Tons of companies large and small self insure. My former employer was one of those.THS is already insuring loss of lodging. Losses related to HO cancellation of sits represent a very small probability and could be easily insured.
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THS uses an insurer ā at least thatās what various threads about slow claims mention.
Yes, some companies self-insure for things they can easily calculate. Like I used to work for rent a cars in college and they self-insured. Thatās because they had lots of existing data before they weened themselves and they had fleets of cars, so the cost was huge. They had incentive to self-insure in such cases. THS isnāt in such a position.
If you have such insurance, I donāt understand why it would ever be necessary to declare that youāre canceling because of a homeowner for a house sit.
If something like COVID happened (again), THS could face catastrophic losses. Thatās a key reason to not self-insure from my POV. Theyād suddenly have no new signups and probably a plunge in renewals and have to shell out for X amount in canceled travel, as well as continuing to cover existing overhead. If it were me, thereās zero chance Iād make such a call in their place.
With such decisions, execs should always consider best case, worst case, as well as risk vs. reward.
We had a homeowner cancel on us as she had an injury and had to cancel her holiday. Our travel insurance did cover and we were able to claim our airfares. There was a clause in our policy which indicated if the host has an injury and has to cancel we are covered,
Hi All.
I wanted to pop in to say, that we understand that everyone can feel strongly about this issue and are quite within their rights to express it and talk about it on the forum, but the conversation needs to stay in line with our forum terms, along with our respect and kindness values. I am sure each member has had different experiences with insurance companies, and unfortunately, it is not an exact science. many thanks.
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Please provide the insurer name. Very surprising that anyone would cover due to an illness by someone not on the policy or in the immediate family.
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I will try and better explain the insurance. My travel agent handles getting it for me so I do not know the underwriter name. And it absolutely is CANCEL FOR ANY REASON.
So if a HO cancels the trip before I get on the plane I can cancel the trip. I have canceled a trip through this company (it was not a THS) trip. I canceled because my son had not saved his half of the money. It was no problem at all and it costs me $99.
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Wow this is good! A cancellation for any reason.
I too had a cancellation by a ho and my international airfare was substantial too as I wanted to treat myself to business class as the flight was over 24 hours total. I ended up flying one country for a few days then to another country for a replacement sit I got last minute.
This clause would have greatly gave me a peace of mind.
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Thanks, @mam1996t. Are you cool with sharing your travel agentās contact info if youāve been happy with them? Iām looking to plan a safari.
Sure it is Nanci Cairns: ncairns@incantotravel.com. She takes clients throughout the US. Please let her know I sent you her way.
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Thank you! Will do.
Oh, but I donāt know your name. Please DM if you feel comfortable.
Not a sitter here, but Iāve learned from previous experience with unexpected cancelled plans.
I always buy insurance or upgrade to what would cover cancellation/changes because you just never know nowadays. I do the same with airbnb or hotel reservations.
Fortunately, Iāve never had to cancel on a sitter. I would feel awful, and try to help out the sitter, at least half of it if that ever happened.
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Itās important to note that your reason involved an immediate family member.
Has anyone actually claimed successfully when an unrelated HO cancelled your sit?
I always get cancel for any reason insurance. It did not cover the loss related to a non related person.
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Hello there.
I saw in your post above that you had filed a claim due to your son. Iām so glad you were able to recover your losses.
Have you filed any claim caused by a non related persons actions such as a cancelation of a sit by a HO?
I did not have to give a reason. They do not ask. Just said I was canceling. That is what cancel for any reason means to me. I feel quite comfortable with this insurance.
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Sorry but I wouldnāt have thought there was any kind of insurance that would cover that. Itās totally your choice to spend the $1000, itās not a requirement of the HO to make you to spend it, you chose to travel far away. You can get cover if thereās a death in your immediate family or something like thatā¦ but not if itās the someone elseās family (ie the HO).
But on the brightside, congrats on the new boyfriend. 
Thatās why itās worth checking with insurers, because not only does each one have varying policies, theyāll also change and introduce new types of policies, because theyāre like all businesses ā trying to compete and adapt. Likewise, that happens with credit card issuers and such ā theyāll keep changing their offerings, which can include trip coverage of varying types. Itās best to not assume that coverage is static or the same across insurers.
I completely feel for you. We must follow a budget ourselves, so losing any money is a hardship. But recently, I learned a really good lesson about insurance.
It was hard to pay additional 70.00 to cover my husband, in this case for medical, but Iād heard horror stories so I coughed it up.
I am SO glad I did! That 70 saved me over 700.00 - hubby had an accident in the hotel.
It wasnāt just the money - it was the peace of mind. I could get him medical attention without even worrying about it. I keep saying it was the best 70 bucks Iāve ever spent.
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