Bed & Breakfast Insurance – are you Insured for all your activities?

Are you running a Bed & Breakfast / Guesthouse in Ireland?
Have you notified your Bed & Breakfast insurance provider of everything that you offer your guests, and even how you secure bookings? Would you be surprised to hear that some insurance providers do not offer cover for anything other than the traditional Bed & Breakfast offering? Many will not cover risks which secure bookings via AirBnB, Booking.com or other platforms. Or that your current policy may not include cover if you decide to take in refugees or asylum seekers or longer term lets?

B&B or Guesthouse insurance is designed to cover owners against not only loss or damage to their home/property but also protects against claims brought against them from guests or third parties. Most package policies can insure risks that are both owner occupied and those which are trading only. A good comprehensive B&B policy is a merge of both private home insurance and business insurance for the hospitality industry. If you are running a B&B business / trade, then insure it as a business and do not simply opt for a cheap home insurance policy, which allows cover for paying lodgers/guests.

Cover available under most Guesthouse / Bed & Breakfast Insurance packages would include but would not be limited to:
Material Damage including accidental damage to your Buildings incl. Fixtures & Fittings
Contents of the Private Home & Guest Accommodations
Guests Effects
Personal Possessions of the B&B Proprietor
Business Interruption to cover loss of trade earnings as a result of an insured event
Employers Liability for your staff incl. seasonal workers
Public Liability for third party property damage or for slip/trip/fall injury claims

So what do you need to tell your Bed & Breakfast Insurance provider or Broker?
The answer is simple, everything! If you want to be properly covered!
You are under a duty to provide full and honest information to the insurance company where requested by them or your Broker.

Your insurance provider needs to understand your business completely in order to assess the risk and to be certain that they are providing the correct levels of cover needed by you. Some providers will NOT provide cover for certain internet platform bookings, self-catering units, functions, activities, a bar, non-standard construction lodges, and even longer term lets.

If you ARE offering additional services to your guests, examples of which might be –
Evening meals, Packed Lunches, Bar Facilities, Self-Catering Options, Entertainment, Classes / Trips / Excursions, Playground equipment, Collection & Drop Off services, Bike hire, Guided tours, Log Cabins etc., then you need to point this out to your Broker and/or Bed & Breakfast Insurer in order to be confident that you have the correct cover in place to protect you from financial loss.

Additionally, if you ARE considering renting rooms or your property to Asylum seekers or International Protection Applicants / Refugees through either the ARP or IPAS Schemes, then equally you need to have that conversation with your broker or insurer now. Do NOT just assume it is covered!
For further information regarding Bed & Breakfast Insurance, please click HERE.
Contact S.A. Faughnan (Brokers) Ltd. on 018245555 or at newbusiness@safaughnan.ie or visit us at www.safaughnan.ie