Toilet blockages, carpet burns and broken bed legs; these are just some of the accidents hitting holiday rental hosts according to new data released this week.
And many hosts are finding that their home and contents insurance doesn’t cover them for damage casued during holiday lets
A survey of more than 1,000 Australians by insurance giant IAG has revealed that accidents and property damage are increasingly common.
The survey found that:
- More than 1 in 6 (17%)have accidentally broken something or damaged their accommodation while on a holiday
- 1 in 7(14%) have been injured or seen a fellow guest injured, and
- 1 in 5(19%) have hosted a party or been to a party at a holiday rental property.
The Flat Chat Forum is back in full swing after the holiday lull with new questions … including a couple of stinkers.
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What can we do about the smell from our garbage bins? THAT’S HERE.
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What can we do about the smell for our neighbours cooking? THAT’S HERE.
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Are families with kids a good fit for apartment blocks? THAT’S HERE.
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Fur (and votes) fly over pet application. THAT’S HERE.
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Who paints the inside of common property doors? THAT’S HERE.
There will be a lot more questions and answers by the time you read this. And do a flat-dwelling friend a favour by passing this on.
The research also found that young men (aged 18-34) are more likely to cause damage, injure themselves or host a party while on holiday in a holiday rental property. For example:
- Men are more likely than women (24% vs 17%) to have accidentally broken something in an Airbnb
- Men are more likely than women to have hosted or been to a party in an Airbnb and Stayz property (35% vs 19%), and
- Men are also more likely to have injured themselves in an Airbnb than women (18% vs 13%).
In response to the growing, some would say out-of-control spread of ‘home sharing’ IAG has developed a new insurance product called ShareCover to cover Airbnb and other holiday letting hosts in the event their property is damaged or an accident occurs.
I wonder if anyone will offer owners corporations an insurance policy to cover the whole building when a few selfish owners decide to turn their residential accommodation into a holiday flat for weekenders and parties.
It’s a great idea – and you can charge the hosts for the costs of the insurance because you wouldn’t need it if they weren’t doing it.
And maybe once they start having to pay for all the extra wear and tear their “guests” cause, the hosts will bugger off and ply their trade elsewhere. Result!
