Hosting is a business activity — and most homeowners and landlord policies exclude it. Get dwelling, guest liability, and income protection built for short-term rental operators, whether you host year-round or seasonally.
Works alongside — not instead of — platform host guarantees.
Booking platforms offer host damage and liability programs, and many hosts assume that's enough. It isn't: those programs are not insurance policies. They sit on top of (and often require) your own coverage, come with significant exclusions, and only apply to stays booked through that platform.
Meanwhile, your homeowners or landlord policy almost certainly contains a business activity exclusion. Paid hosting is a business activity. A guest slips on the stairs, a party gets out of hand, a kitchen fire starts during a stay — and the claim lands in the exclusion, with you personally exposed.
Short-term rental insurance closes both gaps: it covers the dwelling and your furnishings as business property, carries commercial-grade guest liability, and can include loss of booking income when a covered loss takes the property offline — regardless of which platform the guest booked on.
The dwelling — fire, wind, hail, and other covered perils, with STR use disclosed
Furnishings & contents — the furniture, appliances, and amenities guests use
Guest liability — injuries during stays, with commercial-grade limits
Guest-caused damage — beyond what platform guarantees actually pay
Loss of booking income — when a covered loss takes the listing offline
Guest belongings — guests' personal property is their own responsibility
Intentional acts & illegal use — parties you authorized, code violations
Ordinary wear and tear — worn carpet and scuffed walls are operating costs
Flood & earthquake — available as separate policies where needed
Undisclosed hosting — coverage depends on accurately describing your rental activity
Coverage varies by policy and state. A licensed Lumin agent will walk you through the exact terms before you bind.
Platform programs help, but they're not insurance — they're conditional guarantees with exclusions, caps, and claims processes you don't control. They also only apply to bookings made through that platform. Treat them as a supplement to a real STR policy, not a replacement for one.
Usually not — paid hosting is a business activity, and most homeowners policies exclude business use of the home. Even occasional hosting can void coverage if it's undisclosed. The safe move is a policy that explicitly contemplates short-term rental use.
Seasonal and part-time hosting can be written into the policy — a ski cabin rented December through March, for example. Describe your actual hosting pattern in the quote and we'll structure coverage around it.
Yes — guest-caused property damage is a core coverage, including damage that platform guarantees deny or underpay. Intentional damage you can document is typically claimable; ordinary wear and tear is not.
Yes — like all Lumin policies, STR coverage can name your LLC as the insured, with lenders and property managers added as additional interests where required.
Switching to long-term tenants? Move to a standard landlord policy.
Off-season with no bookings for months? Bridge the vacancy gap.
Renovating before you list it? Builder's risk covers the project phase.
Quote in ~4 minutes — coverage that works no matter which platform the guest booked on.