Location, Fire Safety Often Affect Cost of Home Insurance

A recently vetoed bill in California serves as a reminder that location and fire safety are two factors that can influence how much a person pays for home insurance.

This month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a proposal by Assembly Member Dave Jones, a Sacramento Democrat and candidate for state insurance commissioner, that would have mandated that sufficient fire protection existed before new subdivisions in high fire danger areas could be built.

"This legislation would have avoided putting the lives of firefighters and the lives and property of homeowners at risk," said Jones after the veto, going on to predict that more homes would end up "in harm's way."

Some of the factors that would have been weighed for future construction of subdivisions would have included available water pressure, the slope of a given property and overall fire protection resources. The issue was particularly relevant in light of the devastating wildfires that swept parts of California earlier in the year.

However, the issue also applies to a number of other states that have rural areas or regions that are prone to wildfires. In some cases, property owners can even get a discount on their home insurance if they are located next to a fire hydrant and take additional fire safety measures.