Holiday let insurance is a specialist policy for properties let to guests for short stays, such as cottages, flats and lodges booked by the night or week. You need it because standard home insurance doesn't cover paying guests, and most landlord policies are written for long-term tenants. A holiday let policy typically covers the building, the contents you provide, liability to guests, and loss of booking income after an insured event.

This guide explains what holiday let cover includes, what insurers want to know, and the rule changes that affect holiday let owners. If you let long-term instead, see our landlord insurance UK guide.

Why home and landlord policies don't fit

• Home insurance assumes you or your family live there. Paying guests are usually excluded, and frequent short stays change the risk entirely.

• Standard landlord insurance assumes a tenant who lives there under a tenancy. A holiday let has a turnover of guests, cleaning between stays, empty periods between bookings and owner use.

• Platform protection offered by booking sites isn't a replacement for your own insurance. Read the terms carefully: it may have limits, exclusions and conditions that don't fit your property.

Using the wrong policy is one of the most common reasons a holiday let claim fails.

What holiday let insurance usually covers

• Buildings, for the rebuild cost, if you own the freehold.

• Contents you provide: furniture, linen, kitchen equipment, hot tubs, garden furniture and electronics.

• Public liability for injury to guests or visitors, often with a higher limit than a residential policy, commonly £2 million to £5 million.

• Loss of bookings or income if the property can't be let after insured damage, such as a flood or fire.

• Employers' liability, if you employ cleaners, gardeners or a manager directly.

• Optional extras: accidental damage, cancellation by guests (often a separate product), equipment breakdown, hot tub and pool liability, and cover for your own personal belongings.

What insurers ask

Expect questions about:

• Booking pattern. How many weeks a year it's let, how many guests, minimum stays, and how much you use it yourself.

• How it's managed. By you, a local agent, or a holiday letting company, and how often it's inspected.

• Unoccupied periods in the off-season, and what you do to protect the property (heating, draining down, inspections).

• Facilities like hot tubs, pools, play equipment, wood burners and open fires.

• Fire safety arrangements.

• Location, including flood and coastal exposure.

Declare the booking pattern accurately. Understating how often it's let, or not mentioning owner use, can affect a claim.

Fire safety: a holiday let is a business premises

In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to holiday lets, because they're used by paying guests. The owner (or responsible person) must carry out a fire risk assessment and put in suitable precautions, such as smoke detection, fire doors where needed, escape routes and fire safety information for guests. Government guidance for small paying guest accommodation explains what's expected.

Insurers will ask about this. A current fire risk assessment, working alarms and maintained wood burners and chimneys help.

Gas appliances should be checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and electrical safety should be maintained. See our guides to gas safety certificates and EICRs.

Rule changes holiday let owners should know

• Furnished holiday lettings tax regime. The special tax treatment for furnished holiday lettings was abolished from April 2025. That affects tax, not insurance. Take advice from your accountant; this guide isn't tax advice.

• Scotland. Short-term let licensing applies across Scotland. Hosts need a licence from their council. Insurers may ask for your licence.

• Not a tenancy. Guests on genuine holiday stays aren't assured tenants, so the Renters' Rights Act changes to tenancies don't apply in the same way. If a "holiday let" is really a long-term home, the law treats it differently, and so will your insurer.

• Local rules. Some areas have planning or licensing rules for short lets. Check with your council.

Common gaps to check

• Loss of income limit and how it's calculated (actual bookings lost, or an estimate).

• Unoccupancy conditions during the off-season.

• Guest damage, whether accidental or malicious, and any excess.

• Hot tubs and pools, which some policies exclude or limit.

• Owner's personal possessions stored at the property.

• Cancellations, which are usually not covered by property insurance.

What affects the cost

We don't publish "from £X" prices. The main factors are the rebuild cost and contents value, location and flood exposure, the number of weeks let and guests, facilities like hot tubs, the liability limit, the excess and your claims history.

Airbnb and serviced accommodation

If you let rooms or flats through booking platforms on a frequent basis, or run serviced accommodation, the cover needs are similar but not identical. Tell us how you let and we'll check which insurers on our panel will write it.

How we can help

Holiday let insurance is a specialist market. We'll check which insurers on our panel will write your holiday let, based on the property and how it's booked, and come back with what's available.

Keeping your cover accurate through the year

Holiday lets change more than long-term lets, so revisit your cover when:

• you add a hot tub, pool, sauna or other leisure facility,

• you start, or stop, letting through a platform or an agent,

• you change from holiday letting to long-term letting, or back,

• the property will be empty out of season,

• you do major works or refurbishment,

• you let to groups, or for events or parties.

Tell your insurer before the change happens. If you switch to a long-term tenancy in England, the Renters' Rights Act will apply, and you'll need a residential landlord policy. See our Renters' Rights Act guide.

Records insurers may ask for

Keep a simple file for the property: fire risk assessment, gas safety record, electrical checks, alarm tests, cleaning and changeover logs, booking records, and any guest incidents. If you need to claim, these show the property was well run. They also help if you sell the business or change insurer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need special insurance for a holiday let?

Yes. Home insurance and standard landlord insurance usually don't cover paying guests on short stays. You need a policy designed for holiday lets.

Does booking platform protection replace insurance?

No. Platform protection programmes have limits and conditions, and aren't a substitute for your own holiday let policy.

Do I need a fire risk assessment for a holiday let?

In England and Wales, yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to holiday lets used by paying guests.

Does holiday let insurance cover cancellations?

Usually not. Loss of bookings after insured damage may be covered, but guest cancellations are a separate matter.

Can I use the property myself?

Yes, but tell your insurer how often. Owner use affects how the property is described and insured.

Does the end of the FHL tax regime affect my insurance?

No. It changes how holiday let income is taxed, not your insurance needs. Speak to your accountant about tax.

Check your holiday let cover

Send us your current holiday let or landlord policy, or your renewal, and we'll review it and come back with quotes from the insurers on our panel that will write it. Start here.

Meshed is a trading name of Mesh'd Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 1033248). We charge a flat 10% broker fee. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.