41% of Inland Empire Homeowners Haven't Reviewed Their Insurance in Over a Year. Have You?

Quick answer: If you can't remember the last time you looked at your homeowners insurance policy, you're not alone, but you are exposed. A national survey found 41% of homeowners made no changes to their policy in over a year, and one in three who filed a claim said their coverage fell short. Here in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, that risk is higher than the national average, because private insurers have been pulling back from California faster than almost anywhere else in the country. A five-minute policy check this week is the difference between finding a gap now and finding it the day you actually need the money.

Four out of 10 people with homeowners insurance made no change to their policy in over a year, according to a survey conducted online by The Harris Poll in June of this year. Another two out of 10 said they hadn't touched their policy since the day they bought it.

The numbers on the provider side tell a similar story:

• 56% of policyholders say their insurance provider hasn't reached out to check in on their coverage in over a year
• 21% say that kind of check-in has never happened at all
• 88% say they'd want their provider to flag it when their coverage no longer fits their life

Insurance companies aren't required to call and ask whether your coverage still fits your home, and most homeowners aren't opening that file until something forces them to. Life gets busy. So consider this your annual reminder, and I'm not going to leave you to hunt down the steps to actually do it. Because without an annual update, the odds of your insurance not covering what you think it does are greater than you realize, especially if you're one of the Inland Empire homeowners who's been shuffled onto a new carrier in the last couple of years.

The Coverage You Think You Have vs. the Coverage You Actually Have

The Hanover Insurance Group's 2025 Homeowners Coverage Awareness Report, based on a Harris Poll of homeowners age 30 and up, found a wide gap between what people believe they're covered for and what their policy actually includes.

Here's what that gap looks like for three common types of coverage:

• Umbrella coverage: 83% have heard of it. Only 39% have discussed it with an agent.
• Valuables coverage: 87% know it exists. Only 26% carry it.
• Cyber coverage: 46% know it's an option. Only 7% have it.

Knowing a coverage type exists isn't the same as being protected by it. The Hanover report also found that 66% of homeowners said they'd want to add umbrella coverage once someone explained what it does. So we're looking at a knowledge gap, not a resistance to coverage. People aren't skipping it on purpose. They don't know it applies to them until someone walks them through it.

What It Looks Like When the Gap Catches Up With You

The Harris Poll survey found that one in three homeowners who filed a claim said their coverage fell short of what they needed. Within that group, 14% said none of their claim was covered at all.

There's no convenient time for that kind of news, but it's especially rough when you've filed a claim after a pipe bursts or a windstorm tears off part of the roof, only to find out the policy you've paid into for years won't cover the repair. The same survey found that 67% of policyholders said covering a surprise $1,000 expense would be hard for their household. A coverage shortfall means money you may not have, at the exact moment you need it most.

Why This Matters Even More Here in the Inland Empire

If you own a home in Riverside or San Bernardino County, this isn't just a national statistic to file away. California's home insurance market has been shifting fast, and both counties are right in the middle of it.

Private insurers have pulled back from 46 of California's 58 counties, with nonrenewals outpacing new policies written across the state, according to an analysis of California Department of Insurance data reported by MoneyGeek. Riverside and San Bernardino counties have both felt it directly:

• Riverside County saw roughly 74,900 nonrenewals in 2023, an 11% nonrenewal rate, and its California FAIR Plan enrollment grew 509% between 2021 and 2025, now covering more than 57,000 homes
• San Bernardino County saw about 57,500 nonrenewals in 2023, a 10.7% nonrenewal rate, and FAIR Plan enrollment there has more than doubled since 2021, now covering over 65,000 homes

Statewide, the average homeowners insurance premium rose 84% between the end of 2020 and March of this year, and average deductibles climbed from $1,813 to $2,553 over that same stretch, according to Stanford Report. And it's not just the foothill and canyon communities feeling it. Researchers found that dependence on the FAIR Plan, California's insurer of last resort, is showing up in moderate- and low-wildfire-risk zip codes at twice the rate you'd expect, meaning plenty of homeowners in flatter, more suburban parts of the Inland Empire have been swept into this shift too, not just the hillside neighborhoods.

If your policy has changed carriers, moved to the FAIR Plan, or been renewed with a higher deductible in the last couple of years and you haven't sat down to actually read what it covers, that's exactly the gap this article is talking about.

A Five-Minute Check You Can Do This Week

A policy review doesn't have to turn into a research project. Pull up your current policy and check these four things:

1. Your dwelling coverage limit, and whether it reflects what it would actually cost to rebuild your home today, not just what you paid for it
2. Any named endorsements on the policy, like added coverage for jewelry, or art
3. The date your policy was last reviewed or updated
4. Any changes to your home or life since that date: a renovation, a new roof, a home office, a big purchase, or a change in carrier

If any of those raise a question you can't answer off the top of your head, that's your sign to take a closer look. A policy review is about knowing where you stand before you need to, not scrambling to find out after.

Five Minutes Now Beats a Bad Surprise Later

None of this means your policy is wrong. Coverage is built around the home and the life you had when you bought it, and both of those change more than most policies do, especially in a market where carriers themselves are changing out from under homeowners.

The homeowners in that recent survey who found out their coverage fell short didn't do anything unusual. They just hadn't looked at their policy in a while, the same as most people haven't. A five-minute check now costs you nothing. Finding out your coverage isn't enough after a loss costs you money and a load of stress you don't need.

Whether you're reviewing your own policy or wondering how a coverage gap could affect a home you're buying or selling in Riverside or San Bernardino County, let's connect. I'm happy to walk through what to look for, line by line.

FAQ

How often should I review my homeowners insurance policy? At least once a year, and any time something changes: a renovation, a big purchase, a new roof, or a change in carrier. Insurance companies aren't required to flag this for you, so it's on the homeowner to put it on the calendar.

What is the California FAIR Plan, and why do so many Inland Empire homeowners have it? The FAIR Plan is California's insurer of last resort for homeowners who can't get a standard policy on the open market. Enrollment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties has grown sharply since 2021 as private insurers pulled back across the state, so a growing share of local homeowners now carry it, sometimes without realizing how different its coverage is from a standard policy.

Does my dwelling coverage need to match my home's market value? No. Dwelling coverage should reflect what it would cost to rebuild your home today, which is often different from its market value or what you originally paid. Rebuilding costs have risen with materials and labor, so a limit set a few years ago may no longer be enough.

What's the difference between umbrella coverage and my standard policy? Umbrella coverage adds an extra layer of liability protection beyond what your standard homeowners policy covers, which matters if you're ever sued for more than your base policy's limit. Most homeowners have heard of it, but relatively few have actually discussed it with their agent.

What should I do if I think my coverage has a gap? Start with the four-point check in this article: dwelling limit, endorsements, last review date, and recent changes to your home or life. If anything doesn't add up, reach out to your agent or a local real estate professional who can help you understand what questions to ask.