The first booking feels harmless enough. A weekend guest, a tidy handover, a few photos, job done. From an insurer’s point of view, something important has changed. The property is no longer just a home.
Once paying guests are involved, insurance expectations shift quickly.
Why standard home insurance usually isn’t enough
Most home insurance policies are written on the assumption that the people staying there are you, your family, or long-term tenants.
Short-term guests break that assumption. High turnover, unfamiliar occupants, and frequent access all increase risk.
Many standard policies exclude damage or liability arising from paying guests.
What insurers mean by short-term letting
From an insurance perspective, it doesn’t matter whether you let the property occasionally or most weekends.
If money changes hands for overnight stays, insurers usually treat it as commercial use.
That applies whether the property is your main home, a second home, or a dedicated rental.
Buildings insurance considerations
If you own the building, insurers will want to know how it’s being used.
In flats, the freeholder’s building policy may already restrict short-term lets. That can create insurance and lease issues at the same time.
Using standard buildings cover without disclosure is risky.
Contents and guest damage
Contents take more punishment in short-term lets.
Higher footfall, luggage, unfamiliar use of appliances. Wear is faster, and accidents are more likely.
- Guest damage may be excluded under standard contents cover
- Accidental damage definitions may not extend to paying guests
- Deposits help, but don’t replace insurance
Claims often hinge on who caused the damage and why.
Liability risks with guests
Liability is one of the biggest gaps.
If a guest trips, slips, or is injured, personal liability under a normal home policy may not apply.
Short-term letting increases exposure, especially where stairs, balconies, or shared access are involved.
Platform protection versus insurance
Platforms like Airbnb advertise host guarantees and protection.
These are not the same as regulated insurance policies.
They may have limits, exclusions, and discretionary elements that only appear when something goes wrong.
Theft and security expectations
Frequent guest turnover affects theft risk.
Keys, codes, lockboxes, cleaners, and contractors all increase the number of people with access.
Insurers often expect upgraded security and clear control of access.
Unoccupied periods between bookings
Short-term lets are often empty between stays.
Those gaps can trigger unoccupied conditions under standard policies, limiting cover for theft or escape of water.
Specialist short-let policies usually account for this pattern.
Fire safety and insurer expectations
Fire risk is treated more seriously in short-term lets.
Different guests, unfamiliar cooking habits, and higher usage of appliances all matter.
Insurers may expect smoke alarms, fire blankets, and documented checks.
Mortgage and insurance alignment
Lenders often have views on short-term letting.
Insurance that doesn’t match the mortgage terms can create problems beyond claims.
Consistency across documents matters.
Part-time Airbnb use
Letting your main home occasionally doesn’t remove the need to disclose.
Some insurers will allow limited short-term letting with conditions. Others will not.
Silence rarely works in your favour.
Common mistakes
Most issues arise from treating Airbnb as a side activity rather than a change of use.
- Relying on standard home insurance
- Assuming platform guarantees replace insurance
- Not declaring guest stays
Insuring a house used for Airbnb means recognising that it sits somewhere between a home and a business. Policies exist for that space, but only if the insurer is told what’s really going on.