Displaced From Your Home in Columbus? Here’s How to Find Insurance-Covered Temporary Housing Fast | Epicurean Furnished Apartments

By Jesse Lear, Founder of Epicurean Furnished Apartments

Nobody wakes up thinking today is the day a pipe will burst in their ceiling, a kitchen fire will displace their family, or a storm will tear through their neighborhood. 

But in Central Ohio, it happens more often than most people realize – and when it does, the question isn’t just “where do I sleep tonight?”  It’s, “where can my family actually live for the next 3 months while our home gets put back together?”

Since 2019, our team at Epicurean Furnished Apartments has helped hundreds of displaced Columbus families find comfortable temporary housing during some of the most stressful chapters of their lives. 

Along the way, we’ve learned that the biggest challenge isn’t usually the disaster itself – it’s the confusing, slow-moving process that follows. Many Columbus homeowners navigating an insurance housing claim have never been in that situation before, and the learning curve hits at the worst possible time.

So here’s a practical guide for Columbus homeowners and renters: what your insurance actually covers, how to take control of the process, and what to look for in temporary housing that won’t make a hard situation harder.

Your Insurance Probably Covers More Than You Think

If your home becomes uninhabitable due to a covered event (a fire, major water damage, storm damage, or similar disaster), your homeowners insurance likely includes something called Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage, sometimes referred to as “Loss of Use.”

ALE is designed to cover reasonable costs of maintaining your normal standard of living while your home is being repaired or rebuilt. That typically includes temporary housing, but it can also extend to things most people don’t think to ask about: increased meal costs if you’ve lost access to your kitchen, laundry expenses, pet boarding, storage fees, even the extra mileage from a longer commute.

The coverage limit is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage (often 20-30%), and there’s typically a time limit as well – anywhere from 12 to 24 months depending on your policy. The specifics vary, so the very first step after any displacement event should be to call your insurance agent and ask: What does my ALE coverage include, what’s my limit, and what’s the timeline?

Don’t Wait on Your Insurance Company to Find You a Place

Here’s something most displaced families don’t realize: 

You don’t have to sit in a hotel room waiting for your insurance company to find temporary housing for you. In fact, you’re usually better off finding options yourself and submitting them for approval.

The standard process (insurer contacts a relocation company, relocation company searches their inventory, options trickle back to you) can take weeks. Meanwhile, your family is crammed into a single hotel room, you’re eating takeout for every meal, and your routines have completely fallen apart.

The faster path? Do your own research. Find short term furnished apartments that meet your family’s needs, gather the details (rates, location, what’s included), and then send them directly to your adjuster. 

In our experience, insurance companies are often relieved when policyholders take this initiative. It saves them time and closes the file faster. All they need to do is confirm the housing option is reasonable and approve it.

This one step alone can shave weeks off the process and dramatically improve the quality of your temporary living situation.

What to Look for in Temporary Housing (Hint: It’s Not a Hotel)

A hotel room is great for a weekend getaway. But living in a hotel room for 2-3+ months can quickly become miserable – even when it’s a suite with a kitchenette.

What about Airbnbs and vacation rentals? They can seem like a logical middle ground. They are fully furnished, have more space than a hotel, and exist all over Columbus. 

But there’s a catch that trips up a lot of displaced families: 

The best vacation rentals nearly always have weekend bookings scattered across their calendars several months out. That means stringing together a continuous multi-month stay is often impossible, even if the listing looks available at first glance. 

Even if you’re lucky enough to find a nice Airbnb with wide open availability, you’re typically forced to commit to your exact checkout date at the time of booking. 

This puts you in an impossible position. Book too short a stay, and you risk your place not being available to extend when the contractor inevitably runs behind schedule. Book too long, and you could end up on the hook for weeks of housing you don’t end up needing. 

Vacation rentals are built for travelers with firm itineraries – not families riding out an unpredictable insurance claim.

The better option for most displaced families is a furnished apartment with true month-to-month flexibility; somewhere you can stay as long as you need and leave when you’re ready, without gambling on dates. 

Here are the things that actually matter when evaluating your options:

A real kitchen. Being able to cook meals (especially if you have kids) makes a huge difference in maintaining normalcy. Look for full-size appliances, lots of cookware, and enough counter space to actually prepare a meal. This makes it easier to eat healthy meals, and also saves a surprising amount of money compared to eating out every day. 

In-unit laundry. Hauling bags of clothes to a laundromat while managing a home restoration project is a misery you don’t need. A washer and dryer in your unit might sound like a small thing, but it’s one of the amenities displaced families tell us they’re most grateful for.

Enough space to actually live. You need room to spread out, a desk if someone works from home, closet space and full size dressers to unpack (living out of suitcases for months is demoralizing), and a layout that doesn’t have everyone on top of each other.

Flexible terms. Home restoration timelines are notoriously unpredictable. Contractors run behind. Supply chain delays happen. Insurance approvals take longer than expected. You need a housing arrangement with month-to-month flexibility – not a rigid lease that either locks you in too long or runs out before your home is ready.

A location that makes sense. Ideally, your temporary housing should keep you close to your kids’ schools, your workplace, and your damaged property (since you’ll likely be visiting regularly to check on repairs). Columbus is a big metro area, so proximity matters more than people realize when they’re making this decision under stress.

A Few Things to Know About Navigating the Process

After working with hundreds of insurance displacement cases, here are a few practical tips that tend to surprise people:

Document everything from day one. Keep every receipt – meals, gas, toiletries, cleaning supplies, anything you’re spending money on that you wouldn’t normally spend. Take photos of all damaged property. Start a simple folder (digital or physical) for all claim-related paperwork. Your future self will thank you when the adjuster asks for documentation months later.

Understand the difference between ALE and your actual out-of-pocket costs. ALE covers the additional expenses above what you’d normally spend. If your mortgage payment is $2,000/month and your temporary apartment is $4,500/month, ALE typically covers the $2,500 difference – not the full $4,500. This is one of the most common points of confusion.

Know that “reasonable” is the operative word. Your insurance company will cover housing that’s comparable to your normal standard of living. They probably won’t put you in a luxury penthouse if your primary home is a small condo, but they’re also not going to stick you in a bare-bones studio if you have a family of four. A comfortable, well-furnished apartment in a safe neighborhood with amenities that match your usual lifestyle is exactly what ALE is designed to cover.

Ask about direct billing. Some temporary housing providers can bill your insurance company directly, which means you don’t have to front thousands of dollars and wait for reimbursement. This isn’t always an option, but it’s worth asking about as it can take significant financial pressure off your family during an already expensive time.

The Columbus Advantage: Quality Options Exist

One of the good things about being displaced in Central Ohio is that Columbus has a strong and growing market for furnished, midterm rental housing. 

Between corporate relocations, medical stays at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and a steady flow of professionals on temporary work assignments, the infrastructure for quality temporary housing is well-established here.

That means you don’t have to settle for living in a depressing hotel room or a vacation rental that’s designed to be a weekend crash pad. 

There are providers in Columbus – including our company, Epicurean Furnished Apartments – that specialize in exactly this kind of situation: fully furnished, all-inclusive apartments with flexible month-to-month leases, specifically designed for people who need a comfortable place to land during a period of transition.

Whether you end up working with us or someone else, the most important thing is that you take an active role in finding housing that actually works for your family. 

Don’t settle for the first option your insurance company sends over, and don’t assume a hotel room is your only option. You have more control over this process than you think.

What to Do Right Now If You’ve Been Displaced

If you’re reading this right now and you’ve been displaced by a fire, flood, or other home-related disaster, the first thing to realize is that you’re not alone. Thousands of Ohioans are displaced every year, and lots of resources exist to help make the recovery process easier.

When it comes to housing, here are the best places to start: 

First, review your insurance policy. Look specifically at your ALE/Loss of Use coverage. Know your limit. Know your timeline. Know what events are covered. If you’re unsure about any of it, call your agent and ask. This is a five-minute conversation that could save you weeks of confusion later.

Second, know your options. Use Google and ChatGPT to find a few furnished housing providers in your area. Browse their websites. Read their reviews. Then contact them and ask about their current availability. 

Before you reserve a furnished apartment, be sure to ask the following questions: 

• What is the exact location of the apartment? 
• What brand of mattresses and bedding are provided, and how new are they?
• Can you describe your cleaning process between guests?
• Do the photos show the exact apartment, exactly as it will look when we arrive?
• What is the total price after all fees, and can you provide a complete list of what’s included?

Nobody plans for displacement. And when it happens, you’ll be tempted to make decisions quickly. But when it comes to temporary housing, it’s important to slow down and choose wisely. After all, this is where you’re going to actually live for a while. The right temporary home goes a long way toward making the recovery faster, smoother, and a whole lot less stressful.

Jesse Lear is the founder of Epicurean Furnished Apartments – a boutique provider of short term furnished apartments in Columbus, Ohio. With an average guest rating of 4.97 stars and 500+ 5-star reviews, Epicurean has been serving displaced homeowners, corporate relocations, and traveling professionals since 2019.