UK General launches policy to protect against holiday home scams

Leeds-based insurer UK General has developed what it says is the first-ever standalone insurance policy to protect holidaymakers from unsatisfactory or non-existent holiday homes.

The ‘Villa Rental Protection’ policy covers consumers for financial loss if their holiday home in the UK or abroad is unfit for occupation through lack of essential facilities such as power or poor sanitation.

The policy also covers travellers if they find that the property booked doesn’t actually exist – a scam that accounted for one-third of the 4,500 cases and £7m of holiday booking fraud in 2013, according to a report by the City of London Police.

UK General developed the policy in conjunction with travel insurance and schemes specialist brokers PJ Hayman & Co.

UK General travel schemes director Stella Jones said the companies worked closely together to “respond to a serious problem for holidaymakers becoming victims of fraudsters or unscrupulous property owners”.

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