Proper insurance for renting out your home on Airbnb

Services like Airbnb offer fantastic possibilities in how to earn more money. The extra income can be useful for Christmas presents; school fees, refurbishments, renovations; saving for a prudent reserve, a holiday away; the deposit on a new buy to let home, and much more. It’s important for anyone renting their properties out on AirBnb to take a few basic precautions; therefore, get AirBnB property insurance. Doing this wrong can invalidate your insurance policy.

 

So the questions are:  

How do I get the right insurance to rent my property out on Airbnb? What is the best insurance to rent my property out on AirBnB? Cheap AirBnB insurance?

 

The first thing to know is that Airbnb won’t do all of this for property owners. Many people believe that Airbnb will take care of any misconduct. Even though Airbnb offers £600,000 of insurance to hosts via its “Host Guarantee,” there are limits and exclusions to its coverage. For one, Airbnb doesn’t cover damage caused to shared or communal areas, such as shared stairways, balconies and access paths.

Another misconception is that your regular home insurance policy will handle the situation. Yet, most insurers as standard do not cover renting out rooms of homes. This is because most traditional home insurance services aren’t set up to cover room rentals, particularly those that are a short term let.

How to get the right insurance for Airbnb?

Before you rent to your first customer, seek professional advice from your insurance broker and discuss your options. Bypass this step and you could be negligent for not disclosing your business — also known as non-disclosure of a material fact — to your insurance, resulting in the invalidation of your insurance coverage permanently. We can’t stress this enough: Make sure to tell your insurance broker or insurance company that you are letting.

Next, you will need one-on-one help and advice on how to properly insure you, your goods, and your property. Companies like SJL Insurance Services do this. SJL is an esteemed Lloyd’s of London insurance broker, of which there are only about 250-300 operating across the world. SJL can do this whether you’re renting out a spare room, putting the entire house up for let, or renting it out while on holiday, or something else.

There are limits on the coverage. Most insurers will not cover theft unless by forced or violent entry. It’s also smart to rent homes out through reputable peer-to-peer services like Airbnb, HomeAway.com, or Booking.com rather than self-advertising on classified websites. Renting through reputable peer 2 peer services can help ensure that any claim you have to make won’t hit snags. Getting the bill for the rent paid via PayPal will also give extra seller protection, but it also gives extra buyer protection too.

 

Supplemental liability coverage for Airbnb

 

As noted earlier, anyone who rents a home out on Airbnb is protected by its “Host Guarantee,” which provides £600,000 of liability coverage. But there are exclusions and £600,000 might not cover a worst-case situation.

 

SJL Insurance Services is happy to consult with anyone who might want additional liability insurance beyond what Airbnb standardly provides. It can make the difference between Airbnb providing a profit versus a headache giving mental health and financial problems for property owners.

 

Make the right choice with an experienced insurance brokerage such as SJL to advise you. They are one of the UK’s largest 100% owner-owned insurance brokers and specialise in property insurance from commercial to private. SJL insure religious temples, commercial, business and private real estate and properties in the UK and also in other countries across the world such as hotels in Cape Verde.

 

Wherever you are in the world, SJL Insurance Services can help you properly insure your home as you rent it out on Airbnb and other peer-to-peer services. Contact us today for a free consultation by telephoning SJL Insurance Services on +44 (0)1905 27775 or emailing us at [email protected]