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Holiday Home Owners are considered as Landlords under HSE legislation and therefore have specific legal responsibilities to their guests (tenants) when it comes to gas safety. In order to comply with the legislation all furnished holiday let owners should have all the gas appliances and gas boilers in their holiday homes serviced in accordance with the manufacturers guidelines and have a Gas Safety Check carried out. This work must be carried out by a Gas Safe Registered Business. Furnished Holiday Let Owners Are Warned That Gas And Cowboys Don’t Mix! Visit the Gas Safe Register website for specific gas safety information for landlords including a facility to search for a registered business in your area.

Furnished Holiday Let Owners Are Warned That Gas And Cowboys Don’t Mix

According to research carried out in 2009 on behalf of the Gas Safe Register at least a quarter of a million gas appliances installed in our homes each year are done illegally. At least 7,500 illegal gas fitters in GB are doing the most common and often most dangerous types of gas work in our homes.

Illegal gas workers who make false claims about their qualifications and carry out unsafe gas work could put you, your family and your guests at risk from gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning. Owners who fail to use a Gas Safe Registered Businesss to carry out their statutory duty as a landlord to have annual Gas Safety Checks on their holiday home gas appliances could also invalidate their holiday home insurance.

Holiday home owners will also find the links below of interest:

For Self-Catering holiday cottage owners in Scotland, the Scottish Government has produced the following:

You may also find the following posts for holiday home owners of interest:

Follow this link for posts similar to Holiday Let Insurance for your annexe other useful resources for holiday home owners

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

Owners improving their holiday home WOW FACTOR should consider their holiday home insurance! In a competitive domestic self-catering holiday market, holiday home owners are increasingly turning to property improvements to increase the WOW FACTOR and appeal of their holiday homes, cottages and apartments.

When planning to undertake major improvements which go beyond new decor, owners are reminded to contact their holiday home insurance provider for advices prior to the work commencing and just as importantly after works have been completed in order that sums insured can be adjusted accordingly. The benefit of keeping your holiday home insurance adviser in the loop is that you can then rest assured in the knowledge that you will have the corrrect cover in place.

For information on ensuring that your holiday home insurance sums insured are correct, read Boshers Guide to Holiday Home Insurance Sums Insured.

We at Boshers understand the needs of holiday home, cottage complex and apartment owners. If you do not already benefit from our comprehensive holiday home insurance policy, contact us today on 01237 429444 or email cottages@boshers.co.uk and we’ll make a diary note to speak to you nearer your renewal date.

For further information on UK holiday home insurance visit the website page most relevant to you:

Holiday Home Insurance | Holiday Home Owners Require Liability Cover – Why? As a responsible holiday home owner you will always ensure that your holiday home is as safe an environment as possible for your guests and employee’s to frequent. However, it is often the unforeseen that will cause accidents leading to compensation claims which can be substantial.

A slippery path, a loose paving slab, weather beaten garden furniture! – Have you inspected yours lately?

A comprehensive Holiday Home Insurance policy, such as that arranged by Boshers will provide cover to indemnify you against your legal liability to pay damages and legal costs arising out of claims for bodily injury, death, disease or illness from a third party such as an employee, (i.e. a cleaner, gardener or key holder) and paying guests in connection with the running of your second home as a furnished holiday let.

How much Employers Liability Insurance should you have? If you have a contract of service with anyone who helps you maintain your holiday let business, whether spoken, written or implied and you provide them with work materials and equipment, then you may be regarded as their employer, irrespective of their tax status. It is a legal requirement, that you have in place Employer’s Liability Insurance of at least £5m, in practice many insurers provide cover of £10m.

How much Public, Products and Personal Liability Insurance should you have? Whilst not a compulsory insurance, we would recommend cover of at least £3m for small properties that sleep up to six guests and £5m for larger properties.

The above cover is generally provided as part of a packaged Holiday Home Insurance policy, also covering the buildings and contents of your holiday home.

For articles on Health & Safety for holiday home owners visit www.boshers.co.uk/blog. Additional guidance and holiday home insurance quotes are available from the Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444 or visit www.boshers.co.uk.

Holiday home insurance specialists, Boshers Ltd advise furnished holiday let owners to review their cover and in particular to check that sums insured are correct. Mark Lavington, Director of Boshers Ltd said that, “many holiday home owners will find that their holiday home insurance falls due for renewal during the Spring and early Summer as this is often when properties were purchased or began their life as furnished holiday lets. This is therefore a poignant time to ensure that you have sufficient cover”.

Suitable holiday home insurance will give you peace of mind should the worst happen, however you’ll need to ensure the correct buildings and contents sum insured are specified to ensure the right amount of cover is provided as the implications of underinsurance can be costly.

Holiday Home Insurance. Are you fully covered?

Underinsurance

It is important not to underinsure your holiday home property or its contents. This is because if you only insure for say, 50% of the reinstatement value of your property or contents you stand to have any claim payment reduced by half and you will be considered as your own insurer for the difference and thus bear a rateable proportion of the loss accordingly. The guidance below will help you calculate the correct figures and avoid the potential for underinsurance.

Rebuilding Costs

Your holiday home buildings sum insured should represent the amount that you would have to pay to rebuild your holiday home again should there be a total loss e.g. in the event of a fire. This should include the cost of rebuilding boundary walls or fences, reinstating driveways and outbuildings. Internally you will need to consider fixtures and fittings such as built in bedroom furniture, kitchens and bathrooms as well as redecoration, basically everything that is fixed and would be left behind if you sold the property.

The Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) rebuilding cost calculator is designed to help you assess the rebuilding cost of your property, if it falls within a range of standard house types. There is of course no substitute for instructing a professional Surveyor to prepare a Rebuilding Cost Assessment for insurance purposes. The RICS web site can be used to search for a Chartered Surveyor (http://www.ricsfirms.com/) in your area.

Index linking

Because your holiday home insurance buildings sum insured is index-linked (i.e. it’s adjusted according to inflation), if the worst happens and the sum insure is sufficient your claim will be paid in full up to the sum insured. It is none the less, important that the sum insured as well as being correct at outset, is also increased to reflect improvements that you make to your holiday home, such as adding an extension, conservatory or a designer kitchen or bathroom.

Contents Calculator

Your holiday home contents sum insured is the total value of replacing your holiday home contents with new items, should there be a total loss e.g. in the event of a fire. It’s important that your sum insured is correct so that your insurer can quickly pay any insurance claims you make.

The most effective way of working out your contents sum insured is to draw up an inventory of all the contents in your holiday home, room by room. Against each item write the replacement cost for a similar brand new item. The contents of your holiday home includes everything that isn’t fixed, which you would take with you if you sold and interestingly also includes carpets, so ensure that you allow sufficient to re-carpet throughout. In respect of books, works of art, television and audio visual equipment a single article limit may apply, be sure to check that you have sufficient cover and for items exceeding these limits please refer to your broker for further advices. Index linking may apply to the contents section of your Holiday Home Insurance policy; however it is important that you ensure that the sum insured is sufficient at outset and each renewal. In today’s market this is particularly pertinent as competition for guests dictates that holiday homes are increasingly furnished to a high standard and equipped with expensive flat screen televisions and accessories such as hot tubs and home gyms.

Loss of rental income

A quality Holiday Home Insurance policy should provide cover for loss of rental income, for insured perils which consequently render the holiday home uninhabitable for a period during which the property is repaired. As it may take some time to rebuild a holiday home levelled by fire or damaged by flooding; cover should be considered for up to two years. Check that your loss of rental income sum insured is sufficient and that your projected gross holiday letting income does not exceed the cover provided.

Should you require any additional guidance or a holiday home insurance quote, please contact a member of Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Team on 01237 429444.

As an insurance broker, specialising in holiday home insurance for furnished holiday lets across the UK; we are increasingly being asked questions by owners and their agents regarding legislation surrounding the operation of a holiday cottage. Insurance is our speciality and we are not lawyers, so we will often seek our own guidance from the relevant authority. This post relates to Furnished Holiday Lets | Food Hampers | Food Hygiene Legislation.

A recent query was regarding owners who as a gesture of goodwill provide a welcome hamper of food for their self-catering guests which may include for example a home baked cake, pot of home made jam etc. In particular would such activities fall within the Food Hygiene Legislation.

Another scenario which we are asked about is where the property owner lives adjacent to the holiday cottage and offers a service whereby they will cook breakfast for their guests in the holiday cottage, or even offer to cook evening meals by request in return for payment.

Your local authority is responsible for monitoring food hygiene and I approached ours for guidance on the above two scenarios.

This was their response:

“I would advise that a holiday cottage owner who provide a welcome hamper would be required to register as a food premises to comply with Regulation (EC)852/2004 Article 6 Paras 1 and 2. However such a premises would not fall within our inspection programme. Similarly registration would also be required for the second scenario and in these circumstances the business would receive an inspection the frequency of which would be related to risk. The food businesses operator must ensure that the competent authority has up-to-date information on establishments including notifying any change in activities and closure. The Registration relates to production, processing and distribution of food.”

If either of the above scenarios reflect services that you offer to your guests and you havn’t already registered with your local authority, I recommend that you do so. The procedure seems very straightforward and given the minimal risk you can expect your authority to treat you with a very light touch.

A quality Holiday Home Insurance policy such as that provided by Boshers Ltd and underwritten by Ecclesiastical Insurance Office PLC includes liability resulting from injury or damage caused as a result of the property owners actions or products provided by them. As always due care should be taken by the policy holder including abiding by relevant legislation.

More information regarding keeping food safe is available from the Food Standards Agency

You may find the following holiday home insurance articles of interest:

For further information on UK holiday home insurance call our team on 01237 429444 or visit the website page most relevant to you:

Guide To Holiday Home Insurance. Letting your holiday home commercially has many benefits, however as with running any business it isn’t without risk. It is therefore important to get the right holiday home insurance cover. Many holiday home owners may unwittingly be relying on normal home insurance cover or even more disconcerting have no cover at all.

Insurance brokers like Boshers understand the demands and needs of owners of commercially let UK holiday homes and have negotiated a specialist holiday home insurance policy with a leading insurer. Read our Guide To Holiday Home Insurance

Holiday Home Insurance Policy Warranties – Restrictive Clauses Or Just Good Housekeeping? That time of the year is upon us when your holiday let may be unnocupied for a few weeks at a time. Owners must ensure that they check and abide by any policy warranties. A warranty is a policy condition which must be adhered to otherwise cover could be revoked and claims unpaid.

Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Policies have the following warranties. We believe that adhering to them is not only good housekeeping, but will also reduce the occurance of claims and therefore help to minimise stress and premium increases!

Unoccupied premises warranty
It is warranted that whenever the premises are left untenanted during the months of October to April inclusive you will arrange that either

a) the central heating system is brought into operation and a minimum room temperature of not less than 45°F or 7°C maintained or

b) the water is turned off at the stopcock inside the premises and the domestic water system drained and other services such as electricity and gas disconnected (other than as necessary to maintain the central heating or security systems).

Inspection warranty
It is warranted that whenever the premises are left untenanted the premises must be inspected at least every other week by you or by an authorised person responsible to you.

In Part 7 – Guide to Holiday Home insurance – General Considerations we look more deeply into the conditions and warranties that may apply to your holiday home insurance policy. Ensure you have a good understanding of your policy cover and in particular you understand your obligations regarding any conditions or warranties. You or an agent may need to inspect your property every 14 days whilst empty; or ensure that a minimum temperature is maintained during cold spells if the water is not turned off and drained. These are not only sensible procedures to reduce the risk of the potential for damage to your property but may also affect your ability to make a claim if not adhered to.

Do check that you are still fully covered even if your holiday home property is vacant for long periods; some holiday home insurance policies will reduce cover to a minimum or even exclude certain covers completely.

If your holiday letting business is seasonal, you may have considered letting the property on a short hold tenancy agreement for six months. If this is your intention be sure to check that your Holiday Home Insurance policy allows for this.

For your own peace of mind check that your policy covers all of the above and remember that you only find out how good your broker and insurers are when you make a claim – so make sure that price is not your only deciding factor when selecting holiday home insurance. Compromising on cover to save money when insuring your holiday home is not an option – you wouldn’t take unnecessary risks, would you?”

Check out the following posts which expand on Boshers Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Introduction or visit our Holiday Home Insurance page.

1. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Property Owners Liability Insurance

2. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Employers Liability Insurance

3. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Buildings Insurance

4. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Contents Insurance

5. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Loss Of Rental Income

6. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Legal Expenses

Boshers Ltd are Independent Insurance Intermediaries and have been arranging specialist holiday home insurance for owners of commercially let UK holiday homes since 1990. For further information and quotes visit Boshers website or telephone Boshers on 01237 429444.

Legal Expenses Insurance

This provides cover for legal fees, compensation awards or appeal costs arising from a wide range of legal disputes that you may become involved in as a Holiday Home Owner whilst running your holiday let business. Cover for all claims occurring at the same time or from the same originating cause is limited, in the case of Boshers Holiday Home Insurance Legal Expenses to £100,000.

Legal Expenses Insurance may protect your commercial holiday let business legal position in the areas shown below:

Employment disputes
Such as negotiating for an insured person’s legal rights in an Employment Tribunal for a dispute arising from their employment contract.

Contract disputes
Such as negotiating your legal rights in a dispute arising from an agreement for the sale, hire or purchase of goods and services or in connection with the buying or selling of your holiday let.

Bodily injury
Such as pursuing your legal rights following accidental death or physical injury.
Property protection
Such as pursuing your legal rights following damage to your holiday let for problems such as nuisance and trespass.

Legal defence
Defence of criminal prosecutions arising from your employment and the defence of civil actions in specified circumstances.

Holiday let Such as negotiating for your legal rights:
after an event which causes physical damage to your property; and to evict anyone in your property who does not have your permission to be there.
Defending your legal rights if an event arising from you letting your property leads to you being prosecuted in a criminal court.

Study the wording of the Legal Insurance Section closely as all policies have differing levels of cover.

Check out the following posts which expand on Boshers Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Introduction or visit our Holiday Home Insurance page.

1. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Property Owners Liability Insurance

2. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Employers Liability Insurance

3. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Buildings Insurance

4. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Contents Insurance

5. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Loss Of Rental Income

7. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance –  General Considerations

Loss Of Rental Income

In Part 5 – guide to Holiday Home insurance – Loss of rental Income we look at how you protect your holiday letting income in the event of an insured peril affecting your property. Your specialist Holiday Home Insurance policy should also provide loss of rental income cover for insured perils, which consequently render the holiday home uninhabitable. It may take up to two years to rebuild a property levelled by fire; you should therefore check that you are covered for sufficient loss of rental income for this period. After all, if you have a mortgage to pay or if you are relying on the income from your holiday home business to live on, loss of rental income cover will be invaluable to you and your holiday cottage letting business..

Check out the following posts which expand on Boshers Guide to Holiday Home Insurance or visit our Holiday Home Insurance page.

1. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Property Owners Liability Insurance

2. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Employers Liability Insurance

3. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Buildings Insurance

4. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Contents Insurance

6. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance – Legal Expenses

7. Guide to Holiday Home Insurance –  General Considerations