This category is about all aspects of Holiday Home Insurance and will be of interest to owners of holiday homes, cottages and holiday complexes across the UK. As Holiday Home Insurance Specialists Boshers are experts and provide tips and guidance. Check out these posts, Holiday Homes – getting your Buildings Insurance Right, Dog Friendly Holiday Home Insurance, How much should your holiday home insurance cost?, Frequently asked holiday home insurance questions, Getting your Holiday Let Insurance Right – Public and Employers Liability

Boshers specialist holiday home insurance webite on ipad

Five Benefits of a Specialist Holiday Home Insurance Policy

Boshers specialist holiday home insurance webite on ipadSpecialist is a word that is often used but one we take really seriously and to heart. We’ve been specialising in insurance for holiday letting properties for 25 years. With that amount of experience under our belt we understand the industry.

Speaking with holiday homeowners every day gives us the knowledge and understanding that allows us to ensure we have one of the most comprehensive specialist holiday home insurance policy wordings possible for you and your needs as a cottage owner.

How our Specialist Holiday Home Insurance Policy can help

Here are just a few ways our Specialist Holiday Home Insurance Policy can help cover you when you need it the most:

£5m public and products liability

With the volume of people visiting and staying in your holiday home it’s vital you have an adequate level of public liability insurance.

Public liability insurance covers the legal liability of the policyholder for accidental bodily injury to third parties or damage to their property.

For example, if you were held legally liable for an accident in your holiday home that caused injury to a guest or to some of their possessions, you would be covered under your public and products liability insurance.

£10m employer’s liability

If you employ people to work inside or outside of your holiday home, for example in the form of a gardener or a cleaner, you will need employers liability insurance.

This will cover you against injury or illness sustained in the course of their employment.

It is a legal requirement to display your employer’s liability Certificate of insurance; we’ll provide this for you when you take a policy out with us.

Loss of rental income

What would you do if something happened to your property that meant it were out of action for the busiest time of the year?  Would you be able to stomach the financial implications of the potential loss of income during those summer months?

If your holiday home becomes uninhabitable as the result of something outside your control such as flood or fire it can have serious financial consequences.

This insurance covers you for the potential loss of income you may suffer as a result of disruption or interruption caused by an insured event.

What this means is that should you lose trade then you’ll not have to pay the price of the loss of trade you suffer through cancellations and periods of not being able to accept bookings.

Legal expenses up to £100,000

If you have a dispute with an employee, supplier or guest the legal costs can quickly add up and even run out of your financial control.

Our legal expenses cover is there to protect your legal position on a range of employment or business disputes.  We will negotiate for your legal rights after an event that causes physical damage to your holiday home or to evict anyone in your property who does not have permission to be there.

Your legal rights will also be defended if an event arising from you letting your holiday home leads to you being prosecuted in a criminal court.

You’ll also benefit from a number of helpful helplines, which will give you guidance on areas such as commercial law, tax and online employment and business law.

Accidental Damage

Sometimes accidents happen; red wine ruins that new cream carpet, or a guest accidentally breaks a chair.  Our policy covers most accidental damage that can occur, subject to some exceptions that insurers generally consider to be uninsurable, such as damage caused by cleaning or the corruption of information on a computer.

This means that should your guest accidentally break something, you won’t be left with a large bill.

These are just a general overview of how our specialist Holiday Home insurance aims to support holiday home owners. We always encourage anyone looking for insurance to read their Policy document in order to fully understand the cover you have in place and also ensure that when you’re looking for quotes that you are comparing like for like cover.

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

For more information on how our specialist holiday home insurance could help cover your property please give our friendly team a call on 01237 429444. 

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Legionellosis Cover now available for holiday homeowners

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New addition to our specialist holiday home insurance policy – Legionellosis Liability Cover

iStock_000026201276MediumWe are pleased to announce that when our holiday homeowners next renew their specialist holiday home insurance policy they’ll be benefiting from even more cover. We will now be providing public and products liability cover as standard, which will indemnify owners against accidental bodily injury caused by Legionellosis starting at £250,000 in any one period of insurance. Legionellosis cover is a welcome addition to our already comprehensive holiday home insurance policy.

As specialists in holiday home insurance we understand the industry and the unique insurance requirements of your business. We’re committed to providing holiday let homeowners across the country with a range of cover that meets your needs.

If you’re not familiar with Legionelllosis and how it can affect your guests here’s some more information for you… 

What is Legionellosis and how do you get it?

Legionellosis is the collective term for a group of diseases caused by legionella bacteria. The best known and most serious of these is Legionnaires’ disease, which is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. Whilst any of your guests could contract Legionnaires’ disease, certain groups of people visiting your holiday home will have increased levels of vulnerability.

These include:

  • People over the age of 45 years.
  • Smokers, heavy drinkers or those with impaired immune systems.
  • Individuals suffering from diabetes, heart, lung disease or other respiratory issues. 

The disease can not be passed from guest to guest as it is contracted by inhaling small water droplets suspended in the air, known as aerosols.  

Where will you find Legionella? 

Legionella bacteria are commonly found at low levels in natural water sources such as rivers, ponds and reservoirs, although it is unlikely someone will contract the disease in these conditions.

The risks of contraction are increased when the water is maintained at a temperature to encourage growth in the number of bacteria and where water may remain stored for a period of time.

In holiday homes the prime areas susceptible to infection will be hot and cold water systems, along with spa and hot tubs, where water may remain at a warm level and be present for a long period of time.

How do you prevent it? 

As a holiday homeowner you have a legal duty to ensure all water systems in your premises are properly operated and maintained to prevent Legionnaires’ disease or any other type of water-borne infection.  

The two most important factors for preventing an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease are:

  • Temperature – cold water should be stored and distributed below 20ºC (68ºF) and hot water heated to above 60ºC (140ºF), distributed at 50ºC (122ºF) or higher. If there is a risk of scalding such as with bath or shower taps then a thermostatic mixer tap should be fitted.
  • Hygiene – the water should be kept free of any impurities and never allowed to stagnate (which is when water loses its freshness by lack of movement). Good housekeeping will reduce the risks, such as flushing out infrequently used shower heads and taps at least weekly and cleaning and de-scaling shower heads and hoses at least quarterly.

A qualified and competent professional should carry out all water works within your holiday home. You should keep documentation of when your system was last checked, along with schedules for regular maintenance and review. 

If your holiday home includes a swimming pool, spa pool or hot tub system we’ve written these more in-depth post on controlling risks such as Legionellosis:

The Health and Safety Executive have produced useful guidance on Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease.   

  • To read the Health and Safety Executives best practice advice on Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease click here

If you have any questions or queries regarding the insurance cover you have in place or if you require a quotation from a specialist for your holiday home insurance please give one of our experienced team a call on 01237 429444.

This article has been created as generic guidance for holiday home, cottage and holiday cottage complex owners and does not constitute legal or insurance advice. If you have any questions relating to health and safety management and the prevention of legionellosis at your holiday cottages you should take advice. 

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Three reasons to choose our Holiday Home Insurance

Why choose Boshers for your holiday home insurance?

Holiday Home Front Door We spend every day talking to holiday homeowners. It’s what we do and as a specialist it gives us a unique insight into the industry and the insurance cover your holiday home really needs.

Whilst there’re many reasons to choose specialist Holiday Home insurance from Boshers, liability cover for paying guests being just one of them, here are three other ways our insurance Policy supports our holiday homeowners when they need it the most.

Full loss of rental income: Included as standard

What would you do if damage to your holiday home meant you were unable to let it during the busiest time of the year? 

If your holiday home becomes uninhabitable as the result of something outside your control such as fire or flood it can have serious financial consequences. With the average holiday home taking 80% of all bookings for the period of May to September the impact can be even greater if the incident falls during the busy summer months.

If the worst does happen our insurance Policy really is here to support you.

Our Loss of Income cover means you’ll not need to fit the bill for the potential loss of bookings and cancellations you have to make while restoring your holiday home to its former glory.

Experience tells us that whilst in an ideal world all bookings would be made early, for some a higher proportion will be taken at the last minute. We’ll be able to look at bookings taken for a similar period in previous years in order to make sure you get the right amount of cover for the losses you’re incurring.

We also know that things don’t happen over night and repairs can take time; our indemnity extends to two years, which is plenty of time to get you back on your feet.

Accidental Damage to Buildings or Contents

What would you do if a guest knocks a bottle of red wine onto your cream carpet meaning it needs to be replaced?

Whilst some wear and tear is inevitable for your holiday home, accidents that leave the property uninhabitable as a result can happen.

In these circumstances you’ll want to find the best possible solution in the shortest possible time so as to minimise potential disruption.

Our Holiday Home insurance Policy covers accidental damage to both the buildings and the contents of your holiday home.  This means that if there is significant damage caused to your property as the result of an accident or even malicious damage by paying guests we’ll support you in getting it sorted.

Theft or Attempted Theft

What would you do if your guests went to the beach for the day and left a window open, resulting in the theft of property from your holiday home?

Guests will often spend a large amount of their time outside of your property, hopefully enjoying the great British countryside or coastline bathed in glorious sunshine. This means that your holiday home will be empty for many hours during the day, making it a potential target for opportunistic thefts.

As many holiday home owners live away from their property it can be difficult to police how seriously your guests treat the security of your holiday home; it can be tempting for example to leave a window open during the day to avoid returning to a stuffy and intolerably hot living room.

If you’re holiday home is the victim of a theft or damaged as the result of an attempted theft we’ll again be able to cover you for the losses you incur.

Always read the Policy

These are just a general overview of how our specialist Holiday Home insurance aims to support holiday home owners. We always encourage anyone looking for insurance to read their Policy document in order to fully understand the cover you have in place and also ensure that when you’re looking for quotes that you are comparing like for like cover.

For further information or if you require a quotation from a specialist for your holiday home insurance call our team on 01237 429444.

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Home with holiday let annexe

Holiday Let Insurance for your annexe

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Holiday Let Insurance for your annexe

In this post we explore the subject of holiday let insurance for your annexe. It is becoming more and more common in popular rural and coastal self-catering holiday areas for owners of larger properties and empty nester’s to sub-divide their homes and let an annexe to guests holidaying in the area. In doing so, due consideration should be paid to the relevant planning and building regulations as well as the laws applicable to you as a landlord. Letting your annexe to guests can be financially rewarding although as with running any business it does have it’s risks. For your peace of mind you’ll want appropriate holiday let insurance for your annexe.

Holiday Let Insurance for your annexe

By taking advice on holiday let insurance for your annexe from a qualified adviser such as those in the Boshers holiday home insurance team, you will end up with building and contents cover without compromise and tailored to your individual needs. For a home owner with a self-contained holiday letting annexe or self contained detached holiday cottage in the grounds Boshers would look to provide you with comprehensive home insurance cover to meet your personal needs and running alongside a holiday home insurance policy to cover the contents of your holiday let together with cover for your liabilities as a holiday let owner and protection for loss of rental income in the event that you were to suffer an insured peril. Placing insurance for both your home and holiday let with the same insurer will save potential conflicts in the event of a claim. Should your home and annexe have an interconnecting door, you will be required to ensure that the door is fitted with a 5 lever mortice deadlock and kept locked so that guests do not have access to your home. For advice on holiday let Insurance for your annexe call our friendly team of holiday home insurance advisers on 01237 429444.

Holiday home annexe owners will also find the links below of interest:

For Self-Catering holiday cottage owners in Scotland, the Scottish Government has produced the following:

You may also find the following posts for holiday home owners of interest:

Follow this link for posts similar to Holiday Let Insurance for your annexe other useful resources for holiday home owners

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

 

 

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red wine stained carpet in holiday home

Damage by holiday let guests – who pays?

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red wine stained carpet in holiday home

Damage by holiday let guests – who pays?

Whilst letting your holiday home you expect an amount of general wear and tear such as scuffs on walls and the odd broken piece of crockery which you no doubt absorb into your general running costs. Occasionally your holiday home guests may cause more serious damage either accidentally or with malicious intent.

Damage by holiday let guests – who pays?

You’ll be wondering the best course of action to return your holiday home to its previous condition, to cause as little disruption as possible to forthcoming lettings and limiting your losses. In this article we delve deeper into the holiday home insurance frequently asked question, “Damage by holiday let guests – who pays?“. This may mean a holiday home insurance claim, although there are other options you may wish to explore first.

Holiday home booking conditions

An essential measure is to have in place holiday home booking conditions which hold the person(s) booking the holiday home responsible for the costs of any breakage or damage in or to the property. Communicating these terms clearly will focus your guests to treat your holiday home with the respect it deserves whilst enjoying their stay.

Security or damage deposits

There has been a move away from security or damage deposits in the holiday letting industry, although where used these can allow small sums to be recouped easily by withholding that proportion of the deposit. However if the loss or damage is greater than the security deposit the difference must still be sought from the guests who sometimes are confused, thinking the deposit in some way limits or waivers further liability.

Guests may have liability cover under their own travel or home insurance

For low value losses or damage you may well take the stance that you would rather absorb the cost than upset the relationship with your guest. For higher value losses where your guest has admitted liability, you may well wish to settle with them direct for replacement or repairs. Indeed the guests themselves may well be insured for such damage under the liability section of their own travel or home insurance policy on which they may choose to claim.

Holiday home insurance including accidental damage caused by paying guests

vase damaged by holiday home guests

Damage by holiday let guests – who pays?

Accidental damage rendering your holiday home unavailable to let, where the guest is not cooperative, or instances of malicious damage you would be best to put the matter in the hands of your holiday home insurer so that damage may be put right as quickly as possible with least disruption to future lets. This highlights the importance of having a policy which includes cover for accidental damage to your holiday home buildings and contents by paying guest and does not exclude malicious damage by them: You will be liable for the holiday home insurance policy excess and your insurers will recompense you the difference. Your insurer will not only work with you to minimise disruption, under subrogation they assume the right to recover the damages reimbursed from the party responsible, where financially viable to do so.

Additional guidance on damage by holiday let guests – who pays? and holiday home insurance advice and quotations are available from the Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444 or for further information visit holiday home insurance.

You may find the following holiday home insurance articles of interest:

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Holiday Home Insurance

12 things to consider when buying holiday home insurance

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Boshers Holiday Home InsuranceLetting a holiday home commercially has many benefits: however, there are also risks – such as not having the right insurance cover to protect your valuable investment. Holiday Home Insurance specialist, Boshers Ltd of www.boshers.co.uk, gives its top 12 things to consider when buying holiday home insurance

  1. Take advice

    Your holiday home is likely to be one of your most valuable assets. Our top tip is take advice from a holiday home insurance broker who specialises in the furnished holiday letting market. They should take the time to understand your needs, importantly they will understand the risks involved in holiday letting and will have negotiated a package of covers to protect your financial interest in the property. Follow the link for information on how to contact Boshers for holiday home insurance advice.

  2. Legislation

    You may not think of furnished holiday letting as a business, however by allowing paying guests stay in your property that is what it becomes. You have a duty of care to your guests, visitors and employees to ensure that you abide by all relevant legislation which covers areas such as health and safety, planning, building regulations, fire safety, gas safety and discrimination.

  3. Disclosure

    Be open and honest with your insurer, it is your responsibility to provide complete and accurate information to your insurers when you take out the policy and throughout the life of your policy. Failure to disclose or giving false information in order to obtain insurance may deem your contract invalid and therefore be costly in the event of a loss.

  4. Policy conditions

    A specialist broker will make you aware of the benefits as well as point out clearly any conditions or warranties that may apply. Make sure that you fully understand the implications if you don’t comply. Excesses should also be considered.

  5. Employers Liability

    Cover to indemnify you against your legal liability to pay damages and legal costs arising out of bodily injury to an employed person such as a cleaner or gardener employed in connection with your holiday let business.

  6. Public and Products Liability

    Cover to indemnify you against your legal liability to pay damages arising out of accidental injury to guests and other visitors to your holiday let and accidental damage to a third parties property caused in connection with your holiday let. This should extend to include liabilities arising from the maintenance of your property and premises and the provision of fire and security services maintained for the protection of your holiday let and the supply of goods sold or supplied by you, in connection with your holiday let business.

  7. Buildings

    As well as covering you for standard perils such as fire, flood and theft, you may want to consider cover for accidental damage. Ensure that the buildings definition of your holiday home insurance policy includes all relevant items such as statues, fountains and hot tubs, swimming pools, tennis courts, paths, drives terraces, patios, walls, fences, hedges and gates, fixed aerials, satellite dishes, wind turbines, solar panels, yards, car parks, roads and storage tanks all on the same site. Remember it is important that you insure for the full replacement costs of all of the above including the cost of architect fees and meeting relevant building regulations.

  8. Contents

    As well as covering you for standard perils such as fire, flood and theft, you may want to consider cover for accidental damage. Remember that contents includes all household goods, furniture and furnishings  contained within your holiday let buildings and they should be insured for their full replacement value. Apartment owners may want to check their block buildings policy to ensure that it extends to cover fixtures and fittings within their apartment such as fitted, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom furniture. If not choose a holiday home insurance provider whose Contents definition will extend to include fixtures and fittings and a low for this when calculating your sums insured.  It is also worth checking that the contents cover does not have any unreasonable exclusions such as excluding accidental damage when occupied by paying guests or theft exclusions unless by forceful and violent entry to the property.

  9. Underinsurance

    Saving money by under-stating your sums insured is a false economy. In the event of a large loss resulting in a claim a loss adjuster may be appointed. One of their first tasks will be to ensure that your sums insured are correct. In the event of underinsurance a deduction for `average’ will be made when settling claims. This means the amount that is paid out for any claim will be reduced in proportion to the degree of underinsurance, leaving you to fund the remaining. Follow the link for further information in our Holiday Home Insurance guide to calculating your sums insured

  10. Loss of rental income

    Cover for loss of your rental income should your holiday let be destroyed or damaged by an insured event which interrupts the letting of it. Ensure that the cover provided is sufficient to cover the typical annual revenue generated by your holiday let. In the event of a large loss, rebuilding can often take up to two years so ensure that the indemnity period is sufficient.  Be careful of policies that only offer cover for loss of income as a result of confirmed pre-bookings.

  11. Legal Expenses

    To ensure an expert service this cover, if included in your holiday home insurance policy will often be arranged in conjunction with a specialist legal expenses insurance company.  Cover may be provided to indemnify the insured person in respect of an insured event in connection with your holiday let business.  You should look for cover which extends to employment disputes, legal defence where it is alleged that the insured has committed a criminal offence in connection with the running of their holiday let. In addition, debt recovery, taxation and vat disputes, the eviction of anyone from the property if they do not have the right to be there. Follow the link for further information on the  legal expenses section of Boshers Holiday Home Insurance policy on page 44

  12. Loss of keys

    The reasonable cost necessarily incurred in replacing door or window locks at your holiday let including locks to safes and alarms following theft or loss of keys. Follow the link for more information on Boshers holiday home insurance and loss of keys cover.

Additional guidance and holiday home insurance quotes are available from the Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444.

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

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Somerset County Gazette

Tragic death at holiday cottage near Porlock

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A holidaymaker died after a tragic accident at a holiday cottage near Porlock, an inquest has heard.

Somerset County Gazette

Angela Turnball from Bournemouth was 55 when she fell down stairs at a property on Horner Farm last year.

To read the full story `Tragic death at holiday cottage newar Porlock’ as reported by the Somerset County Gazette on the 3rd September 2012 visit their website here

This is an extremely sad story which we are bringing to the attention of holiday home owners via our holiday home insurance blog in the hope that similar accidents may be averted.

Guidance on making your holiday home safer for you and your guests can be found in our recent post:- Limiting the risks of slips and trips in your holiday home

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

Thank you for reading Tragic death at holiday cottage near Porlock.

For information on specialist insurance for commercially let UK holiday homes, cottages and apartments visit Boshers insurance website at www.boshers.co.uk/holiday-home-insurance

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Solid Fuel Fire Safety Information For Holiday Lets

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If you have a solid fuel fire in your holiday home or cottage, check out this informative video from TheMasterSweep.co.uk containing advice on Solid Fuel Fire Safety Information For Holiday Lets

Iain is based in Cornwall, to find a chimney sweep in your area visit the Guild Of Master Sweeps site here – search for a chimney sweep    

Holiday Home Chimney Fire Safety Advice

As a holiday home or cottage owner you have a duty of care to your letting guests. Employing a qualified sweep to maintain your chimneys forms an important part of a structured fire risk assessment. A clean chimney can help prevent fire and structural damage to your holiday home. Check out this useful advice from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service on Chimney Fire Safety 

Guild of Master SweepsDuty of care also a forms a general condition of a Holiday Home Insurance policy. You must take all reasonable steps to protect and maintain the property, prevent damage or injury and comply with laws by-laws and regulations. Failure to do so could void your holiday let insurance cover.

Other posts of interest to furnished holiday let holiday home owners:

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

 

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Holiday Home Insurance | A guide to calculating your Sums Insured

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holiday home gutted by fire

Holiday Home Insurance specialists, Boshers Ltd advise furnished holiday let owners to review their cover and in particular to check that sums insured are correct.

Mark Lavington, Director of Boshers Ltd said that, “many holiday home owners will find that their holiday home insurance falls due for renewal during the Spring and early Summer as this is often when properties were purchased or began their life as furnished holiday lets.

This is therefore a poignant time to ensure that you have sufficient cover and especially that your sums insured are correct, as underinsurance can cause holiday home owners major financial issues”.

Please read Holiday Home Insurance | A guide to calculating your Sums Insured for more information.

Should you require any additional guidance, a holiday home insurance quote or a revised quote to increase your sums insured, please contact a member of Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444 or visit http://www.holidayhomeinsurancequote.co.uk/ 

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You, your holiday home keys and your insurance

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You, your holiday home keys and your insurance. Are `Loss of keys’ covered? This is frequently asked with respect to our holiday home insurance policy. Boshers holiday cottage insurance contract does include the reasonable cost necessarily incurred in replacing door or window locks at the holiday home including locks to safes and alarms following theft or loss of keys.

If your holiday home, cottage, or cottage complex is insured elsewhere be sure to check their policy wording throughly. When selecting the right holiday home insurance for your property be sure to compare the cover offered. It can often be false economy to focus purely on the premium. Check out more answers to your holiday home insurance FAQs.

You may also find the following posts for holiday home owners of interest:

Follow this link for posts similar to `You, your holiday home keys and your insurance‘ and other useful resources for holiday home owners

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

Thank you for reading `You, your holiday home keys and your insurance’.

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