You've decided to rent out your home or your primary residence for a short period. Whether you're a tenant or owner, are you covered in the event of an accident or loss? As a landlord, you can take out vacation rental insurance or ask your tenant to provide vacation insurance.
Although taking out insurance for furnished tourist accommodation intended for seasonal rental is not mandatory, it would be highly recommended to put this cover in place in order to protect the property and its occupants.
What is vacation insurance?
In the context of a vacation rental, there are three main contracts that can be useful:
- holiday civil liability insurance covering material damage caused by the tenant to the owner or third parties;
- holiday insurance including civil liability cover and also covering the tenant's property (under the conditions stipulated in the contract). It is also included in the Main Residence Home insurance contract in many insurance companies;
- the Accident Guarantee of your home insurance contract which covers your bodily injury.
If you are a tenant, the landlord may ask you to provide him with a certificate of civil liability resort at the time of renting the accommodation. This guarantee allows you to be covered if you are responsible for an event provided for in the insurance contract (fire, water damage, explosion, etc.).
To be even better protected, you can subscribe a holiday guarantee. In addition to covering your civil liability, it allows you to be compensated if some of your property is damaged by events covered by the contract.
In most cases, thevacation insurance is included in the multi-risk home insurance policy for your main residence. It also covers damage to any household items you have taken with you (under the conditions and limits indicated in the general conditions).
Vacation Rentals: Is Vacation Rental Insurance Mandatory?
Two cases are possible:
- The lessor has taken out multi-risk home insurance for "whomever it may concern": this means that as a tenant, you are automatically covered for all damage that you may cause, to yourself or to others. Taking out a vacation rental insurance alone is then not necessary.
- The lessor has not subscribed to this guarantee : in addition to simple liability coverage, you may be asked to provide temporary holiday insurance for the duration of your stay. This is a multi-risk home insurance policy whose duration is limited to your holiday period. It is important to check carefully as not all companies offer this type of insurance.
What does renter's vacation insurance cover?
If you are a tenant, the special holiday liability insurance covers all material damage that you may cause (within the limits of the contract) at your holiday location.
This civil liability insurance covers damage caused by you, but also damage caused by your family, your household employees, your pets and your material possessions (a car, for example).
Some formulas may also provide additional guarantees:
- theft guarantee;
- the guarantee of destruction of personal effects;
- the guarantee of personal items taken.
How to activate the vacation guarantee on your insurance?
If the holiday guarantee is included in your multi-risk home insurance, you simply need to notify your insurer before going on holiday. To be able to send you a certificate ofvacation rental insurance, your insurer will generally ask you for the rental address, the characteristics of the accommodation (surface area, equipment, etc.) and the vacation dates.
Please note that if you take out a limited multi-risk home insurance policy, the holiday guarantee will be restricted:
- in time: it generally cannot be activated for more than 3 months;
- in space: the home insurance contract lists all the countries where the guarantee is valid.
If you have the Macif Home and Primary Residence contract, for example, you automatically benefit from holiday insurance and therefore do not need to activate it before you go on holiday.
Seasonal and temporary rental insurance: protection for owners
What is seasonal rental insurance?
As a landlord, you can protect your property against material damage caused by your tenants by checking whether a seasonal rental insurance is included in your multi-risk home insurance. This protection can take two different forms.
- Multi-risk home insurance for “whomever it may concern”: as a lessor of a seasonal rental, it is unthinkable to ask each tenant to take out a limited multi-risk home insurance contract! To be protected despite everything, the owner can take out insurance "on behalf of whomever it may concern". It offers the same guarantees as classic multi-risk home insurance, but stipulates that the insured (i.e. the tenant) is different for each rental.
- Comprehensive home insurance with "waiver of recourse": this provides that the owner waives any recourse against the tenant if they are responsible for a fire or water damage within the rented accommodation. However, it only covers the tenant for damage caused to the rental property. Their civil liability will therefore be incurred if damage is caused to third parties, particularly if the fire spreads to the neighbors' home, for example.
Seasonal rental insurance: is it mandatory for the owner?
If you are a homeowner, you are not required to take out insurance. seasonal rental insurance. You must nevertheless check that there are no exclusions in your multi-risk home insurance contract preventing you from renting out your property.
Can the landlord require tenant insurance?
You have the right to demand that your tenant be covered by a vacation rental insurance. If your multi-risk home insurance contract includes a “waiver of recourse” clause, you can ask your tenant to provide proof of civil liability cover. If you have not taken outvacation rental insurance, you can require your tenant to provide a holiday guarantee or temporary insurance certificate.
If you have taken out "for whomever it may concern" insurance, you do not need to require your tenant to have insurance. This insurance covers damage caused by vacationers to the property and to third parties.
Source MACIF
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