With the weather becoming more extreme, disasters such as fires, floods, hurricanes and other natural events are becoming more common. Property damage because of these events is also unfortunately becoming more common.
So, what happens if your property is damaged due to a disaster?
Hopefully, your property insurance will cover the property and accommodation while it’s being repaired.
The government will help, as will disaster relief organizations. But, as recent history has shown, both will be overstretched and have finite resources.
Sometimes it’s just better to manage your own situation.
Which is where furnished rentals come in.
Furnished rentals for disaster situations
As the recent wildfires, floods and hurricanes have shown, FEMA and other government agencies mean well but don’t always deliver the help we need when we need it.
So, like many other areas of life, it’s up to us to fend for ourselves.
One way to manage that situation is by using furnished rentals as temporary accommodation while everything is sorted out.
Furnished rentals are cheaper than hotels for stays of 28 days or more. They offer more space for the family, come fully furnished and equipped and include everything you need to begin living right away.
If all your stuff is gone or within an inaccessible property, that’s a real advantage!
You will need to be able to pay for your temporary accommodation while your insurance company gets sorted out, but otherwise, it’s about as easy as temporary accommodation gets.
Call us, book a house or apartment, move in and begin recovery. It genuinely is that easy!
Will house insurance cover temporary housing costs?
If your home has been rendered uninhabitable or inaccessible and you have good insurance, you will likely be covered for temporary housing.
There are exceptions for flooding and for earthquakes though. Flooding needs separate insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.
There are two clauses often cited in home insurance that can cover temporary housing. They are ‘additional living expenses’ or ‘loss of use’. Other insurers may use other language but these two are the most common terms.
These clauses come into effect if your home is inaccessible due to the disaster or law enforcement or FEMA or other agency has ordered an evacuation.
If in doubt, contact your insurer or insurance agent to make sure you’re covered.
How to arrange temporary housing in a hurry
We appreciate that time is critical when you have suffered some kind of disaster so will work with you to find suitable accommodation as quickly as possible.
Contact one of our team. Tell us what you’re looking for, when and where and what type of property you need.
We’ll check to see what’s available and for how long and can make the arrangements. Most of our temporary housing is maintained ready to move in so it’s usually a case of preparing the paperwork, paying deposits and first month’s rent and moving in.
We’ll arrange utilities, manage the internet and TV, and all the other stuff so you don’t have to. You have enough going on without having to worry about that too!