Disasters, whether large-scale catastrophes or everyday home incidents, can upend lives in an instant. From structure fires and water damage to weather-related events, policyholders facing a loss all share a common, urgent need: access to safe, timely and cost-effective temporary housing. For claims executives, operations leaders and carrier decision-makers, delivering this continuity of care is not just a service, it's a vital part of the recovery process.
When a home becomes uninhabitable, policyholders are thrust into a state of disruption. Emotional stress, logistical hurdles and uncertainty follow. In these moments, insurance carriers and temporary housing providers serve as lifelines—delivering the security and stability families need to begin recovery. Delivering access to suitable temporary housing is not just about shelter—it’s about restoring normalcy, preserving dignity and enhancing overall claims satisfaction.
Why temporary housing matters more than ever
Temporary housing isn’t a sideline service; it’s a central pillar in the policyholder’s experience. For carriers, providing this support goes far beyond fulfilling coverage requirements. It directly influences customer retention, reduces friction during the claims process and demonstrates genuine care during vulnerable times. Although it sits outside the scope of physical property restoration, temporary housing is often the most visible, daily reminder of a family’s loss—and a key driver of satisfaction with the insurer.
The challenge for carriers is finding the right balance: supporting covered individuals with compassion while delivering benefits under the policy with efficient claims cycle times. That’s where Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions delivers additional living expense (ALE) benefits—helping carriers streamline housing placement, preserve ALE limits and deliver empathetic service, all through a scalable, technology-enabled model.
A smarter way to secure housing
Traditional housing placement methods—manually sourcing, vetting and coordinating providers—are time-consuming, error-prone and expensive. Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions redefines the process through a robust national network and centralized digital platform that connects policyholders with more than 300% more housing options than traditional standalone providers, including: hotels, apartments, single-family homes and sharing-economy accommodations.
This breadth of inventory, combined with consolidated reporting and integrated analytics, reduces sourcing time by up to 80%. For policyholders, that means faster placement and less disruption. For carriers, it means reduced loss costs—by as much as 12-15%—and better oversight across all active claims.
Integrating Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions is straightforward. Visit Crawford Temporary Housing page to get started. Complete the short form, and a representative will reach out to discuss the program, answer your questions and work with you to quickly formalize a customized solution tailored to your needs.
Preserving additional living expense (ALE), reducing loss costs
Approximately 68% to 74% of housing placements last fewer than 30 days, with the majority being hotel stays. Yet no two claims are the same. Each insured has a unique household makeup—pets, accessibility needs, family dynamics—that must be considered. More than 60% of housing requests involve pets, and of those, 70% involve multiple animals. Restrictions around breeds, exotic pets and accessibility can quickly complicate placement efforts.
Crawford meets these complexities head-on with a single, impartial process that aligns policyholder needs, specific requirements and ALE limits with pre-vetted housing options—optimizing each placement for fit, speed and cost.
Vetting that builds confidence
Crawford’s housing network is open to any provider that meets rigorous standards. This creates flexibility for carriers to continue working with preferred vendors, but in a more efficient, tech-enabled environment. For providers, it offers new revenue streams and the opportunity to support impacted families in a meaningful way.
At its core, Crawford’s solution is built on trust. By vetting providers in advance, the risk of liability is reduced, disputes are minimized and the customer experience is elevated. It’s the same world class service Crawford applies to physical property restoration—now extended into the temporary housing space.
Real-world relief: A policyholder’s story
At 5:30 p.m., an insured home caught fire. By 6 p.m., it was engulfed in flames. Standing in the driveway with his family and pets—only the clothes on their backs, a phone and a few dollars in hand—they faced an uncertain night.
Within an hour, Crawford secured a hotel that could accommodate the entire family, including their pets. In just five business days, Crawford sourced four viable long-term housing options. Within eight days, the family had moved into a multi-story apartment with ample parking and enough space for everyone.
This case exemplifies the value of responsive, compassionate and efficient temporary housing support during crisis moments.
Managing indemnity accuracy in temporary housing
Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions helps carriers identify and reduce sources of cost leakage—areas where unnecessary expenses can accrue and impact loss ratios. Examples include:
Direct hotel booking: By using booking portals and authorized wholesalers, rather than legacy providers, carriers can reduce hotel costs by up to 10%.
Swift transitions to long-term housing: Hotel stays often include high food, laundry, pet and parking costs—up to $300 more per day than long-term rentals.
Competitive bidding: Crawford facilitates a simultaneous bid process for long-term housing, enabling providers to compete on price and terms—preserving ALE limits.
Duration management: Integrated restoration tracking helps determine when a home is livable vs. simply uncomfortable—reducing unnecessary nights in temporary housing by 4–8 days (as much as $2,800 per claim).
Consolidated reporting: Carriers have access to all housing claims data in one place—including costs, performance metrics and vendor comparisons—enabling smarter decision-making.
Defining “livable”
Adjusters evaluate temporary housing needs based on core livability criteria:
- Is the home safe?
- Does it have heat?
- Is there running water?
- Is the toilet functional?
- Is the kitchen usable?
If the answer is "no" to any of these, the home is not livable—and temporary housing is required. Establishing clear criteria helps reduce ambiguity, ensures appropriate use of benefits and aligns expectations across stakeholders.
The impact of temporary housing by the numbers:
- $3.5B+ annually in carrier spend
- #2 in claim accuracy, behind restoration
- Significant source of 'leakage' in overall claim cost
- 6.5M+ annually nights in hotels
- 12M+ annually in rental homes, apartments and RVs
- Direct influence on claims satisfaction
Scenario: Gas leak displacement
Following the 2015 Aliso Canyon storage facility incident that rendered thousands of homes uninhabitable, a utility company partnered with Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions to accommodate displaced policyholders.
Challenge: The 2015 gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Southern California was the largest known release of methane in U.S. history. It spewed an estimated 107,000 tons of methane into the air for more than 16 weeks, uprooting more than 9,000 families filing claims over several days.
Solution: Aliso Canyon turned to Crawford Temporary Housing to help thousands relocate in their time of need. We swiftly mobilized our network capability, organized needs, addressed immediate temporary needs, and delivered long-term accommodations. Some families were provided temporary housing for more than a year.
Results: Over 9,000 families relocated, some for over a year.
This case underscores how integrating temporary housing services can transform a challenging situation into a manageable, efficient process for all parties involved.
Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions: Elevating the claims experience
Temporary housing is more than a bridge between disruption and repair—it is a strategic lever for improving claims efficiency, customer satisfaction and financial performance. When policyholders feel safe and supported, the entire claims process becomes smoother, faster and more successful.
Crawford Temporary Housing Solutions is built to meet today’s challenges—offering scalable, technology-enabled services that deliver results for carriers and relief for policyholders.
Connect with Crawford today to elevate your claims experience—because every policyholder deserves more than just a place to stay. They deserve peace of mind.
