A notice of non-renewal is given to individuals who an insurance company views as too "high-risk" to represent. This could be because you filed too many claims, or you had one costly disaster. But whatever the reasons, once you receive your notice, you may have to face the fact that you will soon be uninsured.

So what to do? The first thing to do in any situation where someone is clearly "upset" by your behavior is to apologize. Though your probably have nothing to apologize for, it still will help your case to go to your insurance company in a spirit of humility. Ask why your coverage isn't being renewed, and if there is anything you can do. Ask your agent if there's a way your company will extend you coverage with a higher deductible or higher premium. Since frequent claims are the most common reason for non-renewal, a higher deductible means fewer claims, so your insurance company knows you won't be bothering them every time your tub overflows. And even if they don't agree to extend you coverage, it could take them weeks to decide to accept or reject your proposal, and in the interim, you can begin to look for a new insurance company.

As with all searches for insurance, your next step should be comparison shopping of other home owners insurance companies. Apply for coverage with several companies simultaneously?you may not have enough time to wait around for one bid at a time. Going online for instant bids is a great way to speed up the process as well. Speed is of the utmost importance, because once your insurance company refuses to renew your policy, it's only a matter of time before your credit score suffers, and grouping your applications together as soon as possible is the best way to overcome that.

You should ask in advance if your new company will accept people with recent claims. Most companies will not accept anyone who has made a claim in the last 3 years. You should be aware that your new policy?wherever you get it?will cost more than the policy you lost, so try not to expect basement-level prices.

If worse comes to worse, and you can't find anyone to help you, a lot of local state governments have temporary plans to help home owners in your situation. Missouri, for example, has the Property Insurance Placement Facility (FAIRPLAN), which provides a fire policy (no liability) with no more than $100,000 in coverage for your home and contents combined.