August 12, 2018
Farmers who allow campers to pitch a swag on their properties can now be covered against potentially ruinous public liability insurance claims if something goes wrong.
Australian land-sharing website Youcamp.com announced on Friday it has launched a scheme to provide farmers and other landholders with automatic insurance coverage against claims by paying campers and other guests.
“Our newly launched policy, called Youcamp Safe, is one of the biggest breakthroughs in Australian agri-tourism,” Youcamp co-founder James Woodford said.
The scheme was formulated by Sydney firm Honan Insurance Group and underwriters at Lloyd’s of London.
“We believe the launch of this policy could give thousands of farmers, struggling to diversify their income in the face of severe drought, the confidence to open their properties to travelers without the fear of multi-million dollar public liability claims,” Mr Woodford said.
Mr Woodford said Youcamp had been established for more than six years and in that time the number one question the company was asked by potential private land hosts was ‘What about insurance?’ ”
The new system will include $50 million public liability insurance for all bookings made via the Youcamp website.
Youcamp has thousands of campsites located on over 560 properties across the nation, including nine in the South Burnett.
Hosts can list not just various outdoor accommodation options but also extras such as meat, honey and other produce, and activities such as farm experiences and other leisure activities.
“We have nearly 50,000 travellers on our database who want access to private property to escape the crowds and interact with farmers and other landholders,” Mr Woods said.
“Australians are quickly realizing that some of the best campsites are actually on private land.”
Youcamp Safe has been built to provide coverage irrespective of where landholders are in Australia, and what approval process is required.
It is a civil liability policy intended to respond to claims arising from guest bodily injury and/or guest’s property damage and applies to all eligible hosts, independent of local planning laws or exemptions.
The policy requires camping hosts to take reasonable care and preventative measures to prevent a guest becoming injured or having their property damaged to ensure they are providing a safe environment.
- External link: Youcamp.com
