Using your insurance for temporary housing
A plain-language starting point from your neighbors at Project Spokane. We're not insurance agents, and every policy is different — so the most reliable answers will always come from your own insurance company and adjuster. Use this to know what to ask them.
Fire incident number for your insurance claim
If your insurance carrier is asking for the fire incident number, here it is:
- Old Trails Fire — incident #2026066294
- Fire Information Line: 509-215-8236
Displaced by a different Spokane-area fire? Ask your adjuster or the fire information line for that fire's incident number.
If you've been displaced: your policy may already cover a place to stay
Most home and renter policies include a coverage called Loss of Use or Additional Living Expenses (ALE) — sometimes listed as "Coverage D." If your home is unlivable or you're under an evacuation order, it can help pay the extra cost of temporary housing, plus things like added food, laundry, pet boarding, and extra travel.
It's usually capped (often a share of your dwelling coverage) and time-limited — but after a declared emergency, Washington's Insurance Commissioner has repeatedly urged insurers to extend it past the typical 12-month limit.
What to do: call your insurance company or adjuster as soon as you can and ask specifically about "Loss of Use" or "ALE." Ask whether you can get an advance. Save every receipt. If you rent, ask anyway — renters policies often include this too.
It usually pays the difference — not your whole rent
One thing that surprises people: ALE usually covers the additional cost of living, not your entire temporary housing bill — because you'd have been paying your mortgage or rent anyway. For example, if your normal mortgage is $3,000/month and a temporary rental is $4,200/month, many insurers pay the $1,200 difference. Every policy is different, so ask your adjuster how your ALE is calculated.
Ask for an advance
Don't wait until you've submitted every receipt. Many insurers can issue an advance payment within the first few days for immediate necessities:
- Clothing
- Toiletries
- Medications
- Pet supplies
- Children's school items
- Laptops or other essential electronics for work or school
- Basic household necessities
If you need these now, ask your adjuster whether you're eligible for an advance.
Save every receipt
Even small purchases add up and may be covered under ALE. Keep receipts — or snap photos of them — for:
- Hotels
- Meals (if you can't cook)
- Laundry
- Fuel for extra travel
- Pet boarding
- Storage units
- Replacement essentials
Your own adjuster is the real source of truth. Your exact coverage, limits, and timeline are specific to your policy — ask them directly rather than relying on general information, including this page.
If you have a place to offer: an insurer may pay you to house a family
When a displaced family has this coverage, their insurer — sometimes through a temporary-housing placement company — may pay rent directly to you while their home is repaired or rebuilt.
What tends to help: a furnished place, flexible or short lease terms, and being ready with a rent amount and a W-9.
We can't promise an insurer will approve it — that depends on the family's policy and their adjuster. The family should loop in their adjuster before anyone signs anything.
The family's insurance company is who approves and pays. The first step is always for them to check with their own adjuster.
Where to get real answers
Start with your own insurance company or adjuster — that's the single best source for what you're actually covered for. These free services can also help:
This is general information shared by neighbors, not insurance or legal advice. Project Spokane is not an insurance provider and is not affiliated with any insurer. Coverage varies by policy — always confirm the details with your own insurance company.