Certification Enables California, Oregon Homeowners to Earn Premium Discounts

Homeowners in California and Oregon in high-risk wildfire areas can earn discounts on insurance premiums through a new certification program to take mitigation steps to reduce risk.

Mercury Insurance partnered with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety to enable policyholders in wildfire-susceptible areas to earn a premium discount by taking part in IBHS’ Wildfire Prepared Home certification program. Through the program, Mercury insureds must pay a fee and apply for the Wildfire Prepared Home designation, then they may be eligible for a discount on the Catastrophe Fire portion of their premium.

To earn the IBHS certification, homeowners need to participate in either the FORTIFIED or Wildfire Prepared Home program. The FORTIFIED program focuses on general severe weather resilience, and the Wildfire Prepared Home program is designed to address wildfire threats through proven strategies.

Steps for Wildfire Prepared Home certification include:

• Register on the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home portal and pay the application fee.
• An IBHS-authorized evaluator will conduct an external inspection of the property and take photographs.
• If a home doesn’t meet all requirements, homeowners receive a list of mitigation actions and an opportunity to bring it into compliance.
• Homeowners must demonstrate annual maintenance of landscaping to retain the designation.
• Once all of the requirements have been met, IBHS will issue the appropriate certificate.

There are two levels of certification: Wildfire Prepared Base requires defensible space within 5 feet of the home, preparing the home’s exterior and maintaining the deck/covered porch and yard to prevent ember ignition. Wildfire Prepared Plus includes all Base-level requirements plus an extra layer of home protection for flames and radiant heat common with new home construction or exterior home renovations.

Eligible homes for certification must fulfill the following requirements:

• The applicant must be the homeowner.
• Photos of all four sides of the home, showing the 0- to 5-foot noncombustible zone, are required.
• The home must be a single-family, detached house (no townhouse or condos) with three stories or less.
• The home must be in California or Oregon.

Certifications are valid for three years, and at the end of years one and two, each home must be reinspected.

Topics
California
Homeowners
Oregon