Additional living expenses (ALE) refer to any expense you incurred as a result of home-related damages. For example, these expenses may relate to costs for living in a temporary residence, like a rental home, while repairs are being done on your house. You would not have had to pay for rental costs if your home wasn’t damaged in a loss event, such as a natural disaster.
If you are interested in filing an insurance claim but are unsure about whether you qualify for additional living expenses under a homeowner’s policy, you can work with a lawyer at our law firm to build your claim. Our disaster recovery attorneys can review your policy and help you collect evidence to support it. The following also describes some common ALEs people can claim on their homeowner’s policies.
Different Types of Additional Living Expenses (ALE) May Be on Your Policy
Additional living expenses can include a broad range of secondary damages, and each case is unique. United Policyholders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to informing people about their insurance rights, lists some common ALEs mentioned under homeowner’s policies, such as:
- The rent you had to pay to temporarily live outside of your home
- Mileage costs if your temporary rental home is far away from your job, children’s school or recreational activities, or membership clubs (e.g., gym)
- An insurance policy taken out to cover expenses for the temporary rental home
- Fees related to the rental home, such as fees for utilities, sewer services, and IT services
- Credit check fees charged by a management company when searching for a rental home
- Mileage costs to and from the rental home to businesses that offer rebuilding services, such as companies that do flooring services, manage construction services, or sell furniture and appliances
- Meals you had to buy while out organizing your home’s rebuilding or purchasing items necessary for its rehoming (e.g., furniture)
- Moving costs to move into the temporary rental home and back into your original home
- Fees related to going back to your rebuilt home, such as fees for reconnecting utility and internet services
- Costs to preparing your rental home for your departure, such as costs to clean the carpet, repaint walls, and perform any necessary repairs
- Pet boarding costs if applicable
You may claim other additional living expenses not listed in this article. If you are unsure of whether an alternative living expense falls under your homeowner’s policy, a lawyer from our firm can review your case and confirm this for you. If necessary, our team can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
How a Lawyer from Our Firm Can Help You Fight for Your Financial Recovery
For many homeowner’s policies, ALE coverage does not have monetary caps (though you should confirm if this is true for your policy), whereas other policies do, such as contents coverage. Insurance companies have the incentive to keep coverage at a minimum, so it is not uncommon for insurers to characterize ALEs into different policy coverage to minimize value.
If you decide to work with an attorney, they can review your homeowner’s policy and explain what kind of coverage you may be entitled to collect. Working with a lawyer can help you better understand your rights and know what to expect from the claims process. Additionally, if you work with our law firm, we will offer to:
- Investigate your loss event to ensure the insurance company accounts for all damages you incurred
- Collect evidence that supports your claim, such as photographs and videos, receipts and invoices for repairs and purchases, and rental contracts
- Handle communications with the insurance company and any other involved parties (e.g., state departments) on your behalf
- Review and submit any legal paperwork on your behalf
- Attend legal appearances to advocate for your interests, such as meetings with insurance adjusters or trial hearings
- Provide legal counsel whenever you have questions or concerns about your case
It can be overwhelming dealing with significant loss to your home, so having a lawyer manage your case for you can provide convenience while you handle immediate expenses and personal affairs. If the insurance company disagrees with your coverage claim, our team can also organize a lawsuit against the company to pursue compensation on your behalf.
Call GED Lawyers Today to Get a Free Case Review
If you are filing a claim with your homeowner’s policy and would like to know which additional living expenses are included in your coverage, our legal team can review your policy and help you prepare your claim. You may be entitled to receive coverage for various additional living expenses after suffering damage to your home.
Call GED Lawyers to tell us about your case. One of our team members will start organizing your case right away and assign an attorney to pursue compensation on your behalf.
