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The demand for holiday lets is surging and there has never been a better time to maximise the value of your holiday home investment by renting it out to paying guests.

Self-catering holiday bookings soar

  • Sykes reports a 31% rise in 2023 UK holiday let bookings compared to 2022.
  • Following a record few years, the average annual turnover of a UK holiday let was £24,000 in 2022, up 59% versus 2019.
  • 50% of Brits are more likely to book a staycation over a holiday abroad due to the increased cost-of-living.

However, before you start letting your holiday home it's essential that you have the correct insurance, and your property is adequately insured. Here's everything you need to know about holiday letting insurance.

What is holiday let insurance

Holiday letting insurance is specialist cover that protects you from the risks that come with renting out your holiday home to paying guests, as well as friends and family on a short-term basis. As well as buildings and contents, policies typically cover public liability, accidental damage, loss of rent as well as periods when the property is unoccupied.

A standard home insurance policy is not sufficient to cover your holiday let as it will not cover commercially letting your home - which will probably invalidate the policy.


What does holiday let insurance cover?

Much like a standard home insurance policy, insurance for holiday lets typically covers your property and belongings for loss or damage due to events like theft, flood, storm, escape of water, subsidence or fire.

The cover is split into two elements: buildings insurance which covers repairing or rebuilding the structure, and contents insurance which covers damaged or stolen items within the property. These can either be bought separately or combined into one policy.

As a general rule, if it's something you'd take with you if you moved to a new home, it's classed as contents. If it would stay behind, it's buildings.

Buildings Insurance

Buildings insurance covers the main structure of your holiday let and its permanent fixtures and fittings, such as the roof, walls, floors, ceilings, fitted kitchen or bathrooms if they are damaged. Garages, outbuildings, swimming pools and sheds should be covered too.

Key Points

  • General wear and tear and routine maintenance aren't covered.
  • To avoid underinsurance, it's important to ensure the sum insured is enough to cover the cost of rebuilding your holiday let including any outbuildings, swimming pools, tennis courts or hot tubs. The costs for debris removal and professional architect and engineers fees should also be included.
  • Failure to insure for the full reinstatement value could result in the claims settlement being reduced.

Contents Insurance

Contents insurance covers your personal belongings such as furniture, kitchen appliances, electricals, soft furnishings and carpets if they're damaged, lost or stolen.

When it comes to insuring your contents, think about how much it would cost to replace all the items in each room on a new-for-old basis.

Key Points

  • Valuables or guests' possessions aren't typically covered.
  • Breakdown of household appliances isn't covered.
  • Single items are only covered up to a certain amount.
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Specialist holiday letting insurance

Holiday let insurance cover can vary between providers, however, specialist holiday rental insurance policies include specific cover that protects your property from the various risks associated with renting out your holiday home to paying guests, friends or family.

Such as:

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Policy add-ons

For an additional cost, you can add optional extras to your holiday rental insurance policy, such as:

Accidental damage

Covers damage to your holiday let and its belongings against everyday mishaps from guests who may not be as careful as you. For example, spilling red wine on your carpet or a smashed window. Damage by pets or malicious damage is covered also.

Legal expenses

This covers legal expenses (up to a limit) where a solicitor's advice is needed. For example, eviction of overstaying guests, property disputes and tax protection.

Holiday let landlord insurance FAQs

Why do I need holiday let insurance and not standard home insurance?

A standard home insurance policy is not appropriate for holiday lets as most home insurers won't cover properties that are commercially let or left unoccupied for long periods. When a property is unoccupied, this increases the risk of theft, damage, squatters and incidents such as water leaks that can go unnoticed - causing major damage. There's a further risk of theft, accidents or damage when short-term letting.

Most traditional home insurance providers are not prepared to cover holiday lets as they perceive them to be too great a risk. What you need is a specialist holiday let home insurance policy that is designed to cover these extra risks.

Is holiday letting insurance mandatory?

Holiday let insurance in the UK isn't compulsory, but if you have a mortgage then most lenders will insist you have building insurance as a minimum to protect their investment. But even if you own your holiday rental outright, it's a good idea to have insurance in place to protect what is likely to be a major financial investment should the worst happen.

Again, contents insurance isn't compulsory, but could you afford to replace valuable items in your holiday let if stolen or damaged?

If you employ people at your holiday let it is a legal requirement to have employers' liability insurance. It's usually an integral part of a holiday let insurance UK policy.

How much does holiday let insurance cost?

Insurers use a whole host of factors to calculate your premium – the property location, property type, security, risk of flooding or subsidence, the level of cover you require and how likely the insurer thinks you are to claim.

For buildings insurance, the premium is based on the rebuild value and contents insurance is based on how much it would cost to replace your belongings. There may also be an additional cost to add extra cover e.g. accidental damage and legal expenses insurance.

When you compare holiday let insurance quotes and cover, choose the most comprehensive insurance for holiday lets, not just the cheapest.

How much insurance do I need for my holiday let?

The amount of buildings insurance you take out should represent how much it would cost to rebuild your holiday let (including any outbuildings) in their present form - not the property's market value. To obtain your rebuild value either refer to your purchase survey, mortgage valuation or ask a qualified surveyor to provide an insurance valuation. Here's some useful advice on rebuild costs.

Your contents insurance sum insured amount should be based on what it would cost to replace your contents (anything you could reasonably remove and take if you moved house) if you were replacing them at today's prices. Typically, the average value of possessions in a holiday home is around £24,000.* Here's some advice on calculating your contents sum insured.

It's important to calculate these values accurately because over-estimating could mean you pay too much for your insurance while being underinsured could mean you receive a lower pay-out if you claim.

Choose a policy that provides £5 million of public liability insurance as compensation claims and legal costs can be significant.

Legal expenses insurance with a coverage limit of £25,000 may be sufficient.

What types of holiday lets do you cover?

We cover holiday lets built of brick, stone or concrete and roofed with slate, tiles asphalt or concrete. Or a wooden property securely built on a concrete base with a pitched roof tiled with tiles or slates. A holiday let is a property you own in England, Scotland and Wales that isn’t your main residence or part of your main residence. You can use it for family and friends or let it to paying guests on a short-term basis as holiday accommodation – or a combination of all three.

We do not cover static or mobile caravans.

Does holiday let insurance cover pet damage?

If you have selected Plus with the optional cover of accidental damage, we can cover damage by pets. Most insurance policies won’t cover damage caused by pets scratching, chewing, tearing or fouling.

What should I check when comparing holiday letting insurance policies?

Unfortunately, insurance doesn't cover every eventuality. You should make sure you read your holiday let insurance policy document in full before purchasing so you know what will and won't be covered.

While you want to keep costs down, you also need the best cover possible. You must ensure you have the right cover so that ultimately - your claim gets paid.

Key points:

  • If you have a swimming pool or hot tub, check you are covered for accidents and injury to guests using them.
  • If your holiday rental is pet-friendly ensure you are covered as very few insurers will cover damage caused by pets.
  • You can't guarantee that guests will lock external doors and windows at night or when they go out, so ensure your insurance covers theft by 'non-forcible entry'.
  • If you use a Keysafe to store keys for holidaymakers, check any if endorsements apply.
  • Check for any security measures required, such as specific locks. Failing to implement the required security is likely to invalidate theft claims.
  • Is theft by paying guests covered? Most insurers exclude it as standard.
  • It's the holidaymakers responsibility to take out travel insurance to cover their possessions whilst at your holiday rental.
  • How much loss of rent is covered, it's usually a % of the sum insured or a specified amount.
  • What unoccupancy clauses, winter warranties and restrictions apply which could invalidate your insurance? How often do you have to inspect your holiday let when it is empty? Do you have to leave the heating on to maintain a minimum specified temperature or turn the water off and drain water tanks/pipes when no one is occupying the property?

What cover do I need if I'm renting out my main home to paying guests?

The home-sharing market has soared in popularity over recent years, but so have the horror stories of homes being trashed by unruly guests.

If you're looking for insurance while renting out your main home on a platform such as Airbnb, firstly inform your current home insurer as they may agree to extend the policy to cover short-term rentals. If you don't tell your insurer you are renting to paying guests, then your cover is most likely to be void.

Your other option is to seek out a specialist provider that includes public liability cover for people staying in your home, malicious/accidental damage and theft cover.

Note: Our insurance for holiday lets is for holiday homes and second homes and is not suitable for renting out your main home.

How our holiday letting insurance is different

Regardless of how you use your holiday let, having the right insurance cover in place is essential.
That's why a comprehensive holiday let insurance UK policy from Schofields is tailored to offer comprehensive protection to safeguard against the common risks when letting out your holiday home and whilst the property is unoccupied.

How to reduce your holiday let insurance premium

Shopping around for quotes isn't the only way to save. Here are some tips that could help you save some money on your holiday let home insurance premium.

  1. Pay holiday let insurance annually
    It's often cheaper to pay the premium annually in one lump sum rather than paying monthly as most insurers will charge interest or an admin fee if you opt to pay monthly.
  2. Buy a combined holiday let insurance policy
    Buying buildings and contents insurance from the same insurer will often save you money compared to buying each separately. Plus, there's often only one excess to pay and reporting to one insurer can make claims simpler.
  3. Increase your excess
    Opting to pay a higher voluntary excess can lower your insurance premium.
  4. Improve the security
    Because holiday lets are generally empty more often than main residences, they are more likely to be broken into. Installing insurer-approved locks on your doors and windows and adding extra security such as a burglar alarm can reduce the price of your insurance.
  5. Check for admin costs
    Look out for extra charges to amend your policy. A cheaper policy could work out more expensive once admin fees are factored in.
  6. Don't over-insure
    Overestimating the rebuild cost of your property and the value of your contents will increase your premium, so ensure the figures are accurate.
  7. Build your no-claims discount
    Most insurers offer a discount on your premium if you've gone several years without a claim.

What factors affect a holiday let insurance quote?

Your holiday let insurance premium is based on several factors relating to you, your home, the value of your items and the risk of loss and damage. The greater the risk, the higher your insurance quote is likely to be.

  • The location If there is a high crime rate or if the area is exposed to severe weather conditions or subsidence resulting in more insurance claims.
  • Size of your home If you own a large holiday let in a tourist hotspot, the cost to have it rebuilt is likely to increase the quote.
  • Flood risk Homes near rivers, streams, canals, waterways or the sea are generally more expensive to insure due to a higher risk of flooding.
  • Age and property structureThe age of your property and the materials used to build it can impact your premium. For example, buildings made from non-standard materials and listed buildings.
  • Your lifestyle If you're away from your holiday property for long periods or if you have any or a pending criminal conviction.
  • Value of your contents The more expensive your belongings are, the more it will cost you to replace them and get them insured.
  • Previous claims Your claims history is taken into consideration.

What details do you need to get a quote

It's useful to have the following information to hand:

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  • Property details: Address, property type, number of bedrooms, the year it was built, how it's heated and a few structural details e.g. what your exterior walls are made of, type of roof and how much flat roof space you have.
  • About your cover: Do you need buildings insurance, contents only or buildings and contents, and when do you need the cover to start?
  • About you: Your contact details, correspondence address and occupation.
  • Claims: Any claims you have made in the last five years and if the property has ever suffered from flooding or movement caused by subsidence, heave or landslip.
  • Rebuild cost: The amount it would take to rebuild the property if it were destroyed.
  • Value of your contents: The cost of replacing the entire contents of your home as new.
  • Security details: What window and door locks you have and if you've got a burglar alarm.
Looking for holiday let insurance?

Why choose us?

Got a question? With nearly 40 years of experience insuring holiday lets, our experienced staff are here to help. You can contact us here or call 01204 365080. Alternatively, getting a quote is straightforward - click on the 'Start your quote' button below.

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Want to learn more about managing a holiday home? Read our helpful guides

Whether you’ve just started out or are an experienced holiday home owner, these guides will help you manage it or get bookings if you rent out.

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References
* The average value of possessions insured on holiday home contents insurance policies purchased via Schofields between 1 January - 30 April 2023 was £24,000.