What about insurance and legal issues?

Will my home insurance cover me?

Many typical home insurers do not provide full cover for paying guests as standard. Speak to your insurer first if using Theatre Digs Booker. Your insurer may:

• Be happy to cover you and in some cases, may charge an additional premium.
• Cancel your policy if they don’t want to cover you and provide time for you to seek cover elsewhere.
• Confirm that you are covered but stipulate any specific cover or policy restrictions for guest-related claims.

What restrictions will my insurer place on my policy?

The restrictions placed for guest-related damages vary between insurers. Potential restrictions could exclude cover for issues such as:

• Theft.
• Accidental and malicious damage.
• Public liability.
• Legal cover.
• Replacement locks.
• Loss of income.
• Fire & escape of water/oil damage.

Some insurers may also place other types of restrictions, such as how many guests you can have at any one time or limits on how many bookings you can have over the course of a year. Make sure to get your insurer’s response in writing so you can refer to it in the event of a claim. If seeking additional cover on top of your existing home insurance, make sure your current provider is comfortable with this first.

How do I get additional cover?

If you find you do need additional cover for Hosting because your existing home insurance policy does not give the cover you are looking for, there are plenty of well known insurance companies that will cover you.  Simply tap into a browser 'hosting insurance' and contact whichever company you wish to get quotes from.  

Mortgage or Property Owner permission

• Hosts who own their property with a mortgage should check with their mortgage provider to ensure letting a room doesn't invalidate their mortgage agreement.
• Some mortgage lenders may restrict the number of weeks a Host can let a room annually.
• Some buy-to-let mortgages insist rental properties are let on an assured shorthold tenancy, which must be for a minimum six months.
• In any case, it is very important to check with your mortgage provider before accepting paying Guests. 
• Hosts who rent their property must have permission from their property owner/landlord(s) to be able to operate short-term lets prior to offering or accepting any bookings.

Legal