Insurance & Alternative Accommodation: A Guide for Families Displaced by Fire, Flood or Major Repairs

When a Home Becomes Uninhabitable

A fire, a flood, an escape of water, a structural failure or a major repair programme can make a home uninhabitable with little or no warning. When that happens, the household needs somewhere to live — not for a night, but often for weeks or months while repairs are carried out.

This is where insurance and alternative accommodation comes in. Insurers, loss adjusters and housing providers need to place families in suitable, furnished accommodation quickly, and the placement needs to work for the duration of the repair programme.

Why Serviced Accommodation Works for Insurance Placements

Serviced accommodation is well suited to insurance and alternative accommodation for several reasons:

• Fully furnished homes — the family moves into a complete household with kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, living area and laundry. They are not living out of a hotel room.
• Family suitability — multiple bedrooms, space for children, and the ability to cook, wash and live normally.
• Flexible durations — stays can be aligned to the repair programme, whether that is three weeks or six months.
• Direct invoicing — we invoice the placing organisation (insurer, loss adjuster, housing provider) directly, so the household does not manage the paperwork.
• Pets, parking and accessibility — we capture these requirements upfront so the placement fits the household's actual needs.

What We Capture Upfront

To make sure the placement works from day one, we ask the placing organisation for:

• Household size — how many adults and children
• Bedroom requirements — separate rooms needed
• Location — near the original home, near schools, near support networks
• Dates and expected duration — aligned to the repair programme
• Pets — type and number, so we can identify pet-friendly properties
• Parking — vehicles and accessibility needs
• Accessibility requirements — ground floor, step-free access, specific facilities

This information helps us match the right property quickly, reducing the back-and-forth that slows down placements.

How the Process Works

1. The placing organisation contacts us with the household details and requirements.
2. We identify a suitable property from our managed portfolio, or source additional capacity when needed.
3. We confirm the placement with the placing organisation, including dates, duration and invoicing arrangements.
4. The household moves in to a clean, furnished, fully equipped home.
5. We stay in contact throughout the placement, handling any issues and adjusting the duration if the repair programme changes.
6. We invoice the placing organisation directly — the household does not see or manage the invoices.

What Insurance Accommodation Is Not

It is important to be clear about what insurance and alternative accommodation is not:

• It is not regulated care. We provide furnished accommodation, not personal care or support services.
• It is not temporary housing provided by a council under a statutory duty — although we do supply accommodation to councils and housing organisations through a separate enquiry route.
• It is not a hotel substitution for short leisure stays — it is a home environment for households who need to live somewhere for a period of weeks or months.

Talk to Us About a Placement

If you are an insurer, loss adjuster, housing provider or family facing displacement and need furnished accommodation, contact us with the household details, location, dates and any specific requirements. We will work quickly to identify a suitable property.