I was speaking to a friend of mine who rents out holiday properties in Portugal. She had a nightmare family in her apartment. They disturbed the neighbours with loud music at night, completely trashed the place and even became aggressive. When she confronted them, they threatened her with violence and she called the police to help her evict them. Sometime after they had gone she received contact that they were suing her for not providing the property for the 'agreed period', claiming that the property was in disrepair (using pictures of the damage they had done themselves) and for emotional damages, including something about them having to call the police about her. In the end it blew over, but it has shaken me a little.
Being as I recently started managing holiday rental properties in Collioure (P-O, 66) on behalf of the owners this story has made me nervous somewhat. My question is: do any other property managers or owners have experience/advice on what kind of insurance would be appropriate for me as a PM?
Let me describe the situation; the apartments are directly on the beach and some have very expensive equipment in them. I do the marketing, collect the rents, do the changeovers etc. everything and pay the owners, less my commission. My fear is that either the guests will break something, hurt themselves or not pay for damages. What could protect me from angry owners? On the other side, if for example, the property becomes unusable for whatever reason and I need to cancel a booking, how do I avoid being sued by angry guests. Any advice or recommendations gratefully received. Merci in advance.
