Public liability insurance for a holiday let answers for the guest who is injured at your property, or whose belongings are damaged there. It is the section owners think about least and the one most likely to produce a large claim, because a paying guest who falls on a wet stone step has a straightforward case and no contract limiting what they can recover. Every holiday let policy carries it; what differs is the limit and what the wording counts as a guest.
What a guest can actually claim for
Injury caused by the state of the property or by something you did or failed to do: a loose stair rail, a step nobody warned about, a faulty appliance, a hot tub without a barrier, carbon monoxide from a badly serviced boiler. Damage to their belongings from a leak or a fire. The claim is against you as the occupier of the premises, and the standard is what a reasonable owner would have done, which is why maintenance records and safety certificates matter as much as the policy does.
Setting the limit
Most holiday let policies offer a choice of limits and the middle option is usually the default. The figure to start from is not the value of the property, it is what a serious injury claim costs once loss of earnings and care are included, which is why owners letting properties with pools, hot tubs, log burners or steep gardens buy a higher limit than the default. Corporate lettings and some booking platforms specify a minimum, so check before you set it.
The features that change the underwriting
A hot tub, a swimming pool, a pond, a wood burning stove, a trampoline, direct access to water, steep or uneven ground, and letting to groups rather than families are all rated. None of them is a refusal, and all of them should be declared. Undeclared features are the second most common reason a holiday let liability claim fails, after the property being insured as something it is not.
The checks that make the cover work
An annual gas safety check where there is gas, a fixed wiring inspection on the cycle the private rented sector requires, portable appliance checks on what you supply, a fire risk assessment appropriate to the size of the property and working alarms tested between lets. These are obligations in their own right; they are also what an insurer asks for when a claim arrives, and having the paperwork is the difference between a settled claim and a contested one.
Questions people ask about public liability insurance for holiday let
Is public liability insurance compulsory for a holiday let?
Not by statute, but it is required by most booking platforms, by corporate lettings and by any agency that takes bookings for you. In practice you cannot trade without it.
What limit do I need?
Commonly a choice between a few million pounds of cover. Buy above the default where there is a pool, a hot tub, a wood burner or difficult ground, and check any minimum your booking channel requires.
Does it cover my cleaner if they are hurt?
No. An injury to somebody who works for you is an employers liability claim, which is a separate and compulsory cover.
Do I need a fire risk assessment?
For most holiday lets yes, and the depth depends on the size and layout. It is a legal duty in its own right and it is the document an insurer will ask for after a fire.