Receiving a notice of nonrenewal of a homeowner’s insurance policy can be devastating news. Many California homeowners have faced this situation with little explanation and limited time to find replacement insurance coverage. In many cases, homeowners were not even told what condition led the insurance company to make the decision or whether it could be reconsidered.
Senate Bill 1301 passed both legislative chambers and was presented to Governor Gavin Newsom on September 9, 2026.
SB 1301 would provide important tools to attorneys, public adjusters, insurance agents and brokers, contractors, consumer advocates, lenders and real estate professionals.
The bill creates clearer standards for evaluating whether an insurer properly refused to renew a policy. Counsel would be able to examine whether the insurer provided timely notice, disclosed the actual basis for its decision, produced the images and inspection findings on which it relied, explained any wildfire-risk assessment, and/or gave the homeowner a meaningful opportunity to correct inaccurate information or remedy the property conditions capable of being fixed. These requirements could help identify improper nonrenewals and develop the administrative, contractual, or other remedies available under the circumstances.
Consumer advocates, public adjusters, and other insurance professionals could help homeowners understand the insurer’s reasons for nonrenewal, obtain estimates for any remediation work, or submit a dispute to the insurer before the policies lapse. Because these professionals are usually the first ones contacted when insurance problems arise, they are uniquely positioned to inform homeowners of their expanded rights and available options for preserving their coverage.
Similarly, insurance agents and brokers will have access to an insurer’s reasons for its decisions. Instead of trying to interpret a vague nonrenewal notice, they can explain the insurer’s specific reasons to their clients and provide corrective information. They can also search for replacement coverage before an existing policy expires.
SB 1301 creates a transparent process that helps California homeowners and the professionals assisting them understand a nonrenewal decision, correct mistakes, complete remediation work to preserve a policy, and hold insurers accountable when they fail to follow the rules.
