Fire, storms, and vandalism are just a few of the things that can make your home unfit to live in. But if you have to move out of your house while the damage is being repaired, your home insurer can offer you the next best thing to being there. In many cases, the company will pay for your lodging, along with other related expenses, under a standard home insurance provision known as "additional living expenses." Check your policy language to make sure you have this reimbursement.

Additional living expenses are designed to cover the cost of living someplace other than your home. Typically, your insurer will cover necessary increases in living expenses — including moving costs — so that you can maintain your normal standard of living.

Those expenses could include the cost of a temporary rental home or hotel room, restaurant meals, parking your car at night, and laundry done at the Laundromat. In general, costs that are above and beyond what you normally pay are considered "additional living expenses" and may be covered by your insurance company.

The coverage kicks in when you are forced to temporarily move out of your home for any one of a number of reasons, including damage from fire, lightning, theft, riot, windstorm or hail, explosion, a sudden release of smoke, impact by aircraft or vehicle, vandalism, glass breakage, or damage from a falling object. Earthquake coverage is an extra cost.

But there are also limits to the coverage. Payment is limited to the reasonable time required to repair or rebuild your home, or for you to settle elsewhere. The dollar limit for additional living expenses is usually equal to 20 percent of your home coverage.

The provision could also pay out to you if the police or other civil authorities deny you access to your home as a direct result of damage to a neighboring home, or in the event of mass evacuation.

The amount of living expenses you are eligible to claim can be limited as well. For example, if you were living in a small split-level house, don't expect your insurance company to pick up the tab for a suite at the Ritz, and don't expect to get away with ordering lobster for every meal.

Insurance companies have different rules for how the money is doled out, so check your policy language. Some companies will start by giving you a certain amount of cash up front, while others opt to reimburse you afterward. In both cases, your insurance company will want to see receipts for all expenses.