Holiday lets and short lets

Insurance for short-term let hosts

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-29

If you host paying guests through a booking platform, you usually still need your own insurance, because platform host protection is not designed to replace a property policy. Knowing where the platform's cover stops is what keeps a bad stay from becoming an uninsured loss.

Part of: Holiday let insurance in the South West

In short

Booking platforms often include host protection, but it is tied to their own bookings and terms. Airbnb, for example, describes $1 million of host liability insurance and $3 million of host damage protection, says that damage protection is not insurance, and says AirCover is not a substitute for your own insurance. Most hosts still need buildings and contents cover that allows short-term letting, public liability, and cover for lost income after insured damage. Your home or landlord insurer, mortgage lender and any freeholder may also need to agree to short-term letting.

Platform host protection is not your insurance

Many platforms offer some protection to hosts. It is worth reading the terms, because it is usually narrower than a property policy and can change.

Taking Airbnb as an example, its description of AirCover for Hosts lists guest identity verification, reservation screening, US$1 million of host liability insurance and US$3 million of damage protection covering the home and its contents. The same page states that host damage protection is not insurance and is not related to the host liability insurance. Its help centre says the damage protection applies if a guest damages your place or belongings during a stay booked through the platform and does not pay for the repairs, that AirCover is not a substitute for personal insurance, and that you should talk to your insurer about how your policy overlaps with it.

Other platforms have their own schemes, or none. Read the current terms for each platform you use rather than assuming they match.

Where platform protection and your own policy differ

The table compares what a platform scheme is generally built for with what a host's own policy is commonly written to do. Each scheme and policy has its own terms.

Risk	Platform host protection	Your own policy
Fire, flood or storm not caused by a guest	Generally aimed at damage by guests during a stay	Buildings and contents sections usually respond, subject to the wording
Damage by a guest	May reimburse if the guest does not pay, under the platform's process	Accidental or malicious damage by guests may be covered or restricted
Guest injured at the property	Platform liability cover may respond for its own bookings	Public liability for all bookings, however they are made
Bookings direct or through another site	Usually outside a platform's scheme	Covered if the policy allows the letting you do
Lost income after insured damage	Generally not the purpose of these schemes	Loss of bookings or income section, if included
Cleaners or staff injured	Not designed for this	Employers' liability if you employ anyone

The practical point is that a platform scheme can sit alongside your insurance. It should not be the reason you skip it.

Telling your insurer, lender and freeholder

Before you list, check three things.

Your existing insurer. A home or landlord policy may exclude short-term letting or need it declared. If the insurer was not told, a claim can be reduced or declined.
Your mortgage lender. Residential mortgages often restrict letting without consent. That is a matter between you and the lender, but insurers sometimes ask.
Your lease, if you own a flat. Many leases restrict use to a private residence or ban business use. A breach can bring a dispute with the freeholder, which a property policy will not usually cover.

If you host a room in the home you live in, some home insurers can extend cover; if you let the whole property while you are away, a specialist holiday let policy is usually the cleaner answer. Operators who let homes they do not own should read rent-to-rent insurance.

The rules that apply to hosts

Fire safety in England. Government guidance says the fire safety law for paying guest accommodation applies even if it is just for one night where you charge someone to stay and the property is not occupied as a private dwelling. The responsible person must assess fire risks and keep a record, and the guidance says smoke and heat alarms should be interlinked. See fire safety risk assessments.
London's 90-night rule. Under section 25A of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973, inserted by section 44 of the Deregulation Act 2015, using a home in London as temporary sleeping accommodation is not a material change of use if the nights do not exceed 90 in a calendar year and a person providing the accommodation is liable for council tax on it. Beyond that, planning permission may be needed.
Registration and licensing. England's national registration scheme is expected to begin in March 2027. Scotland licenses home sharing and home letting as well as secondary letting, and Wales requires registration by 31 March 2027. Our guide to short-term let registration and licensing explains each.

How claims arise: illustrative examples

These examples are illustrative, not real claims or outcomes.

A leak with no guest involved. A flat is listed on two platforms. A washing machine hose fails while it is empty and water damages the flat below. This is not guest damage, so a platform scheme is unlikely to be relevant. The host's buildings or contents and liability sections are what matter.
A direct booking. A returning guest books by bank transfer and trips on a loose stair rod. The stay was not booked through a platform, so the host relies on their own public liability.
The home insurer was not told. A host lets their home for summer weekends without telling their home insurer. A fire starts in the kitchen during a stay. The insurer questions the change of use, and the claim becomes a dispute.

Guest injury is covered in more depth in holiday let guest injury liability.

What hosts usually buy

A host's own policy commonly combines buildings and contents that allow short-term letting, public liability for guests and the public, cover for lost bookings after insured damage, and employers' liability if you employ cleaners or a changeover team. Hosts running several units as a business should look at serviced accommodation insurance. Owners in the South West can also see holiday let insurance in the South West.

How Apex helps

Apex arranges cover for holiday lets and short lets. To quote we need the address and property type, whether you live there, which platforms you use and how many nights you let a year, your letting turnover, claims in the last five years, and any hot tub, pool or shared areas. A broker reads each enquiry and comes back with options, and there is no fee for a quote. Cover is always subject to the insurer's acceptance and the policy terms.

Sources

Frequently asked

Is Airbnb AirCover enough insurance for a host?

Airbnb itself says AirCover is not a substitute for personal insurance and that host damage protection is not insurance. It is aimed at its own bookings. Most hosts still need buildings and contents cover that allows short-term letting, public liability for every booking and cover for lost income after insured damage.

Do I need to tell my home insurer I am hosting on Airbnb?

Yes. Home policies commonly exclude or restrict letting to paying guests, or require you to declare it. If you do not tell the insurer, a claim can be reduced or declined. Ask in writing whether your policy allows short-term letting, and if not, arrange a policy that does.

Does platform host protection cover direct bookings?

Generally not. Platform schemes are usually tied to stays booked through that platform under its terms. Guests who book directly, by phone or through another site would rely on your own public liability and property cover, so your own policy should reflect all the ways you take bookings.

Can I host short-term lets in London for more than 90 nights?

Section 25A of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973 treats short-term use as not a material change of use only up to 90 nights in a calendar year, with a council tax condition. Beyond that, planning permission may be needed, so check with your borough before taking more bookings.

What insurance do short-term let hosts need in Scotland?

Short-term lets in Scotland need a licence from the council, and the mandatory licence conditions require valid buildings insurance for the premises for the duration of the licence and public liability insurance for the duration of each let. Contents and lost income cover are commonly added.

Talk to a broker about this cover

Tell us what your business does, your turnover and any claims. A broker reads every enquiry and comes back with options. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.