Weekly Roundup: New Stories Highlight The Ongoing Struggle of High Insurance Costs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2025
Contact: contact@insurancefairnessproject.com
Weekly Roundup: New Stories Highlight The Ongoing Struggle of High Insurance Costs
Each week, the Insurance Fairness Project highlights the latest developments in the national climate-driven property insurance crisis. For more insurance updates, follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Bluesky.
1/ NEW STORIES HIGHLIGHT THE ONGOING STRUGGLE OF HIGH INSURANCE COSTS: The New York Times recently asked readers to send in stories of their experience with rising insurance costs. Homeowners responded to rising rates and deductibles, some are dropping their coverage entirely, while others are simply relocating. Those who keep their policies are facing continuously escalating costs.
New York Times: Higher Prices, Less Coverage: Your Stories of the Home Insurance Crunch
“I surveyed all our friends who own outright, and NONE of them pay for wind insurance. It’s scary,” one Floridian wrote.
Still collecting stories here: Frustrated With Your Home Insurer? Tell Us About It.
2/ NEW POLL SHOWS MANY FLORIDIANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIGH INSURANCE AND SEVERE WEATHER: The latest Florida Climate Survey conducted by FAU shows that nearly half (49%) of Floridians are concerned about the affordability of homeowner’s insurance due to climate change. The poll also showed that more than one-third (36%) of Floridians have either moved or are considering moving due to climate or weather-related threats.
Florida Atlantic University: Florida Climate Survey - September 2025
WUSF: Weather woes drive some residents to consider moving out of Florida, FAU poll shows
Insurance Fairness Project: New Poll Shows Floridians Are Concerned about High Insurance, Severe Weather – Some Even Consider Moving
“It’s no secret that Florida is at the epicenter of the national home insurance crisis,” said Lizzy Price, a spokesperson for the Insurance Fairness Project. “High costs are hurting people, and in some cases even forcing them to leave the state. Meanwhile, Florida’s political officials claim to have fixed the problem while leaving consumers exposed. They point to industry-friendly reforms that have opened the door to new insurers, but our research shows that the state’s so-called ‘recovery’ is a mirage.”
3/ CLIMATE-RISK RATINGS REMOVED FROM ZILLOW: Zillow's scores, which assessed hazards such as flooding, wildfire, wind, heat, and air quality, provided buyers one of the few tools to understand long term climate exposure when deciding on purchasing a home.
New York Times: Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
4/ WA HOMEOWNERS SUE BIG OIL OVER RISING HOME INSURANCE COSTS: Washington homeowners filed a lawsuit against oil giants and a related trade association, alleging the companies' decades of deception have led to escalating insurance premium rates.
Common Dreams: Washington Homeowners Sue Big Oil Over Soaring Insurance Costs
“In 2023, a significant number of natural catastrophes... impacted the United States, at an estimated cost of $114 billion, of which approximately $80 billion was insured,” the filing notes. “In the state of Washington alone, homeowners’ rates have increased by a total of 51% over the past six years. But climate change has driven insurance premium increases throughout the country because insurance generally operates by pooling risks.”
5/ NEW VIDEO DETAILS HOW THE INSURANCE CRISIS TOOK OVER CA: California’s insurer of last resort has gone up from 123,657 policies in 2019 to over 645,000. This has left many January wildfire victims underinsured.
6/ FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP SEEKS RATE HIKE IN CA: California's second-largest home insurance company, Farmers Insurance Group, is planning to eliminate its monthly cap on new homeowner policies while simultaneously seeking a rate increase. The insurer announced this month that it will lift the 9,500 policy limit it currently imposes and is asking the state for approval to raise its home insurance rates by an average of 6.99%.
East Bay Times: Farmers Insurance to lift cap on new California home policies, seeks rate hike
“This filing is proof that carrots do not work with insurance companies,” Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court said in a statement. “California’s insurance companies need sticks.”
7/ NEW BLOG FROM PUBLIC CITIZEN EXPLAINS FORCED PLACED INSURANCE: Force-placed insurance is a long-standing feature of mortgage contracts. It is enacted when a borrower's required home or flood insurance policy is canceled or lapses.
Public Citizen: Force Placed Insurance
Unlike regular homeowners’ insurance, force-placed coverage also typically doesn’t cover:
>> Your personal belongings
>> Hotel or rental costs if you can’t stay in your home after a disaster
>> Liability if someone gets hurt on your property
>> A lot of the things you ACTUALLY need insurance for
Resources
Insurance Fairness Project: Polling – Voters Want Their Government to Address the Property Insurance Crisis
Public Citizen and the Revolving Door Project: Mapping the Home Insurance Crisis
Consumer Federation of America: Overburdened: The Dramatic Increase in Homeowners Insurance Premiums and its Impacts on American Homeowners
Brookings Institution: Homeowners insurance in an era of climate change
Consumer Federation of America and Climate and Community Institute: Penalized: The Hidden Cost of Credit Score in Homeowners Insurance Premiums
Americans for Financial Reform and Public Citizen: Rising Property Insurance Premiums: The Uneven Risks to Household and Systemic Financial Stability
Climate and Community Institute (CCI): Insurers of Last Resort: Why Today’s FAIR Plans Need a Redesign to Address the Home Insurance Crisis
Center for Climate Integrity: How Big Oil is Fueling the Insurance Crisis And Why State Policymakers Should Act
###
The Insurance Fairness Project is an information hub dedicated to offering insights into the home insurance crisis, exploring its drivers and highlighting solutions alongside issue experts and community advocates.
