Have you been forced to live elsewhere due to damage to your home? When serious damage occurs, it can take weeks or even months to make a house fully livable again. In the meantime, your options may be to stay with someone or to find temporary accommodations. You have many good reasons to opt for temporary, furnished housing rather than such options as hotels, couch-surfing, or short-term vacation rentals.
Why choose furnished housing rentals? Here are a few of the most important perks.
1. It May Be Covered
Many homeowners
insurance policies include provisions for what are known as additional living expenses (ALE) or loss of use. This is generally the difference between what you would normally pay for a place to live and what you might have to pay to find temporary shelter. This category can cover things like mileage to a temporary home, monthly rent in excess of normal, and meals.
If your policy includes sufficient coverage for ALE, you do well to use this option. Keep in mind that you have paid the premiums to have this coverage, and your family might benefit more from the stability that proper housing offers.
2. You Lessen Additional Expenses
Temporary housing facilities offer amenities specifically designed for the long-term stay. Such useful services include things like full cooking facilities, individual washers and dryers, pet-friendly apartments, and children's play areas. On the other hand, hotels and short-term rentals focus on short-term visitors, so their amenities are geared toward short stays.
If you can find a housing option that includes things you might otherwise have to pay for in addition to your housing, you use the available ALE funds more wisely. The more meals you can cook yourself instead of eating out or the more laundry you can do at home, for instance, the longer it will take to reach your ALE maximum allowance.
3. You Have a Personalized Experience
A hotel can only provide so much for a family who can't live at home. While the basics might be covered — a roof over your head and a place to sleep — hotels are limited in their options. Dedicated temporary housing facilities, on the other hand, specialize in helping people feel at home in a new location. You can often customize your experience as much or as little as you need.
You might choose from an apartment that is fully furnished, partially furnished, or not furnished at all. If you are able to bring some items from home that will help the whole family adjust, you'll have just the right amount of room and furniture to accommodate it. You can also usually find more choices in kitchenware, additional decor items, and home office needs than at most hotels and vacation rentals.
4. You Have a Community
If you and your family can't live at home, the next best thing may be to have some sort of community around you during this hard time. A vacation rental, though, is usually a single property that may not even have any neighbors. A hotel, on the other hand, sees short-term guests come and go quickly. Neither is good for building any relationships or finding empathy.
Temporary housing communities, though, are filled with people in the same situation as yourself. From employees living away from home to other families who might be in a housing crisis, you're more likely to find a sympathetic ear and a shared experience. Because guests stick around for longer, you'll have some familiar faces to enjoy while you're in this unique situation.
Furnished housing could be the best answer for your family while facing this challenging circumstance. Whether you need somewhere to stay for a week, a month, or more, it will save money, provide a more comfortable situation, and help provide a sense of community. Want to learn more? Visit
Corporate Relocation, inc, today to learn more about temporary housing and what it can do for you.