Bamboo Insurance offers everything from standard to vacant and seasonal home insurance policies in high-risk California.
By
Jennifer GimbelJennifer GimbelSenior Managing Editor & Home Insurance ExpertJennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
Edited by
Pat HowardPat HowardManaging Editor & Licensed Home Insurance ExpertPat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
3.4
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
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Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
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The bottom line
Bamboo Insurance is an excellent option for California homeowners who’ve struggled to find home insurance elsewhere.
Bamboo is an especially good choice for homeowners looking to cover both their primary residence as well as a vacation home — the insurer offers both types of policies. And you can add on a slew of valuable coverage add-ons to ensure your home is fully protected, including extended replacement cost coverage, ordinance or law protection, and earthquake insurance through its partnership with Palomar.
Live in a state other than California? Bamboo Insurance might still be able to help you find a home insurance policy through one of the partners in its carrier network.
Offers coverage for regular homes, vacant properties, rentals, and vacation homes
Cons
Not included in the NAIC complaint index, meaning we weren’t able to rate Bamboo on customer service
Policy cost information not available as of Feb. 2024
Basic coverages offered
Bamboo home insurance policies include these six standard coverages to protect your home, belongings, and personal liability:
Dwelling coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home after a covered loss.
Other structures coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild other structures on your property not connected to your home, including detached garages, storage sheds, and fencing.
Personal property coverage: Pays to repair or replace your personal belongings after a covered loss, including furniture, clothing, tech gadgets, and other stuff you own.
Loss of use coverage: Pays for hotel stays, restaurant bills, pet boarding fees, and other temporary living expenses after a covered loss if you need to live elsewhere while your home is being rebuilt.
Personal liability coverage: Pays for legal and medical expenses if someone is injured or their belongings are damaged while at your home and you’re found legally responsible.
Medical payments coverage: Pays for small-dollar medical bills if someone is injured while at your home — regardless of who is at fault.
Additional coverages offered
You may be able to add these additional coverages to your Bamboo homeowners insurance policy for even more protection:
Extended replacement cost for your home: Extends your dwelling coverage limit either 125% or 150% in case rebuild costs exceed your policy limit after a covered loss.
Equipment breakdown: Pays to repair or replace AC units, water heaters, and other home systems that are damaged due to mechanical breakdown.
Personal injury: Expands liability coverage to include personal injury to others, such as slander, libel, wrongful eviction, or false arrest.
Animal liability: Covers medical and legal bills if your dog, cat, or other pet injures someone or damages their property and you’re found legally responsible.
Earthquake insurance: Available through its partnership with Palomar Insurance, this protects your home and personal property from earthquake damage.
Renters insurance: Purchased by tenants, renters insurance covers the personal belongings in your rental home or apartment against fire, vandalism, theft, windstorms, and water damage, as well as personal liability and loss of use coverage.
In addition to offering a standard homeowners insurance policy, Bamboo Insurance also offers a separate dwelling fire insurance policy. This type of policy covers homes that aren’t your primary residence, including vacant homes, vacation homes, and investment properties.
Unlike a standard home insurance policy, dwelling fire policies only come with two basic coverages: dwelling and other structures protection. It doesn’t include liability or personal possessions coverage. However, you can add those coverages and more to your dwelling fire policy for enhanced protection.
Bamboo offers all of the above policy endorsements with its dwelling fire policy, as well as:
Personal property: Pays up to 50% of your dwelling coverage limit to repair or replace your personal belongings after a covered loss, including furniture, clothing, tech gadgets, and other stuff you own.
Personal liability: Offers up to $500,000 for legal and medical expenses if someone is injured or their belongings are damaged while at your home and you’re found legally responsible.
Service line: Pays up to $10,000 to repair or replace underground pipes or wires on your property that are damaged due to a leak, break, tear, rupture, or collapse.
Ratings methodology
Price
3.7/5
Bamboo home insurance rates weren’t available as of April 2023, which is why our price rating only factors in the seven home insurance discounts available with Bamboo.
Coverage options
3.7/5
Our coverage options rating is based on both the number and quality of additional coverage and policy options offered by the company. Bamboo Insurance earns an above-average score compared to other regional home insurance companies.
How much does Bamboo home insurance cost?
The cost of Bamboo homeowners insurance and dwelling fire policies will vary depending on a variety of factors, including:
Where you live
Your home’s age, condition, and claims history
Discounts you qualify for
Your coverages and policy limits
Your credit score
Compare home insurance quotes with Bamboo & other top insurers
What discounts does Bamboo Insurance offer?
You may be able to qualify for the following home insurance discounts when you sign up for a homeowners insurance policy with Bamboo:
Multi-policy: Save 12% if you have another insurance policy through Bamboo in addition to your home insurance.
High-deductible policy: Save between 11% and 27% if you opt for a deductible over $1,000.
Gated community: Save 5% if you live in a gated community.
Newly acquired home: Save 9% the first year of your home insurance policy with Bamboo if you’ve recently bought your home. Savings drop to 6% your second year and 3% your third year.
Age of home: Save up to 35% if your home is less than 20 years old.
Central alarm service: Save up to 10% if your home has a central home monitoring system.
Bamboo also offers the following discounts to save on your dwelling fire insurance policy:
High-deductible policy: Save between 10% and 25% if you opt for a deductible over $250.
Newly acquired home: Save 10% the first year of your dwelling insurance policy with Bamboo if you’ve recently bought your home. Savings drop to 7% your second year and 3% your third year.
Active lease: Save 10% if you’re purchasing a rental dwelling fire insurance policy.
Bamboo Insurance state availability
Bamboo writes dwelling fire and home insurance policies exclusively to California residents.
However, if you live in another state, Bamboo may still be able to help you find a home insurance policy through its network of partner insurance carriers. Just keep in mind your insurance policy won’t be underwritten by Bamboo, meaning coverages, discounts, cost, and customer experience will vary depending on the partner carrier you’re placed with.
Who owns Bamboo Insurance?
White Mountains Insurance Group acquired a majority stake in Bamboo Insurance in Oct. 2023 — acquiring around 70% of its basic shares outstanding.
What to expect with Bamboo Insurance
How to get a quote: You can get a Bamboo home insurance or dwelling fire quote online through policycentral or on Bamboo’s website.
How to file a claim: You can file a home insurance claim with Bamboo by calling 877-333-6938. Be sure to have your Bamboo policy number on hand and be ready to answer a few security questions to verify your identity.
How to cancel your policy: You can cancel your Bamboo home or dwelling fire insurance policy by contacting customer service at the number listed above.
Bamboo Insurance in the news
In October 2023, White Mountains Insurance Group acquired a majority stake in Bamboo Insurance with an expected investment of around $285 million. (Insurance Journal)
In September 2022, Bamboo Insurance announced a $16 million close of its Series A round funding. (PR Newswire)
Bamboo Insurance vs. other home insurance companies
Compare Bamboo home insurance to other popular insurers in the industry:
Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
Pat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
