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Even if policyholders displaced by the fires have already filed a claim and received a displacement expense payment, they should still document their ongoing expenses in case they need coverage beyond the allotted four months, the panelists said. Panelists also recommend signing a rental agreement with family members or friends who they may be staying with so that they can point to it if they seek reimbursement for utilities or other expenses, they said. The panelists noted that Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, so in the event of total loss, an insurer must also offer policyholders an up-front payment of no less than 30% of the policy limit applicable to the dwelling for all personal property destroyed — up to a maximum of $250,000 — without requiring the insured to file an itemized claim form documenting the personal belongings that were destroyed in a disaster. Some policyholders prefer to take the 30% payment due to the emotionally taxing process of accounting for everything lost, the panelists said. And even smoke-damaged properties can recover between 75% and 100% for personal belongings destroyed, they said. However, if policyholders prefer to itemize their personal property losses, they should create spreadsheets of those losses, which can be divided into categories like clothing, electronics, and furniture, and use pictures and any receipts that they can access to support their loss estimates, the panelists said. The panelists recommend that policyholders creating such lists visualize each room, look at old pictures, and talk to friends to create an accounting of all their destroyed belongings, but warn that it can be a triggering process. Panelists also noted that policies have different time limits on the number of months a policyholder can take to rebuild or repair a damaged home. Policies also may have different provisions determining whether the insurer will reimburse a policyholder for destroyed personal property based on their actual cash value, which could be subject to depreciation, or replacement value. Anyone submitting claims should be aware of those terms and ask a representative for clarity if a provision is unclear, they said. The panelists noted that insurance companies are also currently prohibited under a one-year moratorium from canceling insurance policies in the fire zones, but companies may rescind coverage for other reasons, such as if the insurer discovers a misrepresentation, like if a policyholder isn't the official owner of the destroyed property, or if structures were built on the property that weren't disclosed to the insurance company.