Got a Home Insurance Non-Renewal in California? What to Do Next

A non-renewal isn't a cancellation. A cancellation ends coverage before the term is up, and once a policy has been in force for 60 days, California allows it only for a short list of reasons, such as unpaid premium or fraud. A non-renewal lets the policy run to its end date and stop.

Common reasons include the insurer's wildfire score for the address, the roof's age or condition, brush close to the house, recent claims, or the company cutting back on homes in an area. On the canyon edges of Santa Clarita, wildfire exposure is often part of the reason.

What the notice has to include

• The specific reason or reasons the insurer won't renew.
• A phone number for the insurer's staff who handle consumer questions and complaints.
• A statement that you can ask the California Department of Insurance to review the decision, with the Department's website, mailing address and phone number.
• A separate notice describing the CDI's Home Insurance Finder, the California FAIR Plan, and the Department's list of insurers that sell difference in conditions (DIC) policies.

So look at two dates on the letter: when it was sent and when the policy expires. If fewer than 75 days separate them, call the insurer's consumer line from the notice and ask how the late-notice rule applies to your policy.

The rule covers homeowners, condo, mobile home and renters policies in force when the emergency was declared, whether or not the home was damaged. It has narrow exceptions, such as willful or grossly negligent acts by the owner that raise the risk, unrelated losses, or physical changes that leave the property uninsurable.

The 2022 Route Fire near Castaic brought one too. These protections are temporary, and the Hughes Fire moratorium has run its year. When a new fire is declared an emergency, the CDI's moratorium page lists the bulletin and offers a ZIP code lookup. If you got a wildfire-related non-renewal for a listed ZIP code, ask the insurer to reinstate the policy, and file a Request for Assistance with the CDI if it refuses.

If the house was a total loss

A separate rule applies. After a total loss caused by a disaster, the insurer generally must offer to renew for at least the next two annual terms and no less than 24 months from the loss, as long as the loss wasn't caused by your negligence.

Ask the insurer for your wildfire risk score. If it rests on something that's no longer true, like a roof you've already replaced, appeal it and send proof. Starting in 2028, SB 1301 also gives you a right to know which repairs or mitigation would qualify the home for renewal.

Carriers handle discounts in their own way. Mercury, for example, says its mitigation discounts apply only to the wildfire portion of the premium, are set through underwriting review, and don't promise eligibility or renewal. Our guide to wildfire risk and home insurance in Santa Clarita lists the steps that count and the proof to keep.

Our home carriers include Mercury Insurance and Travelers. Both are on the Department of Insurance's August 2026 list of insurance groups committing to stay and grow in California, though each still decides house by house. A captive agent can only bring back one company's answer, and our guide to independent vs. captive agents explains why that matters after a non-renewal.

The Home Insurance Finder (opens in a new tab) searches by ZIP code or city within a distance you choose, with a box for companies that may write in higher fire-risk areas. The CDI notes that a listed company may not be accepting new business, so treat the results as a call list.

Compare like with like: the same dwelling limit, extended replacement cost, deductibles, loss of use and liability. Our page on homeowners insurance in California explains each part, and homeowners insurance in Santa Clarita covers what carriers ask about local houses.

It's a fallback with trade-offs: two policies, two bills, and a fire policy whose rates rose an average of 29.1% for new and renewing customers from October 15, 2026. If your home lands there, we can walk you through it and check standard options first, then shop the regular market again before each renewal. Our California FAIR Plan guide covers limits, add-ons and how to get back off it.

Got a non-renewal on a rental house instead? Our landlord insurance page covers the options we can quote with carriers such as Steadily and Obie.