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It's essential you get the right advice when purchasing holiday home insurance for your holiday let, so we'd like to say a big thank you to Boshers Insurance who have supplied this article that addresses a few important questions about the process.
Holiday let insurance covers your property against things like theft, fire or weather damage, as well as protecting you and any holidaymakers when you rent it out with that all-important liability cover.
In this guide, Boshers Insurance has discussed a range of instances including accidental damage, employers' liability insurance, and required regular cottage inspections in relation to holiday homes insurance and holiday chalet insurance. Read on to get the lowdown on insuring your holiday let.
For information on regulations you may need to look into alongside public liability insurance, check out our guide: Holiday letting rules and regulations made easy.
We’d like to use our cottage for our own holidays, and for friends and family. Would this be covered under a holiday home insurance policy?
Your holiday home needs to be available to paying guests for the majority of time throughout the year (the amount of time may depend on your individual policy). What this means is that you, or your family and friends, will be fine to use your cottage as long as it remains available to paying guests for the required period in any given year.
If something goes wrong, does the Holiday Home Insurance Policy cover loss of rental income?
Holiday lettings insurance is there to help you through tough times; we know that if something were to happen to your holiday home, you could face the bill to fix any issues, but also seek cover for lost rental income you would have otherwise gained during this period. For this reason, Boshers holiday rental insurance will automatically cover cottage owners for up to 2 years’ loss of rental income should your property become unavailable as the result of an insured event, such as storm damage or a fire.
Discover ideas for boosting income in our guide detailing a few ways to earn more revenue from your holiday let.
What happens if a guest accidentally breaks something, or even steals items from our cottage?
It’s an old cliché, but accidents do happen. If you have hundreds of guests enjoying your holiday home each year, there is a small chance that some items in your cottage may get damaged. The good news is that this would be covered under the accidental damage section of your holiday rental insurance policy, subject to an excess.
Cover for theft by guests is also automatically included, although we, of course, hope you won’t need it!
Read our tips on keeping your holiday let safe and secure in our guide: Is your holiday let secure?
I employ a cleaner and a few others on a part-time basis; would our holiday home insurance policy cover us for this?
If you employ staff, even if on a part-time basis, it is a legal requirement to have Employers' Liability Insurance. This is covered under our own holiday home policy as standard. You will be issued a certificate upon taking your insurance out. Remember that you need to retain this with your records.
Do I have to regularly inspect the holiday home?
A requirement of Boshers specialist insurance cover is that you or a person you deem responsible will need to inspect the property on a regular basis. Regular inspections are also good practice from a customer service perspective, ensuring that your cottage is kept in tip-top condition for those happy guests.
My holiday let is annexed to my main property, can I cover it?
You certainly can, as long as any adjoining door between your home and your holiday let annexe is kept locked. Combining home insurance and holiday let home insurance cover from the same insurer will avoid conflicts and gaps in coverage.
Looking to start holiday letting?
We’re always seeking to expand our portfolio and are always on the search for new owners to let their properties, whatever the style and appeal.
With an exceptional team made up of market and industry experts across the UK, who are dedicated to showcasing your property to help maximise its true potential, you get a simple, stress-free and successful letting experience that delivers you a healthy return.
If you are considering letting your holiday home, then we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and let us help you on your journey. Call 01237 459991 or email [email protected]
You can also download a free letting guide.
How to start holiday letting
Information collected in April 2019.
This article only gives a brief overview of insuring your holiday home. For more information on insurance for your holiday letting property, contact the Boshers qualified team for advice on 01237 429 444 / [email protected]. This article was supplied by Boshers Holiday Home Insurance, and The Travel Chapter cannot accept any liability for the content.