Because of the number of fires in California over the past several years, there are huge shortages of labor and materials for building homes. It can take well over a year for someone who lost their home in a wildfire to secure a contractor and get permits to be able to build.
The California Department of Insurance knows this. On May 18, 2019, the Insurance Commissioner issued a Notice requiring insurers to extend additional living expense (“ALE”) benefits to as long as 36 months if needed for claims made due to a state emergency such as a wildfire, regardless of any time limit in the policy. “Good cause” is specifically noted to be unavoidable delays in the construction process. This can be delays with obtaining permits, or finding a contractor, or getting materials. It can also be delays due to the pandemic.
Note that this extension does not increase the dollar limit of ALE, if any, in the policy, so if your rebuild is delayed, you want to minimize the monthly cost of your lodging and related expenses to stretch it out as long as possible. This extension only applies to fires that occurred on or after September 21, 2018. However, 29 insurance companies agreed to voluntarily provide this extension to victims of the 2017 wildfires as well.