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Menlo
(628) 285-5140

Dwelling Fire Insurance in California

Owners of hard to place dwellings, covered in days not weeks. Start a quote in minutes and a licensed California broker shops the dwelling fire markets for you.

We shop the market for you, no broker fees

  • Green Shield

    Non-standard dwellings, seasonal and short term rental

  • Aegis

    E&S DP3 dwellings, primary, seasonal and rental

  • The Hartford

    Dwelling and rental property packages

  • Travelers

    Rental dwelling property

  • Markel

    Hard to place dwellings

  • Starr

    Specialty dwelling risks

  • QBE

    Specialty real estate programs

  • Great American

    Specialty property programs

What the dwelling fire market writes in California

One to four family dwellings others decline

Seasonal and secondary homes, short term and vacation rentals, tenant occupied houses and older dwellings that standard carriers shy away from because of occupancy, age or size.

DP1 and DP3 forms, mono-line or packaged

The basic DP1 form or the broader DP3 form, with premises liability packageable onto the property, which is what makes a dwelling fire policy more complete than a bare landlord policy.

The dwelling's condition decides eligibility

The market does not write galvanized plumbing, knob and tube or aluminum wiring, fuses, condemned properties or existing structural damage. The broker checks these before anything is quoted.

Every coverage a rental needs

Coverage A dwelling, other structures, personal property, fair rental value and additional living expenses, with vandalism, theft, water damage and mold sublimit ladders on the DP3 form.

How it works

  1. 10 minute form

    A few questions about your business or home.

  2. We shop the market

    We compare carriers and read the forms line by line.

  3. Pick the best policy

    We explain what is covered, what is not, and what it costs.

Why the standard market declines your rental

A dwelling that is not your primary residence, rented short term, or simply old, falls outside the standard market's box the moment any one fact misses. Dwelling fire exists for exactly those facts.

Short term rental is a declination trigger

Standard homeowners and landlord policies exclude short term rental activity, and a vacation rental gap needs a form written for it. The dwelling fire market prices the occupancy instead of declining it.

Older systems end standard coverage

Galvanized plumbing, 100 amp panels or a roof past its life end most standard quotes. The specialty market prices those systems with age bands and deductible choices instead of a flat no.

Occupancy changes the form

Owner, tenant, seasonal, or short term rental each write differently, and the wrong occupancy on a standard policy can void a claim. The broker matches the occupancy to the form first.

Written for California dwelling owners, including:

  • Seasonal and secondary homes
  • Short term and vacation rentals
  • Tenant occupied one to four family houses
  • Older dwellings with updated systems
  • Condominium units outside standard programs
  • Manufactured homes by review

What changes your premium

There is no flat rate for this coverage. These are the inputs a carrier prices against, and they are the same things the quote form asks you for.

  • Occupancy: owner, tenant, seasonal or short term rental
  • Construction type and age of the building
  • Roof age bands and protection class
  • Liability limit and medical payments
  • All other peril deductible from $1,000 to $10,000

Text us. We're by your side.

13:19
506

Menlo Agent

  1. Today, 9:41 AM
  2. Our lease for a second location starts September 1. Does our current policy cover it?
  3. Not automatically. Send me the address, square footage, operations, contents value, and move in date. I will ask the carrier to add it before you take possession.
  4. Sending the lease details now.

  5. Received. The location was added effective September 1. Your updated policy is ready.

    View updated policy

    menloinsurance.com

Questions we get asked

What is a DP3 policy?

The DP3 is the broad dwelling property form: it covers the dwelling against open perils, and it is the form that carries options like theft, vandalism and water damage sublimits. The DP1 is the basic form covering a named list of perils.

Can I insure a short term rental?

Yes. Short term and vacation rental occupancies are written on this program, which is exactly what standard landlord policies exclude. The occupancy has to be declared honestly because it changes the form and the price.

Does dwelling fire include liability?

It can. Premises liability packages onto the property policy with limits from 25 thousand dollars to one million, plus medical payments from one to ten thousand.

What makes a dwelling ineligible?

Galvanized plumbing, knob and tube or aluminum wiring, fuse panels, condemned properties, existing structural damage, and properties within high risk wildfire zones without mitigation.

How is fair rental value covered?

If a covered loss makes the dwelling unrentable, the fair rental value coverage pays the rent you lose while it is repaired, which a bare property policy does not do.

Can you write this where my business is?

We are licensed in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued. Start a quote and we will tell you where you stand before you spend time on it.

What actually happens after I start a quote?

You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.

Get it placed by someone who reads the fine print

Start a quote and a licensed broker takes it from there, or talk to one now.

Talk to a licensed broker