How Locum Tenens Housing Works

All the members of our housing team are veterans with deep experience in finding you safe and comfortable housing. Each year, the team provides accommodation for thousands of providers, including:

110,000 HOTEL NIGHTS

Weatherby pays for the reasonable cost of room and tax for the duration of your assignment.

You’ll be responsible for the cost of incidentals like movie rentals, room service, or other amenities that are not included in the room rate. When checking into a hotel, you’ll need to provide a credit card to cover any expenses charged to the room.

Once you’ve accepted an assignment, your Weatherby assignment coordinator will ask about your preferences on things such as:

• A location with a gym or a pool so you can exercise

• Proximity to downtown area versus closer to the assignment

• A room near an elevator

• A first floor room or an upper floor room

Our consultants work hard to get to know you personally, so we can understand what accommodations will make you most comfortable and anticipate your needs.

Please note: While we will always do our best to match your preferences, market conditions and availability can sometimes limit our options.

Several factors influence the selection of housing for a locum tenens assignment.

1. How long is the assignment?
2. Does the healthcare facility offer its own housing and is it available?
3. What accommodations are available in the market?
4. How important is proximity to the healthcare facility based on your specialty (such as an on-call specialty like OB/GYN)?
5. How well can we match your personal preferences?

Depending on the length and type of your assignment, you may be housed in one of the following:

Hotel

• Typically used for assignments of less than a week

• Consists of a one-bedroom, one-bath standard room

Extended stay hotel

• For assignments of more than one week and up to 30 days

• Usually a suite or larger room with a kitchenette

Apartment

• Leased when an assignment extends longer than 30 days

• Typically one bedroom and one bath

• Furnished with one TV and one bedroom set

• Larger apartments with additional furnishing are available as an upgrade (see below)

Vacation rental (e.g. Airbnb)

• May be used for short or longer assignments where there are fewer traditional options available

• Not the preferred alternative because of less flexibility and fewer protections

Healthcare facility-owned housing

• Some healthcare facilities offer their own housing for locum tenens providers

Related: Tips for living in a hotel on your locum tenens assignment

Our housing team makes every effort to ensure the quality of accommodation, safety of location, and your comfort during your stay. Here are the standards we adhere to when selecting a location.

Comfort

Before an assignment, your Weatherby consultant will spend the time to understand your needs and preferences, and we’ll do everything possible to accommodate you. Be proactive in sharing your preferences and wants, such as:

• Bedding preferences (e.g. mattress softness and bed size)

• Need for an office area

• No stairs (e.g. because of a recent knee surgery)

A good question to consider is “What are your must-haves vs. your nice-to-haves?” Sometimes we can’t meet all criteria because of limited options in the market. When that’s the case, we’ll prioritize your must-haves over your nice-to-haves.

Furnishings and decor

For apartments that need furnishing, Weatherby provides you with the executive package from our preferred rental vendor.

Amenities

When available, we place providers in complexes that offer extras, such as washers and dryers, community gyms or fitness rooms, swimming pools, and clubhouses.

Quality

Although individual preferences can vary, we are always striving for a location where a professional with high quality standards would want to stay.

• We favor properties that we’ve already used for other assignments and the provider reported a positive stay

• When looking at new properties, we take into consideration reviews left by past guests on third-party review sites

• We won’t use a property again if there were problems during a past assignment

Safety

As part of our selection process, the Weatherby team makes every effort to ensure the location is in a safe area, including reviewing:

• Recommendations from the healthcare facility

• Online review sites

• Other publicly available data

On-site visits

For long-term stays where you’ll be accommodated in an apartment or other rental, we encourage you to visit the location before you move in. Our team can accommodate you in a hotel for a few days until you’ve had a chance to visit. This provides you the opportunity to evaluate a location for quality, comfort, and safety before we close on the lease. Discuss this option with your consultant to make the necessary arrangements.

Your assignment contract covers the reasonable cost for a one-bedroom, one-bath accommodation. If you would like a larger or premium unit, more furnishings (such as a TV in the bedroom), or a pet-friendly property, you are typically responsible for the added costs.

If you prefer to book your own housing, Weatherby will reimburse you for the reasonable costs of housing as defined by the assignment contact. Housing expenses should be submitted to your assignment coordinator within 14 days of completing your assignment.

Yes, you can live at home when it’s convenient to the assignment. For more information about this option, ask your consultant.

Many of our providers bring their families with them, either for a working vacation or an extension of their stay after the assignment. Just make sure we know up front so that we can arrange for suitable housing that will accommodate your whole family.

Note: If the cost of housing to accommodate your additional family members exceeds the housing budget for your assignment, you may be required to pay the difference.

We understand that pets are very important, and we can arrange for accommodation of nearly every type of animal. However, depending on the type and breed, it may be more difficult to find accommodations that will accept your pet.

We will do our best to work with your housing location, airline, and car rental company to ensure your pet(s) will be accepted while you are on assignment.

All pet-related costs are your responsibility.

If you are having trouble with your housing and are unable to address it with the on-site manager, notify your Weatherby consultant and provide as many details as possible. If you have complained to the manager, document who you spoke to, when, and what the outcome was. We’ll work with them to rectify the situation.

For urgent after-hours needs, Weatherby is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to help. Call 888.312.7249 for assistance.

How we help

If we learn of a disaster or incident in your area, your consultant will immediately reach out to determine if you have any needs and are safe and comfortable in your location.

Our relationships with hotel chains and housing managers give us access to resources that can help in an emergency situation. We can even work with “sold-out” hotels and often find accommodation for our providers.

We’re happy to book you in your preferred locations whenever possible. Just let us know your preferences and provide us with your reward account numbers. We’ll add them to any applicable reservation.

As a 1099 contract employee, some of your travel-related expenses may be tax deductible. Consult with a tax advisor to determine how travel expenses may apply to your individual tax situation.