Does My Home Insurance Cover Me When I Rent a Vacation House?

So, you’re planning your vacation and looking at the hundreds of accommodations to choose from. There are vacation rentals, hotels, bed & breakfasts, etc. One option that many are turning to due to the rise of companies like Airbnb, is vacation rentals.

There are a lot of benefits when booking a vacation rental as your vacation headquarters. There are also many factors that come into play when booking the type of vacation rental such as a house, condo, and/or apartment. One thing that everyone should consider is the significance of insurance when staying at a vacation rental.

Why? Well consider your personal belongings, potential incident resulting in an injury, and the property itself getting damaged during your stay.

Let’s say you have an existing policy that protects your home and/or your belongings; such as a renter’s insurance policy and/or a homeowner’s insurance policy.

These policies will likely include coverages that may provide protection while staying in your vacation rental. Those coverages are; personal property coverage and liability coverage.

The Most Important Coverages Explained

How does personal property coverage help? Personal property coverage provides protection to any property that is not attached to buildings or structures on real estate. The personal property that is covered in your homeowners’ or renters’ policy covers the contents of your home or apartment, such as a stove, and your personal belongings, such as clothing. The policies cover most personal property that you keep elsewhere, such as a storage facility, and may cover your child’s personal property in a dorm room.
How does liability coverage help? The personal liability portion of your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policy covers you against lawsuits for injury and/or property damage that you and/or your family members cause to others. For example, you are in your vacation rental and accidentally place a very hot pan directly on the counter, causing damage to the counter.

It also coverage against damage caused by your pets. The liability coverage on these policies pays both for the cost of defending you and for any damages a court rules you must pay.

Other Important Coverages to Consider

Another factor to consider is whether the vacation rental itself is protected with a homeowner’s insurance policy. You should always ask the owner for the type of insurance that he/she has for the vacation rental. You always want to be sure that there is a homeowner’s policy with liability coverage.

Why? Well you want to be sure that the owner properly insurers the vacation rental just in case you and/or one of your family members is injured on the property due to the owner’s negligence.

For example; there is a tile on the kitchen floor that is lifting. You trip over the tile and injure your wrist in the fall. The owner was negligent in this case and his/her homeowner’s liability coverage would kick in for your medical bills.

Before Booking Your Stay

You should reach out to your insurance agent before your trip just to be sure that you have the proper coverage for your trip. Your agent is the best source for helping you understand the things that your existing policy may or may not cover while staying in your vacation rental.

Vacationing is the best, and knowing how insurance plays a role during your vacation, in advance, will help you arrive with peace of mind.