temp rental through CRS Temporary Housing/Nationwide Insurance

[Terry Woods]

We were approached by someone claiming to be from CRS Temporary Housing saying they are looking for temporary housing for a family insured by Nationwide Insurance while their house is repaired after a fire. They say Nationwide will be covering their rent deposit and fees and have offered about 30% more rent than we were asking if we give them a 6 month lease that then goes to month-to-month.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of temporary housing rental?  Will Nationwide cover the rent if the tenant doesn't pay? If they sign a 6 month lease, will they leave after a month and leave us without the rent for the remainder of the lease?   What pitfalls do we need to look out for?

We have one rental property, had one tenant for 17 years and are now looking for our second tenant and so are essentially new to the tenant identification/screening process.

Thanks for any assistance you can give us.

Terry