Corporate Housing FAQs

Tell us the market, your dates, how many bedrooms, and how many people are staying. That's enough to search live inventory and send back a shortlist with a monthly rate against each option. There's no charge for the search and no commitment until an agreement is signed.

You'll get photos, the address and the building's amenity list for each option, and in most markets a guided tour can be arranged before you sign. What you generally can't do is view the exact unit weeks ahead, because it's often still occupied. Providers work to a portfolio standard rather than a per-unit one, which is why the condition of the specific apartment matters less than it would on a private rental.

Usually, and it's a common request for project teams and intern cohorts. It depends on how much inventory the provider holds in that building at those dates, so it's worth raising at the first conversation rather than after units are held. Where a single building can't take everyone, the fallback is normally several buildings within the same submarket.

An occupancy agreement, not a residential lease. The practical difference is what the document is built around: a lease is built around the property and a fixed term, while an occupancy agreement is built around a stay that everyone expects to move. That's why its extension and early-exit clauses carry far more weight than the equivalent language in a lease, and why they're the two clauses to read closely.

It depends entirely on what the agreement says, and this varies more between providers than anything else in the contract — anything from a 30-day notice requirement to liability for the full remaining balance. Read that clause before you sign rather than when you need it. If there's a realistic chance the assignment shortens, say so during the quote, because early-exit terms are more negotiable before signing than after.

Extensions are routine and most assignments use them. You give notice before the current term ends — the required notice period is in the agreement — and the provider confirms whether the unit is available for the additional time. The rate usually holds for a short extension but isn't guaranteed to, particularly if the extension runs into a higher-demand season. If a unit is already committed to someone else, the provider will offer an alternative rather than a refusal.

For company-billed stays under an existing account, usually neither. For direct bookings by an individual, Churchill sets the security deposit by credit standing and takes the first month's payment up front unless other arrangements are made. Deposit requirements across the industry vary widely, so treat any single figure you see quoted as that provider's policy rather than a standard.

Either the company or the guest, depending on how the account is set up. Under a master service agreement the company signs once and individual placements are booked against it, which is what most HR and relocation teams prefer — it removes the paperwork from the employee entirely. Without an MSA, each stay is contracted separately.

Yes. Consolidated billing is a standard part of a corporate account: employees in several markets appear as line items on a single monthly statement rather than generating separate invoices per city. This is usually the specific thing that makes a company switch from booking hotels ad hoc to running a housing program — see HR and relocation.

Rent, utilities and any add-on services taken during the month, each shown separately rather than rolled into a single figure. Itemization matters more than it sounds: insurance claims and government per-diem reimbursement both require a breakdown, and a lump-sum invoice will hold up a claim.

Check, money order, and major credit cards. Corporate accounts are normally invoiced on terms rather than paying at the point of booking.

Yes. For a displacement placement the invoice goes to the carrier rather than the policyholder, itemized to meet additional living expenses documentation requirements. The adjuster approves the placement and the policyholder doesn't handle payment. More detail on the insurance page.

Electricity, gas, water and internet are inside the monthly rate, and some agreements set a monthly consumption allowance above which excess usage is billed on. Whether a cap applies, and what it is, is specified in the agreement. It rarely affects normal household use; it exists for the outlier cases.

Per diem covers lodging, not a particular type of lodging, so a furnished apartment qualifies as long as the rate sits within the published lodging allowance for that locality. Rates are set per city and updated annually — check the current figure for your destination at gsa.gov/perdiem rather than relying on a number quoted on any provider's site.

Yes, government travel cards are accepted. Confirm at booking, because the billing route differs between a card-paid stay and one invoiced to an agency.

Yes. Bookings on orders are routine, and the documentation is handled as part of the reservation rather than as an exception.

Same day or within 24 to 48 hours in most markets, depending on inventory and family size. Speed is limited by what's available and turned in that submarket, so a call earlier in the day gives more options than one at the end of it.

The claim number, adjuster approval, the dates, the number of occupants and any accessibility or pet requirements, plus the approved rate or ALE limit. Having the limit up front means the options come back already inside the policy rather than needing a second round.

Parking is the one that surprises people most often, because whether it carries a charge is set by the building rather than by us. Housekeeping sits outside the rate too and is added as a service if you want it. Where a property accepts pets there's a fee attached. The remaining two are conditional: excess utility usage where the agreement sets an allowance, and early-termination liability if a stay ends ahead of its dates.

Normal wear and tear is expected and isn't charged. The apartment is inspected after departure and any damage beyond that is documented photographically before anything is billed. Removing personal belongings and trash, and leaving the apartment broadly as you found it, is all that's asked at the end of a stay.