Do You Have to Move Out During Home Repairs? When Insurance Pays for Housing

    By Michael Wojciak, founder, Agile RV Housing

    You have to move out when the repairs make your home unfit to live in: the roof is open, wet drywall and insulation are being torn out, mold removal seals off rooms, or you have no working kitchen, bathroom, power or water. When a covered loss caused the damage, the Loss of Use part of a homeowners policy (Coverage D, also called Additional Living Expense) often pays for temporary housing during those repairs, even if you stayed in the house after the damage happened. Ask your adjuster to approve the move before you leave. Agile RV Housing sets up a fully equipped RV on your own lot for insured homeowners, in all 48 contiguous states. The rate is $120 to $140 a night, tax included. Delivery and setup are priced separately for each property.

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    Which home repairs mean you have to move out?

    Repairs mean moving out when they leave the part of the house you live in unsafe or unusable. The standard homeowners form starts Loss of Use when a covered loss makes the part of the home where you live "not fit to live in" (HO 00 03 Coverage D wording, PropertyCasualty360). The form does not define that phrase, so your adjuster decides it for your house (PropertyCasualty360). These are the repairs that commonly leave a home unfit to live in:

    • A roof replacement or rebuild where the decking or ceilings are open to the weather.
    • Water damage repairs where wet drywall, insulation, flooring or cabinets are torn out and drying equipment runs for days.
    • Mold removal behind plastic containment, especially across large areas or more than one room.
    • Electrical repairs that leave the home without safe power, such as a damaged service mast that a licensed electrician has to replace.
    • Kitchen or bathroom tear-outs that leave the family without a working one.

    Does homeowners insurance pay for housing while repairs are done?

    Often, yes, when a covered loss caused the damage. Florida's Department of Financial Services says homeowners policies provide Additional Living Expense coverage that pays some extra expenses when damage keeps you from living in your home while it is uninhabitable or being repaired (Florida DFS homeowners insurance toolkit). The Texas Department of Insurance uses the same example: a family that has to move out during repairs after a covered storm damaged the house (Texas Department of Insurance).

    Loss of Use pays the increase in your living costs. Your mortgage and your normal bills stay yours. Every policy has a dollar limit for this coverage, some add a time limit, and both are on your declarations page.

    Can loss of use start later, when the repairs begin?

    It can. Loss of Use follows the time your home is unfit to live in, and the standard form pays for the shortest time required to repair or replace the damage (HO 00 03 Coverage D wording, PropertyCasualty360). Plenty of families live under a tarp for weeks after a storm, then have to leave once the contractor opens the roof or starts tearing out wet walls. Tell your adjuster the start date and the expected length of the work as soon as your contractor gives them to you, and ask for written approval of your housing before you move out.

    How long do you have to be out of the house during repairs?

    As long as the repairs take, and that is often longer than the first estimate. Florida property insurance attorneys warn that the repair period usually runs longer than the early estimates, and that families should watch how fast they use their living expense money (Property Insurance Coverage Law blog). After a storm, contractors work through a backlog, and the scope has to be approved before work starts.

    Our minimum stay is 30 days, then month to month with no maximum. Most families stay about five months, so the housing ends when your home is ready, and your Loss of Use limit has to last that whole time.

    Can you live in an RV on your property during home repairs?

    Yes, in most places, with the right permit. Your city or county sets the rules, and many allow one RV on the lot of a damaged home while it is repaired. In Florida, after the Governor declares a state of emergency, state law bars counties and cities from prohibiting one RV on the lot of a home made uninhabitable, for up to 36 months or until the certificate of occupancy (Fla. Stat. 125.023). Our free zoning check confirms the rules for your address.

    An RV on your lot keeps your family at home, with a kitchen and separate sleeping space, and you are there when the contractor shows up. A unit at the top of our range sleeps a family of up to five, which in hotels means two rooms, so the RV draws substantially less against your Loss of Use limit than an extended hotel stay.

    How do I ask my adjuster for housing during repairs?

    Call or email your adjuster as soon as your contractor tells you the house has to be empty for the work. Ask these three questions:

    1. My contractor says we have to move out for this work. Will you approve temporary housing under Loss of Use?
    2. What is my Loss of Use limit, in dollars and in months?
    3. Will you approve an RV on my own property as that housing, and what do you need from the provider? (Usually a written quote and an estimate of how long the repairs will take.)

    You choose who provides your temporary housing. Your insurer or its housing agency may suggest a provider, and the choice stays yours (choosing your temporary housing). If a temporary housing agency handles your housing, you can ask for Agile RV Housing by name.

    Already in a hotel or with family? See switching from a hotel to an RV on your lot.

    Moving out for Hurricane Isaias repairs in Pensacola, Milton and Navarre

    Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on October 9, 2026, and insurers have since received about 68,000 claims in Florida, most of them from Santa Rosa and Escambia counties (WUWF, November 9, 2026). As roofs come off and wet walls come out, some families who stayed home after the storm now have to leave.

    In Escambia County, the permit to use an RV as temporary disaster recovery housing is still required, and its fee is waived for Isaias repairs until further notice (NorthEscambia.com). In Milton, an October 29 ordinance allows temporary housing on a damaged property for up to 36 months (Pensacola News Journal). Our Hurricane Isaias temporary housing page has a page for each area, and the Isaias RV rules by county list the local permits.

    How we have done this

    Our founder, Michael Wojciak, has spent 10 years in RV rental and fleet operations. We are a preferred vendor with the national temporary housing agencies, including ALE Solutions, Alacrity, Sedgwick, CRS, and National Corporate Housing, and we work with all of them. Delivery is about four days from approval to move-in, and a licensed electrical contractor installs the power on every placement.

    If repairs mean your family has to move out, call us.

    In one conversation we'll tell you whether your property, your utilities and your local rules work for an RV, and what to ask your adjuster.

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    Frequently asked questions

    Does insurance pay for a hotel while my house is being repaired?

    Loss of Use often pays for temporary housing while a covered loss makes your home unfit to live in, and that housing can be a hotel, a rental or an RV on your own lot. Your adjuster approves it. A family of five needs two hotel rooms, while one Agile RV Housing unit at $120 to $140 a night, tax included, sleeps up to five.

    Do I have to move out for a roof replacement?

    Not always. Many families stay home during a roof replacement when the work moves quickly and the inside stays dry. You may need to leave when the decking or ceilings are open, water got inside, or the work runs for weeks. Ask your contractor how long the house will be open, and ask your adjuster to approve housing for that period.

    Do I have to leave the house during mold remediation?

    Often, when the mold is extensive. EPA guidance written for schools and commercial buildings recommends full containment when more than 100 square feet is affected, and says large jobs may include temporarily relocating occupants, based on the size of the area and any health effects (EPA). Your remediation company and your adjuster decide what applies to your home.

    Can Loss of Use start weeks after the damage happened?

    It can. The standard homeowners form pays for the shortest time required to repair or replace the damage, and many homes only become unfit to live in once the repair work starts. Ask your adjuster to approve your housing before you move out.

    How fast can you set up an RV for my repairs?

    Delivery is about four days from approval to move-in. The main variable is scheduling the electrical contractor. Call when your contractor gives you a start date, so we can check your property and local rules before the work begins.

    Are pets allowed in the RV?

    Yes. Pets are welcome in Agile RV Housing units, so your family stays together at home during the repairs.

    Sources

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