Vacation Home Rental Insurance
We know not everyone vacations in a hotel or an all-inclusive resort. So when you vacation at your favorite locale in that rental home you just adore, you should be covered by vacation rental insurance too.
Complete Coverage for Your Vacation Rental
A furnished house, cabin, or apartment is a unique form of accommodation. These rentals can offer a little more space, a little more privacy, and feel more like “home” than a traditional hotel room. However, with these additional benefits come additional responsibilities.
While the rental property owner surely has homeowner’s insurance, that coverage won’t necessarily protect you from the cost of accidental damage to the property or furnishings while you are in residence. This may include accidents such as broken lamps, windows or glass, damaged doors or electronics, stained bedding, linens, walls or furniture, lost keys or re-keying costs, you will want to ensure your plan includes property damage coverage.
The Nationwide Vacation Renter Protector Plan is the first and only comprehensive plan to include this coverage for property damage. This is in addition to the benefits found in a typical comprehensive plan including, but not limited to, coverages such as Trip Cancellation or Interruption, Emergency Medical Coverage, Travel Delay, and Baggage Loss.
Rental Home Vacation Coverage
Any vacation is susceptible to unexpected disruptions or inconveniences. Even if you plan the perfect vacation and do not experience any missteps yourself, your vacation rental – particularly those located in places with unpredictable weather – may still be vulnerable. You want a vacation rental insurance plan to cover if a destination becomes uninhabitable before or during your trip.
Most comprehensive plans offer some kind of coverage for vacation rentals. If a major weather event or another unforeseen issue, like a fire, damages the property you will be renting so badly that you can’t use it, you may be reimbursed. Many popular vacation rental spots are located in hurricane-prone areas. Some comprehensive plans will provide you with trip cancellation coverage if you must cancel your trip due to a NOAA Hurricane Warning for your destination issued 24 hours or less before your departure.
When Driving to a Rental Property
If you’re driving to a vacation rental property, you may need to look into a travel insurance plan that has coverage for road closures that prevent you from getting to your destination. If your vacation rental home is located on a beautifully secluded island, only accessible by one road, you may want to consider this coverage.
This is a highly specialized benefit that not all companies offer. Be sure to review the plans you are considering to find which include this benefit. Can’t find it in the fine print? Give one of our licensed experts a call to find the best vacation rental home insurance plan for you.
Vacation Medical Coverage when Renting
While travelers with vacation rentals within the United States may not think about adding medical coverage to their list of needs, extra medical coverage to transport you closer to home, in the case of long-term care, can add peace of mind to your trip. Although the details of coverage vary by plan and company, you may want to consider a comprehensive plan that includes medical evacuation coverage if your trip takes you 50-100 miles away from home.
If you are renting a vacation home outside the United States you should consider both medical evacuation coverage and secondary medical coverage. Check with your health insurance provider to see their limit of coverage in your vacation spot. Then look for a plan that will pick up where your health insurance leaves off to keep you worry-free during your trip.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article serves as a general overview of benefits and should only be used for informational purposes. Refer to your individual certificate of insurance for specific coverages, exclusions and benefits. When in doubt, please contact one of our licensed agents for additional assistance.
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Question
We are looking at renting a place in a foreign country that currently has a level 2 "extra precautions" State Department warning. If the security situation deteriorates so that the State Department issues a level four "do not travel" warning to that country would the rental be covered?
By Gwyn - February 25, 2018
Answer
For this concern, since this situation is considered foreseen, you would need a policy that has "Cancel for Any Reason". There are typically 3 conditions that must be met to purchase a Cancel For Any Reason Rider: Purchase the policy within 10 - 21 days of First Trip Payment; Insure ALL prepaid and non-refundable travel expenses prior to departure; Trip arrangements must be canceled more than 48 -72 hours prior to the departure date. If you meet all 3 of these conditions, this benefit will typically reimburse you 75% of your trip cost, unless otherwise noted. To view policies that offer this benefit, please select the filter labeled Cancel for Any Reason when you arrive on the quote results page.
By MattG - February 26, 2018
Question
We want to fly from nebraska to florida and rent a VRBO at clearwater beach florida in June. If the coronavirus cancels our flights to florida, will our $5,000 prepaid cost of the VRBO and the prepaid flight be covered by trip insurance?
By KathyA - March 7, 2020
Answer
We advise that travelers check with their travel suppliers to see if what they are offering in the event travel needs to be cancelled. Standard comprehensive travel insurance policies do not cover fear of travel. If fear of travel is the main concern, you would want to purchase a comprehensive plan with optional Cancel For Any Reason coverage selected. There are some eligibility requirements for this coverage, such as insuring 100% of pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs, purchasing your coverage within 10-21 days of your initial trip payment, and you must cancel your trip no less than 2 days prior to departure. Cancel For Any Reason can reimburse a portion, typically up to 50%-75%, of your trip cost depending on the plan purchased. A policy with Cancel For Any Reason can cost an additional 40%-60% more than a standard policy, is not available in all states, and eligibility requirements may differ by company.
By Meghan - March 10, 2020
Question
Hi there. My daughter has rented a chateau for a week in France this summer to celebrate an event. They have invited about 25 people. We are looking for cancellation insurance in case that can't happen or if it needs to be rescheduled especially due to this coronavirus issue. Do you cover that?
By SusanM - March 9, 2020
Answer
We can only suggest looking into "cancel for any reason" as this is considered foreseen at this time. There are typically 3 conditions that must be met to purchase a Cancel For Any Reason Rider: Purchase the policy within 10 - 21 days of First Trip Payment; Insure ALL prepaid and non-refundable travel expenses prior to departure; Trip arrangements must be canceled more than 48 -72 hours prior to the departure date. If you meet all 3 of these conditions, this benefit will typically reimburse you 75% of your trip cost, unless otherwise noted. To view policies that offer this benefit, if you qualify, click on the "cancel for any reason" filter on the left side of the quote results page. If you are outside that time frame this benefit is not going to be available.
By MattG - March 16, 2020
Question
We are planning to rent a condo in Florida for a month. Some owners state no refund if cancelled ( at any time). Other owners let you cancel up to 60 days before. We are in our 70’s and Never know if a health problem might occur and necessitate a cancellation. What kind of coverage do you have in this type of situation? Thank you
By KathyL - May 28, 2020
Answer
You would want to look at comprehensive travel insurance policies which include Trip Cancellaiton coverage to protect the cost of your trip if you have to cancel for a covered reason. If you are comparing policies on our site, you can click the "View Certificate" link at the top of the quoted plan and that will open the full policy certificate where you can view all of the covered reasons for trip cancellation and interruption.
If you have concerns related to COVID-19, such as not wanting to travel due to fear of contracting the virus, government/border shutdowns, beach closures, not being able to get to your rental, etc., you would want to consider a policy that offers optional Cancel For Any Reason protection. There are some eligibility requirements for Cancel For Any Reason protection, such as insuring 100% of pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs, purchasing your coverage within 10-21 days after making your initial trip payment/deposit, and you must cancel your trip no less than 2 days prior to departure. Cancel For Any Reason can reimburse a portion, typically up to 50%-75%, of your trip cost depending on the plan purchased. A policy with Cancel For Any Reason selected can cost an additional 40%-60% more than a standard policy, is not available in all states, and eligibility requirements may differ by company. If you would like assistance finding a plan that best fits your needs, you can call our Customer Care department at 800-487-4722 to speak with a licensed travel insurance representative.
By Meghan - May 28, 2020
Question
Family vacation to Myrtle beach South Carolina looking to insure the vacation rental in case of hurricane
By EvelynD - June 27, 2023
Answer
For the best hurricane coverage, we recommend viewing the C&F Travel Insured Worldwide Trip Protector or Plus plan, IMG iTravelInsured plans, and AIG Travel Guard plans. Please review the details in the policy certificate under Trip Cancellation to view the guidelines for these covered reasons and to be sure they are listed since benefits can be state specific. These policies cover cancellation within 24, 36 or 48 hours (depending on the plan) of your trip departure in the event that "if your Trip destination is under a hurricane warning issued by the NOAA National Hurricane Center, provided the cancellation of your Trip occurs more than 15 days following your effective date of coverage for the Trip Cancellation Benefits. To review the details and see all of the covered reasons to cancel or interrupt your trip, please click on the dollar amount that appears under the words "Trip Cancellation" when viewing a quote.
By MattG - July 1, 2023