Crazy Vacation Rental Insurance Claims: If It Ain’t Broke, Break It

Manic Monday – Don’t Push Your Lock

You know the feeling when you’re about to unlock the door and you realize you don’t have the key? The first thing you do is start thinking about the last place you had the key, or what the best plan of action is to ensure you can get back inside your house. We’ve all been there. And when you’re staying at a property that isn’t yours, the moment feels even more daunting because you realize you will have to wait on someone else to help you remedy the situation. 

The good news is that many vacation rental properties are moving towards smart locks to prevent these kinds of issues, and for those that still use the ole’ lock and key method, you’ll often find that keep a lock box of some sort around to make sure that the guests don’t have to wait too long if they end up locking themselves out of the house. 

A Lock to Remember

Knowing all of this, when we received the claim for today’s Manic Monday story, it felt like something that could have been completely avoided if the guest had tried. But, as we know, “vacation brain” can cause even the most responsible guests to make questionable decisions –  which is why we have these stories to tell.

But enough of that, let’s break down this claim (and not break into it). 

This one came through for $610.23 citing “damage to rental property,” as many of them do. The claim stated: 

“Guest got locked out of the house and broke into the home through the front window that was to the right of the door. The lower window was broken into and the blind strings were snapped. Same guest kicked the owner’s closet door in and broke the whole frame of the door to see what was behind the locked door. Had to pay a handyman to install a fixed window and received a quote for his labor to replace the new owner’s closet door and hauling the old door off.”

Communication is Key

Do you see what I mean about how it feels like this could have been avoided if the guest tried? It’s like acting out an intrusive thought – the idea may enter your mind, but to actually follow through with breaking the window before even trying to contact the host feels a bit excessive. Then again, so does kicking down a closet door just to see what is inside, so it seems like this guest just had an issue with locks in general. However, aside from the guest’s boundary issues and lack of impulse control, their lock vendetta did cause real damage, making the claim easy for us to approve and pay out quickly. 

Locky You, You’re Covered

With all of that said, we’ve clearly established that no matter what you do, some guests are just wildly unpredictable. That’s why we emphasize the importance of having coverage that plans for things you can’t. With Safely, you’re covered when guests cause damage to your property. And, with complimentary guest screening and access to our proprietary database of guests that have caused damage to vacation rentals in the past, we are able to arm you with as much information as possible to make the most informed decision when accepting guests.