I’m not sure f the English definition of lodgers is different than the US, so if it is, please disregard my comment. In the US, a lodger is typically someone who is paying to stay in the home – maybe an AirBnB/VRBO or a renter of a room or portion of the home. THS doesn’t operate in this way, as you know, so I’m not sure if additional insurance is required. Essentially, as a petsitter, we are guests in your home who have been authorized to use your property in the manner you have proscribed – use the pool, car, kitchen, gym equipment, etc. Therefore, we should be covered under any fair use or guest on premises provisions.
In the THS Terms and Conditions it is clearly stated that the HO has to have an insurance covering damage to his property and belongings.
In Germany there’s the insurance of the building, which covers the house itself and anything connected to the house like wall panels, built-in cabinets and floors. This one is mandatory when you own property and it doesn’t matter who stayed in the house when the damage occurs. The insurance is going to pay the HO’s loss but they will always find someone to blame for the damage and that’s why everybody should have a personal insurance, especially if you plan to use stranger’s belongings and stay in their homes.
Then there’s the insurance which covers household goods like furniture and movable belongings. This one is not mandatory by law but advisable to have. In case the building burns down your belongings aren’t completely out of the chimney, at least not the money to buy new ones.
In Canada, house insurance (normally building and contents for home owners, just contents for renters) isn’t mandatory and it’s always sad to hear about people who lose their homes and were uninsured. Having liability insurance is sometimes included in the insurance policy but not always.
Yeah, it’s only mandatory here in Ontario if you have a mortgage. Once the house is paid off, it’s not required. I know that my 90 year old next door neighbour has no insurance and I’m always worried about her house when there’s a big storm.
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We are always hearing about it during forest fire season. I’m frankly shocked at how many people don’t even have basic insurance. Not sure how you even recover from that.
Same here. We had a tree fall on our house in a storm a couple of years ago. Insurance was a pain to deal with but fixing it only cost my deductible, and it wasn’t a cheap fix. If it was my neighbours house I have no idea how she would have dealt with it.
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Why be sad? It’s an act of reckless stupidity not to have building or contents insurance for (probably) your biggest asset. It’s like people who drive cars with no insurance. They can cause an accident and walk away unless the other driver takes out a civil case.
I have no sympathy for anyone who does not have building insurance.
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Mostly because I suspect some (most?) of them simply can’t afford it. Obviously, in retrospect, it would have been a good investment, but when you are choosing between food and house insurance, it can be a tough call I guess. A lot of the families (40%?) who lost homes in Lytton (BC town burned in forest fire last summer) last summer were uninsured.
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I once had a conversation at work with a group of people about car insurance. I would say a third of them didn’t have insurance and they cited they could not afford it. One told me he was a perfect driver and didn’t need it!
As the conversation went on a couple nipped out to the smoke shelter to have a smoke break. One gave us a long description of a film he had watched on Sky (a pay as you watch streaming tv service) and another had to go and collect his pizza which was being delivered for his lunch. These four had admitted not having car insurance previously because they couldn’t afford it. But……
It’s illegal to drive without car insurance here so it happens very rarely. But anyway, in this case, I’m referring to house insurance.
In Germany you can’t even register a car without proof of insurance.
For first or very young drivers it’s very expensive. The rate starts at 175% and only goes down per year if you don’t have any accidents. It can go down to 35% but this takes many years.
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We have date stickers on our licence plates to indicate to police if the insurance is still valid. Big fines for driving without insurance.
Hey everyone! I’m new to the forums but I’ve been sitting with THS for almost three years and always had great experiences. I’ve recently had a sit cancel and meet what appears to be the full criteria to use the insurance coverage and I’m curious about anyone’s experiences.
I don’t mind paying out of pocket initially but it’s a little stressful not knowing the process for reimbursement and no FAQs really touch on it. I travel fairly budget and paying $1100 for 19 nights is not remotely in my budget if I get stuck with the bill somehow.
I’ve also had iffy communication via THS channels filing the claim. I’m on my second email currently as the first was not answered.
Can anyone reassure me this is a legit insurance that will cover me? Or should I be trying to find a totally new plan b at the last minute?
(For anyone who thinks the details would help it was canceled by the HO 7 days prior to the start due to her daughter’s plans changing so she will not be going to visit. I have plans built around the sit dates so I have booked a small place in the city of the house sit for the exact 19 days of the sit at well below the policy maximum to maintain my schedule. All of which I documented in the email I sent to file the claim.)
Thanks for any pointers or stories!
Admin Post Update: Membership Services are currently in contact with this member to manage the matter.
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HI @andrewhousesits - Insurance policies are notorious for trying wriggle out of paying so it will be interesting if you could keep us updated on the outcome of your claim.
Hi,
I see you posted a couple of weeks ago but I hope you’ve been helped at this point.
I don’t know if sharing my experience will help but, I had a same day cancellation in March. I paid for a hotel but have not yet been reimbursed. One of the things Trusted Housesitters needed to see was that the homeowner had actually canceled the sit. I had a voicemail and then a text from the homeowner which I was able to forward. I asked the homeowner to go ahead and complete their cancelation within the app but they did not do that part. I think it would have been easier if they had canceled within the app though. Did the homeowner on your sit cancel within the app?
Another thing is the Trusted Housesitters site shows that there is a form that needs to be completed for insurance claims so I kept trying to find the form but it turns out that Trusted Housesitters themselves are the ones to complete the form.
I haven’t yet been reimbursed but I do know that my claim was submitted to the insurance company successfully about a month ago.
I hope your situation has been successfully resolved.
Best wishes.
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Hey, it’s on its way, I hope. I have gotten confirmation several days after my post that it was sent to underwriting with an ETA of 30 days or less. So, fingers crossed. My homeowner did cancel on the platform when she found out, she was incredibly lovely and very apologetic as the circumstances were not within her control either and I had already booked myself all around her dates.
I’ll definitely report back on the results, timing, full experience.
Good luck on yours and I hope you get positive results asap as well!
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Thanks Andrew, I’ll remember to update you as well.
I have been reading through all the information that the THS insurance offers. I would be very grateful if I could have a bit more clarification. If a sitter asks to bring the family (usually children) are they covered in the insurance? There are also various rules about sitters agreeing to claims, probably won’t happen if there was a theft. I believe that the people on THS seem to very honest people and I feel that this is unlikely to happen. It is more likely to be accidental damage. If this is done by a child/teenager of the family, are they covered? I am finding the insurance cover a bit of a minefield.
Hi @Coco thank you for asking your questions there is a lot of information in this thread and getting the right information is so important I am tagging @Therese who will pick this up when she is back on line as the subject of insurance and the products included in membership plans is best answered by the Membership Services Team, although I’m sure there are other members who can speak from experience.
Meanwhile I’m including this info from the website help page which you may have already explored.
Thank you for your reply. Yes I have read it thoroughly. This is why I asked for a bit of clarification, especially after an application I received. It has become too complicated with family then a possible friend wanting four bedrooms. The friend is not on the profile. Sadly I had to decline as it was getting too much. Maybe for HO that have been active for a long time may have more knowledge and experience but this will be our second time. We were amazing lucky with our first sitters who were brilliant.