8th
Jul 2016
Any landlords who are using, or thinking of using Airbnb and other types of short term lets, must be properly insured. Landlords have been given a stark warning to cover themselves/property properly as four people were seriously injured when a balcony collapsed last week on an Airbnb short term let.
The serious accident occurred earlier this month and findings so far exonerate the landlord of any fault, however industry experts are warning landlords that third party subletting could invalidate their policy.
It is highly unlikely that experienced landlords, if they wish to choose the option of a third party let, will not have their property properly insured for commercial use, however new ‘landlords’ may not realise the importance of notifying their insurers.
If an injury occurs within the sub let property then the landlord or subletter will be held legally responsible, Airbnb or other platforms will be unaccountable.
A landlord will only be sued if they had failed to repair any potential hazard and had not warned tenants.
David Crosby, from a solicitors in Brighton, said: “I think the main thing is to make sure your mortgage provider allows it (commercial letting) and you insurer covers you to do it. And make sure that you leave clear instructions as to the do’s and don’ts so at least you are doing your bit to make sure people are safe.”
An Airbnb spokesperson commented: “The safety of our community is our number one priority. We urge all hosts to take some basic steps to keep their homes safe, and provide hosts with advice, approved by safety associations, on how to make their homes safer.”
Richard Merrick of PIMS, adds: “Perfect paranoia can be perfect damage limitation in some cases, so there is no harm in just checking that tenants are not advertising their ‘homes’ on these types of platforms.”
News Archive »