8 Essential Tips for Securing Temporary Housing After a Hurricane
In the wake of a hurricane, securing temporary housing while your residence undergoes storm damage repairs might become a priority. This process can be overwhelming as you assess property damage, file insurance claims, and deal with the stress of being displaced from your home. In this article, we'll provide essential tips — from leveraging FEMA assistance to maximizing insurance coverage — to help you secure short-term accommodations.
1. Find Emergency Housing
In a hurricane's immediate aftermath, you might need emergency housing at a FEMA or Red Cross shelter. You can locate emergency housing in one of three ways:
- Dial 211 to connect with community services and get emergency housing information.
- Find a FEMA shelter or housing program by searching DisasterAssistance.gov or texting "SHELTER," followed by your ZIP code, to 43362.
- Find a Red Cross shelter and other disaster relief services near Augusta, Georgia, using the organization's online map.
Through the Disaster Assistance website, you can also apply for FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program, which helps pay for eligible displaced individuals' temporary housing in a hotel.
2. Contact Your Insurance Company
Most homeowners and rental insurance policies include loss-of-use coverage to pay for living expenses and housing costs while you rebuild after a hurricane. You can take advantage of this coverage if storm damage has made your home uninhabitable. Expenses it might cover include temporary housing, storage, laundry, meals, and more.
These policies do, however, have limitations on the type, cost, and duration of temporary housing they'll cover. For example, your insurance company might only pay for a rental that's comparable to the home from which you've been displaced. Contact your insurance agent right away, before you secure a place to stay. This way, you know what type of housing your insurer will approve and can potentially get reimbursed for housing costs in advance.
3. Collect Documents To Apply for a Rental
If you need to rent an apartment or home for long-term temporary housing after a hurricane, make sure you have all the paperwork the landlord or property management company will need to approve you as a tenant. This will help you get qualified for housing smoothly and avoid delays in a rental market saturated by individuals looking for temporary housing post-hurricane. Documents you might need to provide include:
- Proof of your insurance company's support and agreement to cover rent reimbursement.
- A copy of your credit report from one of the three major reporting agencies.
- Proof of employment and income to confirm you can afford to make monthly rent payments, even if your insurance company will be reimbursing you.
4. Decide Between a Lease or Rental Agreement
Depending on the length of time you anticipate being displaced, you'll need to sign a lease or rental agreement for your temporary housing. It's important to understand the differences between these agreements to choose the right one for your situation:
- A rental agreement is typically month to month until you give 30 days' notice to terminate it. The rent amount can fluctuate monthly.
- A lease agreement is established for a set period, such as six months or a year, up front. During this time, the rent amount cannot increase. If you decide to vacate early, however, you usually still have to pay the remaining balance on the lease.
If you're facing a lengthy rebuild and know you'll need temporary housing for many months or even years, a lease can provide you with stability. On the other hand, if you expect to move back into your home within a few months, renting might be the more flexible option.
5. Don't Become a Victim of Price-Gouging
During an emergency, price-gouging on services such as housing is illegal in Georgia. Some unscrupulous landlords, however, might still try to increase their rent rates unreasonably after a hurricane. See if a business or individual has raised the rent by searching similar properties online or asking other tenants. If you suspect price-gouging, you can report it to the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division.
6. Understand Fair Housing Laws
Georgia's fair housing laws prevent landlords from discriminating against tenants based on gender, disability, race, religion, and more. Some landlords will even set prohibitive occupancy limits to prevent families from renting their properties, for instance. If you've applied for temporary housing and believe you've been denied unfairly, you can file a complaint with the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity.
7. Obtain Money for a Security Deposit
Most landlords require renters to pay a security deposit of one to two times the monthly rent amount before moving into a property. They can use this money to cover unpaid rent or any property damage you might incur. If, when you move out, the property requires no repairs exceeding normal wear and tear, the landlord must return the security deposit. Make sure you have the funds to cover the required security deposit amount — whether that's coming out of pocket or from your insurance company.
When it's time to vacate your temporary housing and move back into your primary residence, leave the rental in the same condition it was in. If you've done this, make sure the landlord returns your security deposit. Most rental or lease agreements require the landlord to return the deposit within a certain amount of time, such as 30 days, if you left the property in good shape.
8. Get Renters Insurance
If you're renting a property as your temporary housing, you might be asked to get renters insurance for the duration of your stay. This policy protects both you and the landlord from loss while you're living there. Renters insurance is typically low cost, and you can work with your insurance agent to create a policy in the required amount. Then, you'll need to provide proof of the policy to the landlord before moving in.
Be Prepared for the Unexpected
No one's ever truly prepared for the devastation and displacement of a hurricane. By understanding how to secure temporary housing, however, you can make the process go as smoothly as possible — especially in a competitive short-term housing market. Once you've established housing, you can then focus your attention and efforts on repairing and rebuilding your life and home.