Guests leaving children unattended?

[Patti191]

I am not sure how to handle guests that leave their children unattended in my home for several hours while they are out. 

My insurance states I am responsible for minors in my home so I not sure what that means when they are children of guests? 

I have added a house rule but how have others handled this?

[Sarah977 · Accepted solution]

@Patti191  Does your insurance cover your str or is it just your normal homeowner's insurance? If it's for your rental, ask for clarification from the insurance company.

What age children are you talking about? Are these young children or teenagers? 13 year olds can legally babysit, meaning that not only are they alone in a home, they are responsible for the kids they are babysitting. So I think a lot of parents wouldn't think twice about leaving kids that age and older alone, I know my kids were home alone sometimes at that age.

So the best thing for you, I guess, is to not only have that rule in your listing, but reiterate it in messaging to guests with kids when they book, and remind them of it when they arrive. Just say that it's a condition of your insurance.

[Shonnie0]

Patti,

   Sorry to hear about your bad experience.  Your insurance company should be aware of your STR use for your home.  You should probably confirm that they cover this type of activity.  Please contact me if you would like to discuss as I am able to insure this type of risk.

Sean Murphy Insurance Agency, Worth, IL

[Lorna170]

@Patti191   If you have guests leaving children unattended, and the children are under 12 years of age, let them know that this is probably illegal except when in their own home.  Then hand them a list of babysitters that they may call when they next go out.  Then add it to your house rules. Some parents shouldn’t be parents.  Omg.  

[Susie268]

This has just happened to us. We heard the car doors slam and they drove away. Imagine our surprise when we heard splashing in our pool and saw they’d left their 12 year old alone!  Apparently they’ve gone out to a wine tasting!  Leaving me and my husband with their 12 year old to supervise! I’ve reported it to Airbnb and I’ve messaged the parents.  Their child said they’ll be back at 8pm!  The mind boggles that they didn’t ask or inform us (I’d certainly have refused) and now my husband and I can’t go out until they return.