My apartment building was non-renewed. What do I do?

Read the notice for the reason and the exact date coverage ends, then work backwards from that date, because the reason decides the fix and the date decides your pace. Do not wait for the FAIR Plan to be your answer, since most LA apartment buildings in the flats can still be placed in the regular or surplus lines market.

Two dates are driving this market. The wildfire non-renewal moratorium from the January 2025 fires ended January 7, 2026, so carriers in the affected ZIP codes can send non-renewals again. And the California FAIR Plan raises rates 29.1% on October 15, 2026.

What the FAIR Plan does and does not cover

Yes. The FAIR Plan writes commercial property including apartment buildings, on a fire-focused form with its own limits. It does not include liability, and it does not handle loss of rents the way an admitted package does, so owners on the FAIR Plan need a companion policy for the rest. It is the last resort, not the only option.

The 30-day plan

1. Day 1. Read the notice for the reason. Age, wiring, roof, claims, or the carrier leaving the class entirely. The reason decides the fix.
2. Day 1. Run the building here so you know the flood, fire, soft-story and rent-control facts before you call anyone.
3. Day 3. Gather the update documentation: roof, plumbing, electrical, panel, retrofit certificate. Underwriters price documents, not promises.
4. Day 7. Get quotes from both the admitted and the surplus lines market. An older building often does better in surplus lines than on the FAIR Plan.
5. Day 30. Bind with at least two weeks of overlap. A lapse on a mortgaged building triggers force-placed coverage at a much higher price.

Questions owners ask me after a non-renewal

• Does the California FAIR Plan cover apartment buildings?
  Yes, on a fire-focused commercial form, and it is the market of last resort rather than a normal option. It has no liability and limited income coverage, so it needs a companion policy beside it.
• How long do I have after a non-renewal notice?
  Look at the notice for the date coverage ends and count back from there. Most owners have weeks, not months, and the quotes worth having take a week or two to assemble properly.
• Is the FAIR Plan raising rates?
  Yes, 29.1% effective October 15, 2026. If you are on it now, that is the deadline to have something else quoted and compared.
• Can I get off the FAIR Plan?
  Often, yes. The route is documentation: roof, plumbing, electrical and panel dates, a retrofit certificate if the building is on the soft-story list, and a clean three to five years of claims. That package is what reopens the admitted and surplus lines markets.
• What happens if my policy lapses?
  If the building is mortgaged, the lender force-places coverage that costs far more and protects only the lender. Bind the new policy with overlap so this never comes up.