Oregon has passed House Bill 2982, which requires homeowners insurers to pay at least 70 percent of property contents coverage without requiring the insured to submit an inventory, if the loss is a total loss that was the result of a major disaster. This rule is effective as of January 1st, 2024, and is in effect indefinitely. This overrides the standard duty of an insured to prepare an inventory of damaged personal property that shows the quantity, description of the property, actual cash value of the property and amount of the loss. 

The Bill amends Section 742.053 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) to add subsection (3). The subsection starts by defining "major disaster" to mean a state of emergency the Governor declares that involves or threatens to involve widespread loss of life, injury to persons or property, human suffering, or financial loss. 

It then states if an insured with a homeowners policy suffers a total loss of the contents of their residence as a result of a major disaster in a location that was subject to a declaration of a state of emergency, and provides documentation that the residence was furnished, that the insurer must: 

• Pay a minimum of 70 percent, or a larger percentage if agreed upon by both parties, of the coverage the insured carried for contents of the residence, without requiring the insured to submit a written inventory of the loss
• Notify the insured that accepting the offer described above does not change the benefits available under the insurance policy, and the insured may receive a bigger payout by submitting a complete inventory of the loss
• Disclose information about how the insurer determines the depreciated value of the contents, if the insurer provides a depreciated value
• Pay for any covered costs associated with debris removal no later than 60 days after receiving an invoice or receipt, except if a governmental agency removes or is involved with removing the debris, the insurer must pay within a reasonable time
• Pay for any covered loss of trees, shrubs or landscaping within 30 days after receiving documentation of the loss, unless the insurer disputes the coverage or the insurer and insured agree that the insurer will pay the costs later in the claims process

If the insured does submit a complete inventory of the loss with an amount that exceeds the amount offered by the insurer, the insurer must request any other information they require within 30 days of receiving the inventory, and pay within 30 days for any items of which the coverage, cost, or condition the insurer does not dispute.