Not-So Crazy Vacation Rental Insurance Claims

The Tried and True Short-Term Rental Insurance Claims

I know it may seem like every claim we tell you about is crazier than the last, and while we’ve definitely seen our fair share of unbelievable stories, the truth is, most claims we get are pretty normal. Of course, anything that isn’t a chicken sacrifice seems normal to us, so we may not be the best judge of normalcy. 

The point is, the crazy stories may be the ones that people want to read about, but at the end of the day, they aren’t the ones that people can relate to. And while it may not be as entertaining, it’s important to represent all aspects of what we cover, not just the crazy stuff. We’ve compiled a roundup of some of our most typical claims to give you an idea of the stuff we see and cover day-to-day.

Glassware or Glass, Where?

Claims for broken or missing glassware may not be the most exciting, but they are the most common. The point of sharing these is to emphasize the importance of treating every claim we receive with the same amount of priority and attention, no matter the size. To give you an idea, here are a few glassware-related claims we’ve received:

Champagne Glasses

This is one we get a lot, and for obvious reasons. I mean, who hasn’t broken a champagne flute at least once? We had one claim for $6.18 and the description just said: “Broken champagne flute.” Another one was for $4.59 stating “Guest broke a champagne flute.” Both of these were approved and paid out in less than 48 hours.

Missing Glassware

This claim was for $2.20, and the description said, “Upon guest check out, it was discovered that two large glasses were missing from our inventory.” Keep in mind that we require photos for all of our claims, and for this one we received a photo of an empty shelf where the missing glasses used to be. Again, we approved the claim and paid it out quickly – we also laughed at the photo of the empty shelf.

Miscellaneous Household Items

Similar to glassware, we see plenty of smaller claims for miscellaneous household items as well. While these claims can range significantly, our coverage remains consistent. We don’t care how unusual the claim is, as long as it falls under the coverage requirements, we will cover it. Here are some examples of a few random items we’ve covered recently:  

Teaspoon

During a guest’s stay they accidentally dropped a spoon down the drain and before they even knew what had happened, someone had switched on the garbage disposal and immediately the sound coming from the disposal was not correct. Luckily it was just a spoon that got mangled in the disposal, and we paid the $4.13 claim to replace the spoon. However, even if this incident had caused the disposal to break, we would likely still cover it. 

Snow Shovel

A guest was using a snow shovel to–you guessed it–shovel snow. Apparently the guest was either very strong or the shovel had seen better days, but at some point in the shoveling, the guest stepped on the shovel and broke it. The claim amount was for a whopping $19.08, which we approved and paid out before the snow had the chance to melt.

Toothbrush Holder

This claim was for $12.07 to replace a ceramic toothbrush holder. A little random, I know, but we aren’t here to judge, just to approve claims. Well, according to the property manager who submitted the claim, they weren’t able to find the exact item to replace it with, so they found a similar item instead. In a case like this, we will still pay the claim out for a comparable item if an exact replacement isn’t possible. 

Key Fob

A guest had a key fob in their pocket and decided to jump into the pool. Guess what happened next? I’ll give you a hint – the fob wasn’t waterproof. So, as you may have guessed, the key fob stopped working. As a result, the homeowner had to purchase a new fob through the property’s condo association, which cost $75.00. This claim was approved and no one made a splash about it.

Washcloths

Another claim we see often is stained linens. Whether it’s makeup or mud stains, you never really know what people are using your towels to clean up, which makes stains that much more frustrating when you find them. And when those stubborn stains don’t want to come out, you don’t want to also be left footing the bill. We recently got a claim for $9.95 to cover three stained washcloths. Since we know how frustrating stains can be, we made sure the approval process was quick, and paid this one out in less than 24 hours. 

Crazy About Short-Term Rental Coverage

At the end of the day, we want to change the way people think about insurance. And while submitting a claim for a scratched spoon may seem ridiculous to some, to us it means that we’re taking away the fear so many people have around filing claims and insurance in general. Our homeowners and property managers depend on us to provide the best coverage without constantly trying to raise their rates just for filing a claim. Our job is to make sure you, your property, and your business are protected, no matter what.