The Sudden Disruption

“When’s the soonest you can move out?” my landlord asked me. Reason being, water damage in an apartment on the fifth floor had very inconveniently made its way to my hallway and bathroom ceiling on the third floor, and now my apartment also needed repair work. I said I’d do my best to keep him updated, estimated the earliest I could make this happen was by the weekend, and ended the phone call. I turned to look at my two cats and then to the never-ending work notifications coming from all my devices, “oh my god,” was all I could think to myself.

Tackling the Challenge

I have dealt with various crisis situations in my life and many “black swan events” (something you can’t anticipate happening), but alternative accommodation in less than three days– well, that was a new one. Regardless, I knuckled down and got to work because this was just another challenge, a problem that needed solving. Sure, it was damn stressful with the short notice, BUT it was solvable, so I concentrated on that.

A Quick Solution

First, I called insurance. They informed me that they worked with two partner companies offering temporary accommodation and explained the finances to me– I would be responsible for paying what my own rent per month was and then 15% of what went over, whilst IF would cover the other 85%. They provided me with the two partners, and I did a very quick study. It was an easy choice– probably because, at first glance, Comodo’s webpage was very attractive, easy to use, and with a quick search, there was an apartment available about a kilometer from mine. Panic suddenly turned to a little bit of relief as I pictured not having to move far.

Comodo to the Rescue

See, when you’re faced with an immediate, rather acute problem and your stress levels are already high– what you want is everything else to be simple and straightforward. That’s what I felt when I researched Comodo’s website. The first thing you see when you bring their webpage up are the words “apartments immediately available” in large font. Above these words, there’s the search bar where you can narrow your search; specifying the location, duration, and for how many people. Or, you can just scroll down the page and you’ll see their immediately available apartments (picture of the apartment, for how many, size, location, and from when it’s available).

Easy– that’s what this part was– easy, and thank god, there was the perfect apartment for me; similar in size, good location and close by, pets were allowed, and there was even a glassed-in balcony, something I thought, could work as enough of a distraction to ease my cats' stress over having to move house. Now you could click on the apartment you were interested in, easily fill in the form and make a reservation, but I didn’t have time for that. I needed to get this apartment now before somebody else grabbed it. Not only was it the best one for what I was looking for (similar size, close by, and available for at least 3 months), it was literally the ONLY one, and I had work coming in and needed to get this dilemma off my list so I could get back to it.

Immediate Assistance

So, I found their phone number, called them, and rather frantically explained my situation. The lady on the other end of the phone was so friendly and understanding, “yes it is available, yes we can hold that for you,” she said, and I felt as if she was smiling over the phone, silently indicating that everything was going to be okay. The knot in my stomach eased up, my palms stopped sweating, and finally, I could breathe a sigh of relief– I had found alternative accommodation, I thought to myself. That was problem number one solved.

Seamless Transition

After that, any and all questions I had regarding Comodo’s apartment were easily and swiftly answered. Comodo’s apartments were fully furnished and came with all the basic necessities (kitchenware, sheets, shower curtains, TV, Wi-Fi, hangers… they even came with a fan for those hot summer days we ever so rarely get). The monthly rent included electricity and water costs as well as the Wi-Fi, and my home insurance would automatically cover my temporary accommodation.

Above and Beyond

Whilst waiting for my insurance company to approve my new temporary accommodation, Comodo had already reached out and agreed when and how I would receive the new house keys. What surprised me is how accommodating they were in comparison to my earlier moves. They offered to have someone drop them off through my mailbox. Within two days, they’d dropped off an envelope with two sets of keys and an info sheet with everything I needed to know about my new apartment. I was pleasantly surprised since I was used to having to go out of my way, but Comodo had done the opposite, went out of their way– for me.

Celinan kissat kodikkaasti kalustetussa asunnossa

Leikkiä Comodon väliaikaisessa asunnossa

And they didn’t just end there. When I inquired about the possibility of invoicing me for the rent to be around the same time as my monthly salary– they even accommodated that too. They weren’t just renting you a home, they were selling you an experience. They turned something that was originally stressful into something new and dare I say it, worth experiencing. Sure, it was stressful to pack whatever I needed whilst simultaneously keeping up with my work, and it wasn’t as close as I had originally thought it to be, but it was both a challenge I had overcome and an experience to add to the books.

Reflecting on the Experience

And as I continued to experience living in temporary accommodation (and still continue to), I wondered who Comodo’s customers had been and currently are. What led them to their journey with Comodo? Had it been planned or a black swan event like mine? And if it had been, could sharing their story make a potentially stressful situation even more pleasant, or like they say in Italian, comodo…