Crazy Vacation Rental Insurance Claims: Raise The Roof

Manic Monday – Raise The Roof, But Don’t Jump From It

You know the stories that start with “Florida Man…” and always seem to end with something absolutely absurd? Well this claim is about Florida guests, and it feels very similar.

Of course, I don’t want to insult Florida by saying that crazy guest stories are specific to their state, because as we know, they happen everywhere. However, this story doesn’t seem like an uncommon one to the sunshine state. But who am I kidding? Everyone has heard some version of this.

It’s Always Something, Every Shingle Time

I’ll set the scene for you. It’s a group of guys, they’re all drinking. The house they’re staying in has a pool. If you’re thinking that they went swimming, that’s probably true. But after a few beers, I guess there are more exciting things to do than just a swim.

The claim was for $1,234.09, citing “damage to rental property.” Here is what it said:

“Guests put a heavy chair on the pool heater and jumped from the roof to the pool, damaging the heater, grill, and pool paint. The neighbors were scared and called us to complain. The guests had a big party and we had to replace the pool heater and the grill, drain the water from the pool and paint the pool again.”

So, not only did they have a party that was apparently loud enough that it scared the neighbors, but these guests also had the bright idea to jump from the roof into the pool. And for some odd reason, they thought the best way to get onto the roof was by putting one of the outdoor chairs on top of the pool heater and hoisting themselves up that way. Don’t worry though, the security cameras caught all of this, and thankfully these boys worked together – one held the chair in place so his friend wouldn’t fall when climbing up. Isn’t that sweet? Teamwork.

Coverage That Keeps You On Top

Now, don’t get me wrong, this is not the first incident we’ve seen where someone jumps from the roof into a pool, but the thing to keep in mind about this claim is that it also shows us the importance of having reliable short-term rental coverage.

For starters, since the host had video footage of the incident, it made it easy to establish what happened and to categorize it as guest-caused damage. But even without the video evidence, for an incident like this, all we would require would be photos of the damage that occurred, not necessarily how it occurred. In other words, there are other ways to establish guest-caused damage without seeing the live action shots of these guests climbing onto the roof, and then mid-air jumping into the pool. Although, the way we received this claim was definitely the most entertaining, and made it easy to approve the claim and pay it out in about 72 hours.

While it’s certainly entertaining at times to see the series of poor decisions guests often make, having dependable short-term rental insurance is also important for moments that go beyond the entertaining moments. Specifically, when you think about the “what-ifs.” When we said we’ve seen guests jump off roofs before, we meant it. But it doesn’t always have the same ending. Unfortunately, there have been times when guests have seriously hurt themselves doing something like this, and without the right coverage, the host may be held responsible.

Taking Things To New Heights

But you don’t have to worry about that, right? With Safely, you’re covered for up to $1,000,000 in bodily injury. And, with our automated Guest Verification, not only will you receive a full background check on your guests, but your guest will be run through our personal database of renters that have previously caused damage. This will allow you to be fully informed before accepting a reservation. And while this specific claim story only resulted in a $1,200 inconvenience, and a few funny photos, that may not always be the case, and if you can minimize your chances of something going seriously wrong, we want to ensure that we can help you do that.