Las Vegas Applicants for Short-Term Rentals Encountering Issues Obtaining Insurance
LAS VEGAS, NV – In addition to delays in the pre-approval process on the part of Clark County and early regulations that were considered overreaching and burdensome by many, the latest hurdle that applicants for short term rentals in the Las Vegas area are encountering is difficulties in obtaining insurance.
According to Las Vegas insurance broker Tiffany VanTuyl, Clark County’s short-term rental regulations are utilizing uncommon and confusing terminology when it comes to insurance requirements which are causing issues for her clients who are attempting to submit applications.
The problems, VanTuyl noted, are due to the regulations that specifically state the following: “Evidence of general liability insurance in the amount of at least five hundred thousand dollars per occurrence that indicates the property is used for transient lodging.”
The complication is with the term “transient lodging,” which VanTuyl said is not utilized in her industry and is causing a roadblock for her clients who are attempting to obtain coverage.
No insurance company that I’m familiar with uses that term,” she said. “They use either ‘short term rentals’ or ‘seasonal lodging.’ Every company uses different terminology, so it’s not a cookie cutter coverage.”
VanTuyl stated that she has reached out to Clark County officials about the issue, but claimed that they have been dragging their feet on assisting her with a resolution, frustrating her clients who have already experienced problems with the short-term application process.
They did say that they wanted it to say a specific terminology and I’ve sent documents from the underwriting department of two different companies, and they have not responded yet,” she said.
Louis Koorndyk, co-founder of the Greater Las Vegas Short Term Rental Association. said that he has also been experiencing complaints from renters who have attempted to contact the county over the confusing terminology and have often received conflicting information in response.
Whoever picked up the line at Clark County will say it absolutely has to say, ‘transient lodging,’ it cannot say seasonal,” Koorndyk said. “Then somebody else will make that exact same phone call and get different information, ‘yes, it may say seasonal.’ So, we have this confusion going on.”
Clark County officials approved approximately 1,200 short-term rental pre-applications in May, allowing those individuals to proceed with the process of acquiring a full rental license.
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