Temporary Housing on Your Own Property in Missouri

When a tornado, a hailstorm, or a flood leaves your Missouri home unlivable, your homeowners policy may pay for somewhere to stay while it is repaired. For many families, the best place is still home: a furnished travel trailer set up on your own lot, close to school, work, your pets, and the crew rebuilding the house. 1st Choice Living has provided on-site temporary housing nationwide since 2004, and this page explains how it works in Missouri.

What Missouri homeowners are recovering from

On the afternoon of Friday, May 16, 2025, severe thunderstorms developed over Missouri and raced northeast. The National Weather Service office in St. Louis reports that a tornado touched down in Clayton around 2:41 p.m. and quickly strengthened as it moved through the northern part of the city of St. Louis, where it was rated EF3 with maximum winds up to 152 mph, before crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois. The Weather Service notes that thousands of buildings were damaged in the city.

The same afternoon, a separate EF2 tornado moved through Des Arc in southern Iron County, damaging some of the same structures a tornado had hit on March 14. FEMA’s major disaster declaration for the storms made Individual Assistance available in Scott County, St. Louis County, and the city of St. Louis.

Wind is not the only risk. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency calls flooding the deadliest severe weather hazard in the state, and a flooded home can stay unlivable long after the water goes down.

How the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance explains additional living expenses

The Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance explains that most home insurance policies cover the extra costs you incur when your home is damaged by an insured peril and you cannot live there while repairs are made, or when a government order keeps you out. Its Post-Disaster Claims Guide adds that if you have to move into a hotel or apartment while your home is repaired or rebuilt, the insurance company will pay your costs for temporary housing. Key points from the Department:

• It pays the increase. The Department says ALE helps pay expenses beyond your normal expenses because you can’t live in your home. ALE will pay hotel lodging, for example, but it won’t make your mortgage payment.
• It has limits. Some policies have a dollar limit, and some also have a time limit. The Department adds that these limits are separate from the coverage to rebuild or repair your home and from the coverage to replace your belongings.
• Keep every receipt. The Department says to keep all receipts for any additional costs, because the insurance company will need them to reimburse you.
• Flood needs its own policy. The Department reminds Missourians that standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, while some policies provide ALE if the home is uninhabitable because of wind damage or other perils associated with floods.

This is general information, not legal or coverage advice. Your policy and your adjuster decide what is covered.

How a trailer on your lot works with your ALE

1st Choice Living bills your carrier directly under ALE, so on a covered claim you pay $0 out of pocket and there are no lodging receipts for you to submit. We track your placement against your ALE limit, so you and your adjuster can see where things stand while the rebuild moves forward. You have one named contact from the first call to pickup.

Our furnished travel trailers sleep 2 to 10. We deliver, level, and set up the unit on your property, whether that is a city lot or acreage. Utilities are connected by licensed, insured contractors. We document site conditions at setup and takedown, so everyone has a clear record.

Local rules in Missouri are set by your city or county

We did not find a statewide Missouri rule on living in a travel trailer on your own lot while you rebuild. It is handled by your city or county, and rules in a city can be very different from rules in a rural county.

We check your local rules before delivery. If you want a head start, call your city or county permitting office and ask about temporary occupancy of a travel trailer during repairs: whether a temporary-use permit is needed, how long it lasts, and what water, sewer, and power connections the office requires.

Missouri recovery resources to know

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) describes its mission as helping Missourians prepare for, respond to, and recover from all emergencies. SEMA’s assistance resources page explains that FEMA’s Individual Assistance program helps with losses that are not covered by insurance, and you apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or 1-800-621-3362 when a declaration includes it.

For insurance questions, the Department’s Insurance Consumer Hotline is 800-726-7390.

For crews and agencies working in Missouri

The same furnished units house crews on job sites and support agencies coordinating displaced households. Adjusters get one named contact and a placement tracked against the policy limit.

Frequently asked questions