Answers to Top Questions for California Wildfire Victims
The Pasadena Eaton and LA County wildfires have left victims struggling emotionally and financially. While immediate needs must be met, those who have lost everything must also consider and attend to issues that will affect their future ability to rebuild their homes. At times like this, many fire victims are unsure what to do to secure their futures and are wondering when – or if – they will return to something resembling a “normal” life.
Attorney Scott Glovsky wants to help you and your family get back on your feet. Scott grew up in this area and has spent decades helping Californians whose insurance companies have turned their backs and refused to pay those who trusted and depended on them. It is easy to feel defeated and exhausted during times like these. Scott and his legal team are ready and willing if you need an advocate in your corner who can help you deal with your insurance company and other pressing issues. Below, you will find some frequently asked questions to help you during this difficult time.
When Should I File My Insurance Claim?
If you were evacuated from your home because of the fires and your home was damaged or destroyed, it is important that you contact your insurance company immediately. Many people will file insurance claims, and those who file early will be closer to the “front of the line” than those who wait. Another good reason to file early is that many insurance policies include “additional living expenses” as a part of the insurance. As soon as you submit your insurance claim, you can begin receiving financial assistance to help with your immediate needs. Filing for FEMA can also help with immediate needs.
How Can I Help My Family Right Now?
Many people are unaware that when they file their insurance claim they can ask their insurer for a cash advance to help with immediate needs. The Pasadena and surrounding fires have been declared disasters. This means your insurance company must provide an advance of no less than 30 percent of your contents limit, and at least four months of your “Additional Living Expense” coverage. Put these requests in writing (email is fine), and if you need assistance dealing with an insurance company that is delaying, ignoring, or denying your claim, the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky is here to help.
What if My Insurer Cancels My Policy?
Your insurer cannot legally cancel your homeowner’s policy. The California Department of Insurance has placed a one-year moratorium on insurers, prohibiting them from issuing a cancellation or non-renewal notification to customers. For some Californians, this moratorium may have come too late. About 10 percent of homeowner’s and fire policies in the Pacific Palisades were not renewed between 2020 and 2022, with about 8 percent in Altadena.
What is the California Fair Plan?
If your insurance policy’s expiration date is near, make sure to renew it within the allotted time frame. Because the availability of fire insurance for Southern California homeowners has been a real problem over the past few years, some homeowners turned to the California Fair Plan. This plan provides basic fire coverage to those who are unable to obtain fire coverage through their own insurers or any traditional carrier. If you were insured through the California Fair Plan, you can submit a claim online, your broker can submit a claim on your behalf, or you can call 800-339-4099 during business hours.
How Do I Know What is Covered Under My Insurance Policy?
Insurance policies are deliberately difficult to read and comprehend. Your Coverage A is for your home. You may have replacement cost, guaranteed replacement cost, or extended replacement cost coverage. Replacement cost means your insurer will provide enough funds to replace your home using comparable materials as the home existed before the loss – although some policies still limit the overall amount it will pay.
A guaranteed replacement cost policy will have a provision guaranteeing coverage for the cost of replacing your home regardless of any limits. An extended replacement cost policy extends the payment up to a specific amount or percentage above the policy limits. Next, you need to see whether your policy defines actual cash value.
This term usually means fair market value (what you could have sold your home for prior to the fire considering its age, condition, and the current market). If your home is not totally destroyed, the actual cash value is what the repairs will cost minus a reasonable amount for the condition of the property prior to the fires.
You should also see Coverage B (Other Structures), Coverage C (Personal Property), and Coverage D (Loss of Use) on your policy. Other structures include any structure on your property that is not connected to your home, such as a gazebo, greenhouse, guest home, pool house, detached garage, or storage shed. Coverage limits for other structures are often 10 percent of your Coverage A, but this can vary by individual insurer.
Personal Property coverage pays for personal items in your home that have been damaged, destroyed, or stolen. Personal property coverage is standard in most homeowner’s insurance policies, but not every policy. Clothing, furniture, electronics, sports equipment, appliances, and other personal items are covered under Part C. Actual cash value factors in depreciation on these personal items, while replacement cost pays up to the amount an item costs, without considering age or wear and tear of the item.
Loss of Use coverage is meant to cover your living expenses if your home is damaged so severely that you cannot continue to live in it. It pays for housing, meals, storage costs, and more. Typically, Loss of Use is limited to 20 percent of Coverage A. You should keep every receipt for your additional living expenses so you can submit them to your insurer for reimbursement.
What Other Types of Coverage Could I Have?
Some people may have Code Upgrade/Ordinance and Law coverage – which is not as complicated as it sounds. Ordinance or law insurance covers the cost of rebuilding your home after its destruction, as well as paying for the costs associated with making upgrades to the home so that it properly meets the most up-to-date building codes. Trees and Shrubs coverage helps replace the trees, shrubs, and bushes on your property, while Debris Removal coverage pays to remove debris from a property that has been damaged or destroyed. The amounts of these coverages may vary considerably from one insurer to the next.
What Could Go Wrong with My Insurance Claim?
The primary goal of insurance companies is to end each year with a healthy profit. While your insurance adjuster may seem “friendly,” you should never forget that he or she is doing a job that may not include looking out for your best interests. In some instances, insurance companies will offer quick, low settlements to customers to avoid paying the full value of the claim. Your insurer might also deliberately delay your claim by dodging your calls and other correspondence.
The goal is to put you off so long that you become desperate and agree to a lower settlement than you are entitled to. Your insurance company could also flat-out deny your claim. If this is the case, the insurer must notify you in writing to tell you exactly why your claim is being denied. If you receive a denial notice, do not give up. Your insurer wants you to give up. Instead, speak to a knowledgeable insurance attorney like Scott Glovsky who can determine whether your insurance company is acting in bad faith.
What Else Should I Know About Dealing with My Insurance Company?
Document everything when dealing with your insurance company. If you call your insurer – and someone answers – make sure you write down the time and date, who you talked to, and what they told you. Keep every email and text between you and your insurer and every receipt for proof of loss.
Ask your insurance company for what you are entitled to receive rather than waiting for them to tell you what they will give you. Remind yourself that this is a business negotiation and do not mistake a friendly claims adjuster for an actual friend. If your insurance company is refusing to respond to your phone calls, emails, or texts, contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky.
Can FEMA Help Me After My House Was Destroyed by the California Fires?
If your home was affected by the California Wildfires, you have until March 10th to file for FEMA assistance. The sooner you file, the sooner you can get the assistance you need. Homeowners and renters can go online to DisasterAssistance.gov or for Spanish language to DisasterAssistance.gov/es.
You can also call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 for assistance in multiple languages. To access FEMA on your smartphone, download the FEMA App for mobile devices. If you prefer to go directly to a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center, you can find the nearest center by clicking here, or you can text DRC along with your zip code to 43362.
What Happens After I Apply for FEMA Assistance?
You should receive a letter from FEMA stating how much assistance you qualify for. This letter will also tell you how the funds can be used, and how to appeal an adverse decision by FEMA. You could potentially be approved for certain types of assistance and denied for others, so read your letter carefully. In some cases, “not approved” only means that you must provide additional information.
Does FEMA Cover Immediate Shelter Needs?
Your biggest concern right now is probably making sure you and your family have a roof over your heads. FEMA is working with the state to ensure displaced survivors of the Pasadena (Eaton) and LA County wildfires have access to safe, temporary shelter. If you have applied for FEMA assistance, you may be eligible for the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program, which will allow you to temporarily stay in a local hotel or motel.
FEMA may also provide reimbursement for out-of-pocket hotel costs as well as financial assistance toward rent and home repairs (if your home was damaged but could be made livable with repairs). If you applied for FEMA assistance, you do not need to apply separately for TSA; FEMA will notify you of your eligibility via text, email, or automated phone call. TSA will pay for your hotel or motel (room, taxes, and non-refundable pet fees). This will be paid directly to the hotel or motel. Movie rentals, telephone charges, parking costs, laundry costs, or other room service costs are not reimbursable and will not be paid by FEMA.
You should receive notification that your FEMA TSA is ending seven days before it is set to end. FEMA also has Displacement Assistance that helps those unable to return to their homes by providing cash for immediate housing. This money can be used to stay with relatives or friends or for a hotel, motel, Airbnb, bed and breakfast, apartment, or home, but it only pays for two weeks of shelter. Receipts for reimbursement can be uploaded to your DisasterAssistance.gov account.
You Must Be Wary of GoFundMe Pages
While it can be helpful to have a GoFundMe page to help with expenses related to the California fires, FEMA looks at crowdfunding when determining how much a person is entitled to receive. Since FEMA will not double pay, you could end up getting much less from FEMA than you might otherwise have received. If friends or family want to set up a GoFundMe page for you and your family, it must specify that the money will be used only for food, clothing, and other similar needs, but not for shelter.
Is the SBA Helping Those Affected by the California Wildfires?
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest disaster loans for homeowners affected by disasters like wildfires. Homeowners can borrow up to $500,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed homes, and both homeowners and renters can borrow up to $100,000 to repair or replace personal property. If you lost a business in the fire, you could borrow up to $2 million. FEMA eligibility has no bearing on SBA eligibility. You can call 1-800-659-2955 or go online to see if you qualify.
Do I Need an Attorney?
If you are a homeowner who has suffered property damage, a renter who lost belongings, a resident who suffered fire or smoke damage, anyone who sustained personal injuries as a result of the fires, a person who was forced to flee the fires, or relative of a person who did not survive the fires, you need experienced legal representation. Attorney Scott Glovsky can help you file your insurance claim in a way that ensures there are no delays. As time goes on, it is expected that many losses will end up being covered by the power company and/or its contractors.
Scott can help you determine whether you are eligible for this assistance and file a lawsuit on your behalf. When you have a skilled insurance attorney in your corner, insurance companies will act more quickly to resolve your issues and treat you with more respect.
The Law Offices of Scott Glovsky is Extending a Hand to Help You
Attorney Scott Glovsky has worked in insurance law for more than three decades, recovering tens of millions of dollars for his clients. He routinely goes up against corporate attorneys who represent big insurance companies – and wins. Scott is better prepared, more focused, and fights for justice for those who cannot fight for themselves. If you are a victim of the Eaton / Pasadena and LA County fires, Scott Glovsky and his team are ready to help you in any way they can.
When you have an attorney with a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding insurance, you will have the time you need to recover from the devastation and attend to your immediate needs while Scott fights on your behalf. Attorney Scott Glovsky is the person you need when you are simply too exhausted to fight for yourself and your family. Contact the Law Offices of Scott Glovsky today.
Meet Our Wildfire Legal Team
There is already an overabundance of attorneys attempting to speak to those affected by the fires. It can be difficult to know who to trust during these chaotic times. As serious Southern California wildfire lawyers and insurance bad faith lawyers, we believe reputation and integrity are everything. Our experience and results speak for themselves and we would like to take this time to share some facts about our attorneys.
Our attorneys have represented Californians during the 2007 San Deigo Wildfires, the 2012 Wood Hollow Fire, the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2016 Erskine Fire, and the 2017 North Bay Fires. Since 2007, we’ve represented more than 5,000 victims of utility-caused wildfires and overseen the recovery of over $1.8 billion. Attorney Robert Jackson has held leadership positions in many wildfire cases, and was the Lead Liaison counsel for the Rice Fire and the Lead Liaison counsel and Lead Trial Lawyer for the Wood Hollow Fire. As coordinator and communicator with the courts, Robert acted as the central voice for all plaintiffs involved. Most recently, Robert was the Lead Liaison counsel in the October 2019 Kincaide Fire.
Our three attorneys are insurance authorities, with more than 99 years of collective experience representing Californians against big insurance companies. Attorney Scott Glovsky has spent more than three decades going up against the armies of corporate attorneys most insurance companies have. He is consistently better prepared and more focused. Attorneys Robert Jackson and Eric Ratinoff have reviewed thousands of property insurance policies for past wildfires.
Together, the three of us will review your insurance policies, assist with and evaluate your communications with insurers, and help you fully understand your coverage. We are offering these services pro bono, asking no recovery from your property insurance policies. You will work directly with our three lawyers, never with less experienced or inexperienced junior attorneys or paralegals.
There will be thousands of cases against utility companies, and it is important to remember that being near the front of the line has significant advantages. We know how to get your case to the front of the line. We invite you to ask others about us – We have had long, highly successful careers, securing many of our cases through word-of-mouth from satisfied clients. As ethical, trustworthy attorneys, we treat our clients like we treat our own family members.
We will fight for you whether you have homeowner’s insurance or not. Our primary goal is to help our neighbors and friends get back on their feet with the best possible outcome. We will handle each case individually, telling your story and giving you the hand-up you need right now. If you would like to speak to one of our attorneys, please call (626) 243-5598 or go to our website to read more about how we can help you and your family. We have the resources, the legal knowledge and skills, and the experience to help you through this difficult time. Click to learn more about why our team is your ideal selection for wildfire representation in English and in Spanish. Let’s get started rebuilding.