I was recently looking for Airbnb insurance for one of my short-term rentals. I did some research to determine what was available. Surprisingly, short-term rental insurance options were somewhat limited. After getting quotes (or attempting to get quotes) from the companies, I have come up with my list of the best Airbnb insurance providers for hosts. Let’s get started…
Here are the Best Airbnb Insurance Providers for Hosts:
- Proper Insurance
- CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc.
- Allstate HostAdvantage
- Safely Insurance
- Safeco Insurance Company
This short-term rental insurance quotes were for a 2 bed/ 1 bath stick framed home on a standard lot with a small detached garage. The quote was for part-time owner occupancy and part-time Airbnb/ VRBO rental.
The liability limits, personal injury limits and deductibles were the same (or very close to same) for each quote. Please keep in mind that each company covers different items, so make sure to read through your quote. Although the price may vary, the provider may offer better coverage.
I’ll outline what I found out about each of these companies below, and also provide some valuable information on the pitfalls of standard homeowners insurance and Airbnb’s Host Protection Insurance.
Standard Homeowners Insurance Limitations & Business Pursuits Exclusion Clause
Let’s cover standard home insurance first. Most standard homeowners insurance policies carry a “business pursuits exclusion,” essentially voiding any related claims if your home is used as a business.
Many insurers will actually terminate your policy immediately upon hearing you are considering using your home as a short-term rental business. So be careful!
That leaves us Airbnb’ers in a tough spot. How do we run a business out of our primary residence and still be covered? Read on to get more information on my top 5 insurance companies for short-term rentals.
Our List Of Short-Term Rental Insurance Carriers:
Proper Insurance
Proper Insurance is a tailored insurance policy specifically for short-term rentals, formally classified as a commercial policy. Proper’s policy completely replaces your standard homeowner’s policy. Proper utilizes policies through Lloyds of London, and Proper was started by employees at CBIZ (See below).
Proper Insurance Coverages Included in My Quote ($1,600 Per Year Premium with $1,000 Deductible):
- Building Damage Caused By a Guest (Accidental, Malicious or Intentional)
- Contents Damage Caused By a Guest (Accidental, Malicious or Intentional)
- Theft- Including by Guest
- Commercial General Liability Coverage
- Personal & Advertising Injury with Invasion of Privacy
- Liquor Liability
- Animal/ Pet Liability
- Communicable Disease
- Assault & Battery with Sexual Molestation
- Amenities On & Off Premises (Hot Tubs, Pools, Docks, Bicycles, Kayaks, Etc.)
- Personal Liability
- Ordinance or Law- Increased Cost of Construction
- Business Income
- Backup of Sewers and Drains
- Collapse by Sinkhole, Ice, Snow or People
- Debris Removal
- Unscheduled Structures
Available/ Optional Proper Insurance Coverages Not Included in My Quote (Add Approx. $1000 to Yearly Premium for These Options)
- Bed Bug Extermination
- Squatters and Eviction Expenses
- Ordinance or Law- Undamaged Portion of Building
- Equipment Breakdown
Check out our in-depth review of Proper Insurance here.
CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc.
CBIZ provides commercial short-term rental insurance through Tudor. They were the first to offer short-term rental coverage, seeing that no other companies provided this type of insurance. In addition, they are a publicly traded company, offering more stability for their customers.
Their policies are designed for guest stays from 1 day up to six months. CBIZ insurance completely replaces your standard homeowner’s policy, providing full coverage during a guests stay, during times when the home is vacant or occupied by the homeowner.
CBIZ’s insurance policies are also crafted to allow hosts the option of providing guests with one bottle of wine/ champagne, or a six-pack of beer.
CBIZ Insurance Coverages Included in My Quote ($1,505 Per Year Premium with $2,500 Deductible):
- Building Damage Caused By a Guest (Accidental, Malicious or Intentional)
- Contents Damage Caused By a Guest (Accidental, Malicious or Intentional)
- Theft- Including by Guest
- Commercial General Liability Coverage
- Personal & Advertising Injury with Invasion of Privacy
- Liquor Liability
- Animal/ Pet Liability
- Communicable Disease
- Assault & Battery with Sexual Molestation
- Amenities On & Off Premises (Hot Tubs, Pools, Docks, Bicycles, Kayaks, Etc.)
- Personal Liability
- Ordinance or Law- Increased Cost of Construction
- Business Income
- Backup of Sewers and Drains
- Collapse by Sinkhole, Ice, Snow or People
- Debris Removal
- Unscheduled Structures
Available/ Optional CBIZ Insurance Coverages Not Included in My Quote (Add Approx. $1,000 to Yearly Premium for These Options)
- Bed Bug Extermination (+$100)
- Squatters and Eviction Expenses
- Ordinance or Law- Undamaged Portion of Building
- Equipment Breakdown
Take a look at our article where we compare Proper Insurance VS. CBIZ here.
Allstate HostAdvantage
Allstate’s HostAdvantage is comparable to Proper Insurance and CBIZ. The notable differences being Allstate’s limits of coverage and lack of enhancements when compared to the competition’s offerings.
Other than Proper Insurance, Allstate is the only short-term rental insurance provider that offers coverage for damage caused by a guest. The difference is that AllState has a limit of $10K, so if the damage costs exceed that amount, there is no additional compensation to the host.
And this is only for accidental damage. If guests throw a party for example and have 20K in damage, that’s considered malicious damage and wouldn’t be covered under Allstate’s policy. Proper covers both up to the limits of the policy.
If your guests leave the property your coverage stops. Other insurance like Proper provides coverage even while your guests are off the property grounds.
Allstate does not have coverage for squatters or bed bugs. As bed bugs are the most common cause of claims for hosts, this is a pretty serious enhancement to leave out.
Here are the current states that Allstate provides home-sharing coverage:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Safely Insurance
Safely provides premises and liability insurance for homeowners. They also provide liability coverage for the property manager, guests’ personal property, and provide background checks for guests staying in your home.
Costs range from $30-$50 per stay, depending on coverage. This cost could be woven into your cleaning fee, or by boosting nightly rates. They are also compiling a list of “bad guests” so homeowners can be alerted even if the background check comes back clean.
Safeco Insurance Company
During my insurance search, I reached out to a local insurance broker who was able to locate a policy through Safeco Insurance Company. Their standard policy does not exclude the home being used part-time as a short-term rental.
The policy was only a couple hundred dollars more than my current homeowners policy which was rather surprising.
It does require the homeowner to be living in the home part-time.
If you operate your Airbnb solely as a short-term rental, you would need to go with Safeco’s commercial/ landlord policy for rental properties.
Insurers That Do Not Cover Short Term Rental Insurance
- Nationwide- They are a broker for an insurance company called Openly which provides short-term rental insurance
- American Family Insurance
- Steadily (Just landlord insurance only)
Related Questions:
Are You Protected On Airbnb?:
Airbnb provides every host with their Airbnb Host Protection Insurance. As stated on their website, their policy covers “primary liability coverage of up to $1 million USD per occurrence, in the event of third-party claims of bodily injury or property damage.”
This is third-party liability insurance, provided by Airbnb, which covers the landlord when they are named in a lawsuit.
Airbnb’s insurance does not cover:
- Loss Of Earnings
- Damage or injury from something caused intentionally (not an accident)
- Property damage due to pollution or mold
But many hosts who have relied solely on this policy for liability protection have been denied claims, leaving them with thousands of dollars in repairs or legal fees.
Airbnb’s host insurance does not cover the host’s house, which is what lenders require. Hosts are turning to other ways to ensure their property. This content was originally written on rentalrecon.com.
Additional Umbrella Insurance Coverage For Airbnbs:
An additional umbrella policy may be a wise decision if you are going with a company similar to Safeco. You should talk to your insurance agent about potentially adding on an additional umbrella policy of 1-2 million dollars. This would cover unforeseen mishaps that may take place by guests in or on your property, where your primary insurance may fall short.
For my small home, I went with a one million dollar liability policy through Travelers. The more robust policy may be a better fit for your situation if your property is quite large or has amenities such as a pool, hot tub, trampoline, or treehouse.
