public adjuster who approached you first at the disaster site — those are almost universally predatory.
Attorney involvement
If your claim is denied or the adjuster's final offer is 40%+ below your independent estimate of the loss, a bad-faith insurance attorney is worth consulting. California has strong bad-faith insurance law — carriers who unreasonably delay, deny, or under-settle claims can be sued for attorney fees + emotional distress + punitive damages in some circumstances.
Timeline of a wildfire claim
- Week 1: claim filed, ALE advance received, initial adjuster contact
- Weeks 2–4: site inspection, initial estimate from carrier, temporary housing established
- Months 2–4: personal property inventory completion, initial settlement offer, negotiation
- Months 4–8: supplemental claim submissions (things discovered during rebuild scope), Ordinance & Law reconciliation
- Months 6–12: substantial payment of structural claim, if not previously issued
- Months 12–24: ongoing supplemental submissions as construction progresses
- Months 24–36: final claim close-out, rebuild completion, warranty documentation
State resources and consumer protection
- California Department of Insurance (CDI) — file consumer complaints, verify licensing, access templates: insurance.ca.gov
- United Policyholders — nonprofit consumer advocacy, extensive wildfire claim resources: uphelp.org
- Cal Recycle debris removal program — free structural debris removal for opt-in homeowners after major wildfires
- FAIR Plan — state insurer of last resort if your carrier non-renews you post-fire
- Disaster Recovery Center — FEMA and state resources coordinated at physical locations after declared disasters
Get contractor estimates for your claim
If you need itemized reconstruction estimates for insurance negotiation — roof, structural, wildfire-defense retrofit — Halo Build Co provides detailed written estimates you can submit as evidence of replacement cost. No obligation to hire us for the work.