Short-term Rental Insurance in Tennessee

A rental property policy needs to address specific issues

Tennessee is a popular destination for vacation home renters. A standard homeowners insurance policy only covers owner-occupied properties. It does not cover a home that is rented out to guests or not owner-occupied. Many insurance companies will not even provide short term rental insurance in Tennessee. We work with some of the top companies who do.

Here are some questions to ask when considering a policy for your rental:

You need a policy for your rental properties that specifically addresses these questions. Rental properties are very common in Tennessee. For over 15 years we have insured thousands of short-term rental properties. Fudge Insurance is well-versed in the unique risks of short-term rental homes. With clients in over 75 countries, we help absentee owners protect their short-term rental homes in Tennessee with coverage that fits their needs. Whether your rental property is in Memphis or Nashville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, Chattanooga or Knoxville, let us make your short-term rental insurance shopping a breeze.

Cabin country: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Smokies

The densest cluster of homes we insure in Tennessee sits in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge corridor, and the risks there look nothing like a beach rental. Cabins sit on wooded slopes, often at the end of a gravel drive, and many stand empty for stretches between bookings. Winter is the season that generates claims: a pipe that freezes in an unoccupied cabin can run water for days before anyone notices. Wildfire is on the list too; the 2016 Gatlinburg fire burned through rental cabins by the hundreds. A cabin policy should be built for that picture, with liability for guest injuries on decks and hot tubs, and loss-of-rents coverage sized to the peak fall and holiday weeks that carry the year.

Knoxville is the gateway for most of this market, and we write vacation rental coverage throughout the corridor, from Sevierville and Wears Valley out to Townsend and Cosby.

Buying a Tennessee vacation home: second home or short-term rental?

The insurance answer follows from how you will use the place. A second home you keep for yourself, whether that is a Smokies cabin or a lake house near Chattanooga or Nashville, takes a different policy than one earning nightly rental income, and a standard homeowners policy is not built for either an absentee owner or a vacation rental. Renting by the week points to short-term rental insurance; annual tenants call for long-term rental coverage. If you are still deciding, tell us how you plan to use the home and we can quote it both ways.

What does short-term rental insurance cost in Tennessee?

Less than coastal Florida, as a rule; Tennessee owners are spared the named-storm deductible that dominates coastal pricing. What moves the number here: construction and age (log cabins rate differently than frame houses), slope and wildfire exposure, distance from a fire station, how the home is rented, and the liability limit you carry for guest amenities like hot tubs. Quotes for the same cabin still differ carrier to carrier, which is the case for shopping the market rather than one brand. The only number that matters is the one quoted against your cabin; if you already carry a policy, ask us for a coverage review to see whether it still fits how you rent.

How do I choose a carrier for a Tennessee cabin?

Compare on the form before the premium. Does the policy cover rental activity explicitly, so silence never becomes an argument at claim time? Is loss of rental income included, and at a limit that reflects your real calendar? How does the carrier treat wood-burning stoves, hot tubs and slope construction, the three underwriting questions that come up on nearly every Smokies quote? We have placed vacation rentals since 1999, and the carriers we favor for a Gatlinburg cabin are not the ones we would pick for a Nashville condo or a Florida beach house. An independent agency puts the field side by side so the fit, not the brand, decides.

If you have a vacation home rental property near any of the following cities, contact us today!

* Please note, we cover all of Tennessee