ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Renters forced out of their homes at The Rialto Apartment complex are now facing an unexpected financial burden, paying out of pocket for hotel stays, meals, and other daily expenses and essentials while they wait for answers about reimbursement.
Emergency evacuations began Thursday after officials deemed the building unsafe, leaving hundreds of renters scrambling to find temporary housing.
Thursday evening, a sign was posted to the door stating the complex has been deemed unsafe, and it remains taped off while structural engineers evaluate the property.
Northland, the owner of the apartment complex, confirmed that experts are conducting unit-by-unit inspections to understand the extent of the damage and determine when it might be safe for residents to return.
Doorbell camera footage captured the moment Orange County Fire Rescue used a sledgehammer to pry open an apartment door that was stuck during the evacuations. While firefighters initially attempted to use a keypad code to enter the unit, they found the lock was malfunctioning.
Erika Dameron, a resident who was among those trapped inside, said she realized something was wrong when she and her family could not open their patio door to escape. Dameron said she first woke up around 4:40 a.m. to the sound of popping and cracking throughout the complex.
“It paranoied me to the point that I set up in a bed and started crying,” Dameron said. She described leaving the building with only the clothes on her back and her cats. Reflecting on the uncertainty of the situation as they were freed, Dameron said, “we thought we were gonna die.”
Dameron said she is currently paying $2,100 in monthly rent and is now spending an additional $2,300 to stay in a hotel through the end of the month.
A representative for Northland, the property owner, did not provide immediate answers regarding whether residents would be reimbursed or have their rent prorated. The representative stated that the company’s current focus is on the safety of the residents.
Later, the company released the following statement:
“This is a fluid situation, and we are working across several fronts. Engineers have been on-site since yesterday and are evaluating conditions on a unit-by-unit basis across 200 apartments and the building overall to better understand the situation and determine next steps. We recognize the disruption this has caused for our residents and are in regular communication to support them, including helping identify temporary accommodations for the next few days.”
Many tenants say they were required to carry renters’ insurance before signing their leases, but renters are raising questions on what all renters’ insurance will cover.
“I have to cover temporary housing, laundry, food, shelter—everything you take for granted when you rent a home,” said displaced resident Matt Landis. “The only guidance we’ve been given is to contact our renters’ insurance.”
As bills begin to pile up, tenants like Landis are left waiting for responses from their insurance providers.
According to insurance agent Tom Cotton, many renters may qualify for reimbursement under “loss of use.” This coverage typically applies when a rental property becomes uninhabitable, even if there is no direct damage to an individual unit.
“Although they might not have had any damage in their unit, their building might be uninhabitable,” Cotton explained. “That’s where loss of use comes in.”
Loss-of-use coverage can help pay for hotel stays and additional food costs beyond a renter’s normal expenses. However, there are limits. Cotton says most policies will cover between 3% and 5% of a renter’s personal property coverage amount for these types of claims.
There are also important distinctions in what renters’ insurance typically covers. While policies often include sudden events like fires or burst pipes, they typically do not cover structural defects or maintenance issues. Still, Cotton notes that most renters’ policies do extend coverage to situations involving natural causes, such as sinkholes, often referred to as minor settling and cracking. He also says it covers municipal or government evacuation orders.
For displaced residents, the key now is documentation. Experts recommend keeping all receipts and records related to temporary living expenses to submit when filing a claim.
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