More and more families are renting out their beach apartment or second home for short periods, assuming that their existing home insurance already covers this type of use. This is not always the case: a property used as a holiday rental involves specific risks, and insurance policies reflect this through dedicated cover.

Why the risk is different

When a property is used by different guests every few days, wear and tear on installations increases, as does the likelihood of an oversight — such as leaving a tap running or failing to shut off a water valve. There is also another risk that is often overlooked: what happens to confirmed bookings if the property becomes uninhabitable just before guests are due to arrive?

What a good policy should cover

• Reimbursement of confirmed bookings if a covered incident makes the property uninhabitable (usually subject to a limit of around 20% of the sum insured and €100 per day, for up to six months).
• Extended liability cover for guests, not only for tenants with a formal rental agreement.
• Theft of guests’ belongings, not just those belonging to the property owner.
• Damage caused by failure to shut off water valves or taps by guests staying at the property, not only by the policyholder.

The licence: the gateway to the national register

Since 1 July 2025, properties must be registered in a single national register in order to be advertised as holiday rentals on platforms such as Airbnb or Booking. To register, owners must provide the relevant municipal licence — in Catalonia, the authorisation issued by the local council. Without a licence, there is no registration; without registration, the listing may be removed.

At Cobertis, we want to make this clear: the licence is no longer just “a document you might need.” It is what allows you to advertise the property legally and is also usually what insurers require in order to take out specific liability cover for holiday rentals.

The most common pitfall: failing to declare the use

Many home insurance policies only distinguish between a “main residence” and a “second home”, without a specific category for holiday rental use. If you fail to declare this use, you run the risk of the insurer considering that the policy does not reflect the actual risk, which could complicate a claim when you need the cover most.

If you own a property used for holiday rentals, do not assume that your current insurance already covers it. At Cobertis, we can review your policy and confirm whether this use needs to be declared or whether specific additional cover should be taken out, before any unexpected issues arise.