Insurance dilemma with severe water damage in an Airbnb condo (affecting several unit

Insurance dilemma with severe water damage in an Airbnb condo (affecting several unit

Member since 2022 · 1 post · 0 votes

I'm writing to ask for help with an insurance situation. We own an Airbnb unit in a multi-story building in Honolulu. Recently, there was a water leak in our unit that affected several other units and some common areas. The issue was clearly caused by a guest staying in our unit who tried to do something with the fire sprinklers. The guest has accepted responsibility for the damage.

There are three insurance policies involved in this situation:

  1. The HOA Building Insurance has a deductible of $25,000.
  2. My unit's insurance has a deductible of $2,500.
  3. Airbnb's insurance covers damage caused by guests.

HOA has already filed a claim with the master policy for the building as so many units were involved but there will be a 25K deductible that will be passed on to us. Our building manager and property manager asked us to involve our insurance so they can cover the costs for our unit so we have filed a claim with our insurance company as well. Our insurance company advised us to not do any repairs until they are able to send out the adjustor but the assigned adjuster may not be able to go out until next week as she is going on vacation. In the meantime, the HOA has started the remediation work (dehumidifier, etc) so further damage can be prevented.

Airbnb does not have a concept of adjustors and we just have to file claims later and at this point, we have no idea how they will handle it and the amount that they will cover.

We are not sure how to proceed with this situation. Is it okay to involve different insurance at this point?

I would appreciate any advice the experts here can offer.

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  • Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y
    Aloha,

    You need to check YOUR HO6 to see if the 25K deductible will be covered there (minus your $2,500 deductible). Too many Owners do not closely review the financial and insurance info received from the HOA annually, therefore their policy does not mesh as it should with the Master in multiple areas. Master policy deductibles jumped a lot over the past couple years due to the number and size of water damage claims within the regional insurance pool. If you do not provide updated info to your insurance people, that gap will hit you hard. Many Associations have raised it to $50K to reduce the HOA premiums. You pay higher premiums one way or another.

    Hopefully the HOA's Management team well documented the damage in other units and common areas, and will provide that to you if needed. Unfortunately, a lot of HOA's are less than cooperative, they pretty much stay out of it, forcing Owners to deal with each other, which never turns out well.
  • Rental Property Investor · Honolulu · Member since 2021 · 30 posts · 11 votes
    3y

    @Pooja Maheshwari yes involve ALL the insurances, and they will coordinate with each other. Follow the process of the insurance you pay for first and foremost.

  • Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
    3y

    Check your insurance policy. It should have totally separate coverage with a $25k limit that's specifically meant to cover your HOA's deductible. That coverage often doesn't have a deductible because the limits are so low. Talk to your insurance agent. Helpfully they set you up with the right coverage.

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