East Bay Private Insurance
Specialist homeowners coverage for high-value properties in California's wildfire zones — placed through the surplus lines markets that standard carriers can't access.
E&S market access for complex risks. Comprehensive coverage where others fall short.
Schedule a Coverage ReviewThe Problem
Standard carriers have exited California's highest-risk areas. What's left is a gap most families don't discover until it's too late.
Since 2020, major admitted carriers have non-renewed hundreds of thousands of homeowners policies across California's wildfire-prone communities — including the East Bay hills, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, and beyond.
The fallback for most families is the California FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort. But the FAIR Plan was never designed to be comprehensive coverage. It covers the structure against fire — and virtually nothing else.
No personal liability. No theft. No water damage. No additional living expenses. For a home valued at $2M or more, this leaves an exposure that could be financially devastating in the event of a total loss.
The problem isn't that coverage doesn't exist. It's that accessing it requires relationships with the Excess & Surplus lines market — specialty carriers and wholesale brokers that operate outside the standard system. That's where we work.
Our Approach
Through established wholesale broker relationships, we place coverage in the Excess & Surplus lines market — where specialty carriers still underwrite complex wildfire risk.
We work with surplus lines carriers and wholesale brokers who specialize in risks that admitted carriers have abandoned. This is how high-value homes in wildfire zones get properly covered — through markets built for exactly this complexity.
We don't stop at dwelling fire. We build comprehensive programs that address liability, contents, personal articles, additional living expenses, umbrella, and the specific exposures unique to your property and location.
Every engagement begins with a detailed review of your current coverage — typically a FAIR Plan plus a DIC wrapper. We identify what's missing, quantify the exposure, and present options from the surplus lines market.
Coverage
High-value homes require coverage that reflects the real cost of rebuilding, the assets inside, and the life you need to maintain if the worst happens.
Comprehensive dwelling coverage with guaranteed replacement cost, extended replacement cost endorsements, and building code upgrade coverage — placed through E&S carriers experienced in wildfire-zone underwriting.
Liability limits commensurate with your net worth, including personal umbrella coverage that coordinates with your homeowners, auto, and other underlying policies.
Scheduled coverage for jewelry, fine art, wine collections, and other high-value personal property — with agreed-value endorsements that eliminate depreciation disputes.
Realistic ALE limits that reflect the actual cost of maintaining your family's standard of living during an extended rebuild — not the token amounts found in standard policies.
We work with carriers who recognize and reward defensible space, ember-resistant construction, and other mitigation investments — translating your preparation into premium savings.
For clients who must maintain a FAIR Plan base, we structure Difference in Conditions policies that fill the coverage gaps — creating a comprehensive program from an incomplete foundation.
Process
A methodical approach to placing coverage that most brokerages aren't equipped to access.
We start by reviewing your current policies line by line — identifying gaps, exclusions, and underinsured exposures that could become catastrophic in a loss event.
We evaluate your property's specific wildfire exposure, construction characteristics, mitigation features, and replacement cost to build an accurate risk profile for the E&S market.
We take your risk to surplus lines carriers through our wholesale broker network — accessing capacity and coverage terms that aren't available through standard retail channels.
We manage renewals, monitor the market for better options, and advocate on your behalf if a claim arises — ensuring your coverage evolves as the market and your needs change.
About
East Bay Private Insurance was founded with a simple observation: the homeowners who need the most sophisticated coverage are the ones being abandoned by the standard market.
We specialize in placing high-value homeowners coverage in California's wildfire zones — working exclusively through the Excess & Surplus lines market where the capacity exists to properly insure complex residential risks.
Our clients are homeowners in the East Bay hills, Lamorinda, and surrounding communities who have been non-renewed by admitted carriers and need more than the FAIR Plan can offer. We understand this market because we live in it.
We combine deep knowledge of the E&S wholesale market with the kind of attentive, responsive service that high-net-worth families expect from their most trusted advisors.
Get Started
A 30-minute coverage review with our team will identify the gaps in your current program and outline what the E&S market can offer.
Schedule a Coverage Review