Gwen Berry
Have you been affected by denial, reduction in coverage, non-renewal, and/or significant increase in premiums for homeowners or renters insurance over the past 36 months? Please click on the link at the bottom to fill out a simple survey about your experiences.
Homeowners in Washington and other states are increasingly being faced with cancellation/non-renewal of their property insurance policies or they are having to pay large premium increases to stay insured. In recent years, a common reason given by insurance companies for these actions is wildfire risk.
This is no small problem. Losing their homeowners insurance leaves property owners financially unprotected in case of catastrophe, and there are wider ramifications. Most mortgages require the property to be insured, and lack of insurance can make it difficult or impossible to get a mortgage. This means lack of insurance can make properties difficult to buy or sell, and ultimately can affect the housing market – and many people’s lives.
Many insurance companies now base their determinations on scores provided by FireLine, a risk assessment tool by Verisk Analytics. FireLine uses AI and machine learning to crunch data from a wide range of sources, including public records, customer data, proprietary datasets, third-party data providers, and even such things as aerial imagery, weather data, and social media. The FireLine score is based on various factors, like vegetation, topography, access, and proximity to potential ignition sources. Mitigation efforts seem to be largely ignored.
Klickitat County Fire Chiefs and the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management are taking this situation very seriously and are working together to improve the homeowner insurance issues due to wildfire risks. As part of their effort, they have created a survey designed to gain information and feedback from Klickitat County residents in regards to homeowners (renters) wildfire property insurance denial, reduction in coverage, non-renewal, and/or significant increase in premiums over the past 36 months.
If you’ve been affected, they ask that you please complete this survey so they can help fight against these issues. Personal information will not be shared. Your participation in this survey will provide valuable information that Klickitat County officials can use in their efforts to seek a solution, and assistance when contacting Washington State officials and offices.
Click on the link below for the 2025 Klickitat County Wildfire Property Insurance Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRKzwgmTjAN2S53SZrxU0UcMtakZZZCl4WDjIoAHhQhnnN5g/viewform