Earthquake Coverage

Every offer of earthquake insurance must provide coverage for your dwelling, for your personal property (not less than $5,000 or 10% of the covered dwelling loss), and for any additional living expense (ALE) of at least $1,500. You may waive ALE coverage if you or your family do not occupy the dwelling you wish to insure. CIC Section 10089(b) states that the maximum deductible that can be charged is 15% of the policy dwelling limit. It is common for the deductible to be the maximum 15%. If you desire earthquake insurance offering more than the minimum limits and a deductible less than the maximum established by law, then you may contact your current residential property insurer or earthquake insurer to see if higher limits or lower deductibles are available. (Please see the "California Earthquake Authority" section of this brochure.) Also, you may want to contact a broker-agent to assist you with securing a monoline "stand-alone" policy. Stand-alone policies are offered by a few specialty insurance companies who do not require you to purchase your homeowners insurance from them in order to offer you earthquake coverage. They offer a stand-alone policy, which is referred to as a monoline policy (one line of insurance) by the insurance industry.

ALE coverage is designed to pay for the cost associated with living somewhere else while repairs are being made to your home. Typically your insurer will cover increases in your normal living expenses to help you maintain the standard of living you had before an earthquake damaged your home and personal property. ALE coverage can include costs for the following:

• Temporary rental home, apartment, or hotel room
• Restaurant meals
• Telephone or utility installation in a temporary residence
• Relocation and storage
• Furniture Rental
• Laundry

Payment on ALE coverage is limited to the reasonable time required to repair or rebuild your home, or for you to permanently settle in another residence. It is important to note that ALE only covers the extra amount you have to pay in order to maintain your normal standard of living while outside your home. ALE coverage can also pay costs you may incur due to the police or other civil authority denying access to your home in the event of an evacuation

Earthquake Insurance Offer and Response
Many property owners utilize earthquake insurance to help defray the expense of costly earthquake repairs. Residential property insurers (insurance companies that sell homeowners policies and policies for qualifying condominiums and apartments) are required under California Insurance Code (CIC) Section 10081 to offer earthquake coverage for the peril of earthquake. The mandatory earthquake offer must:

• Be made in writing
• Describe coverage amounts
• List the deductible offered
• State the policy premium

You have 30 days from the date of mailing from the insurance company to accept the offer of earthquake coverage. If your homeowners insurance company does not receive a response from you, then they consider the offer rejected. Your insurance company is only required to make the offer of earthquake coverage every other year. The law prohibits an insurer from canceling, rejecting, or refusing to renew a residential property policy solely because the policyholder has accepted the offer of earthquake coverage.