By the Awan Insurance Team · Reviewed by Shahbaz Awan, Licensed California Insurance Agent (CA Lic #0H95098)
Maybe a renewal jumped, maybe a non-renewal notice arrived, maybe you just bought and need proof of coverage by Friday. Here's what a local agency actually does about that, what we can place, and why in Highland your address decides more than almost anything else.
Awan Insurance Agency is a licensed California agency at 27255 Messina St, Highland, CA 92346, reachable at (909) 864-3200, open Monday to Friday 9am–5pm Pacific. Farmers is our primary carrier, alongside Foremost, Bristol West and a broader panel including Mercury, Progressive, Safeco, Bamboo, SageSure, Aegis and National General. We write home, auto, renters, condo, landlord, life, business and recreational coverage across California. Policy reviews are free and using an agent adds no fee to your premium.
Highland is a small city with a genuinely complicated insurance picture. It runs from the valley floor up into the San Bernardino foothills, the housing stock on either side of town is decades apart in age, and the fire hazard maps were redrawn in 2025. All of which means the answer to “what will this cost and who will write it” depends heavily on exactly where you are — which is the part a national quote form can't see.
Why Does Working With a Local Agent Matter in Highland?
Because Highland is not one insurance market — it's at least two, and which one your address sits in decides what a carrier will offer you.
The city runs about 18.9 square miles from the valley floor up into the San Bernardino foothills. Housing on the west side is significantly older; the eastern developments largely date from the early 1990s onward. Across the city the median year of construction is around 1983, per U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data.
That matters because roof age, systems age and fire hazard zone are the first three things a property underwriter looks at. Two houses fifteen minutes apart here can get completely different answers from the same carrier — and a call centre reading from a national script won't know why.
What Can This Agency Actually Place?
More than most people expect from a Farmers office — the primary carrier plus a broad additional panel through a brokerage arrangement.
This is the question that decides whether one decline ends your search. Farmers is our primary carrier, with Foremost and Bristol West alongside it. Through Kraft Lake, the brokerage available to Farmers agents, we can also place business with a panel including Mercury, Progressive, Safeco, Bamboo, SageSure, Aegis and National General. Hagerty handles classic and collector vehicles.
| What you need | Where it goes | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home, condo, renters | Farmers plus the broader panel | Fire hazard zone drives which markets will look at it |
| Auto | Farmers, Bristol West, Progressive and others | Including SR-22 filings and drivers with a lapse |
| Landlord / rental property | Farmers, Foremost and the panel | DP-3 forms, loss of rent, liability |
| Life | Farmers life products | Term and permanent, plus needs analysis |
| Business | Farmers commercial and the panel | General liability, BOP, commercial auto, workers' comp |
| Classic car, RV, boat, motorcycle | Hagerty, Foremost and the panel | Agreed value where the vehicle warrants it |
| Standard market declines you | California FAIR Plan plus DIC | Named-peril fire policy paired with a wrap — the last resort, not the default |
The most common reason a Highland household ends up on the FAIR Plan when it didn't need to is that somebody stopped after the first no. Carrier appetites in California have moved considerably over the last two years. A file declined in 2024 genuinely deserves another look now — and that re-search costs you nothing.
What's the Difference Between an Agent, a Broker and a Quote Website?
Chiefly who is accountable to you afterwards, and whether anyone reads your policy before you buy it.
A local agency
A licensed person whose name is on the file. Reads your declarations page, handles the renewal, and is reachable when a claim happens.
A quote website
Fast for a price. Won't tell you your dwelling limit is $130,000 short or that you declined uninsured motorist coverage in 2016.
Market access
The practical question isn't the label. It's how many carriers can actually look at your address.
At claim time
The carrier adjusts the claim either way. The difference is whether someone local helps you navigate it.
Policy review
Most gaps we find are on existing policies nobody has read in years — not on new business.
What it costs you
Nothing extra. Commission is built into the carrier's filed rate whether you use an agent or not.
That last point is worth sitting with, because it's the one people most often get wrong. Using a licensed agent doesn't add a fee to your premium. The rate is filed with the Department of Insurance either way.
What Should You Bring to a First Conversation?
Your current declarations pages — that single document answers most of what we'd otherwise have to ask you.
- Declarations pages for whatever you currently carry: home, auto, umbrella, business.
- The property address so we can pull the fire hazard severity zone while you're on the phone.
- Roof age and any recent work — re-roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC. Receipts help.
- Any wildfire mitigation you've done, with dated photos if you have them. Under California's Safer from Wildfires regulation this is a filed discount, not a favour.
- Vehicles and drivers in the household, including anyone who has moved out.
- Any non-renewal or cancellation notice you've received, and its date.
It almost certainly isn't personal — it's usually a carrier reducing how much property it insures in one fire-exposed area. And you may have more protection than the letter suggests: under California Insurance Code section 675.1(b)(1), insurers cannot cancel or non-renew residential policies in ZIP codes within or adjacent to a fire perimeter for one year after the Governor declares a state of emergency, whether or not you suffered a loss. Bring us the notice and the date.
Where Are You and How Do You Work?
We're at 27255 Messina Street in Highland, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Pacific — and most things can be handled by phone if that's easier.
Call (909) 864-3200, or start with the two-field form on this page and we'll come back to you. We're a California agency and we write across the state, but Highland is where the desk is.
A first conversation is usually about fifteen minutes. There's no charge for a policy review, and no obligation to move anything — plenty of the reviews we do end with us telling someone their current policy is fine.
For coverage detail before you call, start with the Highland insurance guide, the complete guide to home insurance in Highland, or more about the agency.
The Bottom Line
What a local agency is actually for, in a market like this one, is market access and a second set of eyes. Highland's split geography means your address determines your options more than almost anything else, and that isn't something a national quote form is built to see.
If you want a price, get a price anywhere. If you want someone to check whether your dwelling limit would rebuild your house, whether you're carrying uninsured motorist coverage, and which carriers will actually write your street — that's the conversation we're here for, and it's free.
Related Questions
Where is Awan Insurance Agency located?
The office is at 27255 Messina St, Highland, CA 92346, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm Pacific. You can reach us at (909) 864-3200. We are licensed in California under CA Lic #0H95098, agency licence #6000199.
Does using an insurance agent cost more than buying online?
No. Commission is built into the carrier’s filed rate either way, so using a licensed agent does not add anything to your premium. What it adds is someone who reads the policy before you buy it and is reachable afterwards.
Which insurance carriers can this Highland agency place business with?
Farmers is our primary carrier, with Foremost and Bristol West alongside it. Through Kraft Lake, the brokerage available to Farmers agents, we can also place with a panel including Mercury, Progressive, Safeco, Bamboo, SageSure, Aegis and National General, plus Hagerty for classic and collector vehicles. That range is why one decline does not end the search.
What should I bring to a first meeting with an insurance agent?
Your current declarations pages above all — that one document answers most of what we would otherwise have to ask. Also useful: the property address so we can pull your fire hazard zone, roof and systems age, any wildfire mitigation with dated photos, your household vehicles and drivers, and any non-renewal notice with its date.
What areas does the agency serve?
We are licensed in California and write across the state. The office happens to be in Highland, in San Bernardino County, which is where a good share of the properties we insure sit.
Is a policy review free?
Yes, and there is no obligation attached. A review usually takes about fifteen minutes and mostly involves reading your current declarations pages with you. A fair number end with us saying the policy you have is fine.
Last reviewed August 2026 by Shahbaz Awan, Licensed California Insurance Agent (CA Lic #0H95098). Local data cited from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, the City of Highland, the California Office of the State Fire Marshal and the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District; regulatory points from the California Department of Insurance and California Insurance Code section 675.1. Carrier availability varies by address and is subject to underwriting. This page is general information, not advice about your specific policy.