FAQ
What is Housing Headquarters?
We help find temporary housing for your policyholders after their home has been made uninhabitable by a fire, severe storm, tornado or other insured accident or natural catastrophe.
Why should I use Housing Headquarters?
Speed. We already have the hotels, properties and vendors in place, so we can quickly relocate your policyholders.
Cost efficiency. Because of the volume of business we do and our pre-negotiated agreements, we can offer you
excellent rates.
Time savings. We take care of the temporary housing process so you can concentrate on the many other crucial
aspects of getting the family back in their home.
Service. We take care of your policyholders’ needs, making this difficult experience as smooth as possible for them
and for you.
What is the minimum lease length you handle?
We handle any length placement, from a one-night hotel stay to a 12 month+ temporary rental as a result of an unusually large loss. At Housing Headquarters, we understand you cannot fully know the needed lease length just after the loss has occurred. Our rental agreements always begin with the length of time you specify, yet we also make sure we have the ability to extend the agreements on a month-to-month basis as needed.
Where do you find the homes?
Our goal is to move your policyholder to like kind and quality housing very near to their permanent residence. To facilitate this process, we have developed an internal database of properties available for housing families for short-term leases. The homes are pre-screened and the rates have already been negotiated, making lease arrangements quick and easy. Many placements result from this database. Special needs and requests or more remote locations may require us to perform searches outside our database.
What type of housing do you provide?
Housing Headquarters does not own any property. We locate properties that best meet your policyholder’s needs and best match the type of home in which they live–single family home, townhouse, corporate apartment, mobile home, etc. For stays of less than a month, we will typically place your policyholder in an extended stay hotel with a kitchenette.
Are the homes furnished?
Most of the time the landlord does not furnish the home. Housing Headquarters, however, has relationships with vendors that can provide short term furniture rentals. We also have the ability to rent appliances (washers, dryers, microwaves, etc.) and housewares (shower curtains, bath items, silverware, plates, bowls, etc.) to meet your policyholders’ needs.
What paperwork does my policyholder have to sign?
The policyholder is responsible for signing the residential lease for their temporary property after our specialists have read and approved the lease terms. Your policyholder also signs an agreement to utilize Housing Headquarters’ services for their housing and furnishing needs and an authorization allowing you to pay us directly for their temporary relocation expenses.
How do you handle Security Deposits?
We prefer to not expose the insurance company to possible loss from unreturned security deposit amounts. Whenever possible, we ask that you advance the funds for security deposits from your policyholder’s contents or other portion of their claim. This allows us to quickly and efficiently move the family into their temporary housing. It also encourages your policyholders to take good care of the temporary property and furnishings so that the deposits are returned in full. If this is not possible, we will work with you and your policyholder on other arrangements for deposit payments.
What if I need you to extend the lease?
We will contact you two weeks before notice is due to have you approve either the extension or termination of the lease. If the lease needs to be extended, we will make the arrangements with the landlord. If the lease needs to be terminated, we will handle the move-out procedures.
How do you bill?
Before your policyholder selects a property, we always obtain your pre-approval of the budget. Once the policyholder has moved into the temporary home, we’ll send you a detailed invoice of all A.L.E costs. This invoice will have been pre-checked to make sure it’s within your budget and contains only authorized costs. If the initial lease period needs to be extended, you will be invoiced for approved extensions as they occur. For an idea of typical costs, please contact us or call 866.918.RELO (7356).
