Dropped by your carrier. Here is the order to work through.

Several major carriers have exited North Carolina or severely restricted new policy issuance over the past two years. The ones remaining have tightened what they will write.

Which means more homeowners are getting a letter saying their policy will not be renewed. Here is what it actually means and what to do about it.

First: non-renewal is not cancellation

These get used interchangeably and they are different.

Non-renewal means the carrier will not offer a new policy when this one expires. Your current cover runs to the end of the term, and they must give you advance notice.

Cancellation means the policy ends mid-term. Carriers can only do that for specific reasons such as non-payment or material misrepresentation, and the notice period is much shorter.

If you have been non-renewed, you have time. Use it rather than waiting until the last fortnight.

Second: find out why

The letter should give a reason. If it is vague, ring and ask, because the reason determines everything that follows.

Roof age. The most common cause in North Carolina right now, particularly on the coast where salt air ages roofs faster. Fixable, expensively, and other carriers draw the line in different places.

Claims history. Two or more in three years will do it with many carriers. You cannot undo it, but it ages off.

An inspection finding. A tree over the roof, a fence in poor repair, missing shingles, evidence of a leak. Often fixable within weeks.

The carrier left your area. Nothing to do with you at all. Several have pulled back from coastal counties entirely.

Third: fix what can be fixed

If it was an inspection finding, sort it and photograph the work. Some carriers will reconsider, and even if yours will not, the next one will ask the same questions.

If it was roof age and your roof is newer than they think, correct the record. Roof replacement dates get logged wrongly surprisingly often after a sale.

Fourth: shop the standard market properly

This is the step people skip, and it matters most.

Use an independent agent who represents several companies rather than one who represents one. And get more than a single quote — the spread between carriers on a difficult risk is far wider than on an easy one.

Fifth: surplus lines

If the standard market says no, surplus lines carriers write the harder risks. They are regulated differently, they cost more, and coverage can be narrower.

But they are a genuine option and they sit between the standard market and the state-backed plans. An independent agent reaches them through a wholesaler.

Last: the Beach Plan and the FAIR Plan

North Carolina has two residual market plans. The Coastal Property Insurance Pool, usually called the Beach Plan, covers the eighteen coastal counties. The FAIR Plan covers the rest of the state.

Both exist for people who cannot get coverage in the voluntary market. They are a genuine safety net and there is no shame in using one.

But work through the earlier steps first. These plans are designed to be the last stop rather than the convenient one, and coverage is generally narrower than a standard policy.

The one thing not to do

Do not let the policy lapse.

A gap in coverage, even a short one, makes you harder to insure and more expensive at the next renewal. Carriers ask about continuous coverage and they price it.

If you are running out of time, take something — even a policy you are not thrilled with — and keep shopping once you are covered. Moving carriers mid-term is straightforward. Explaining a lapse is not.