Does my home insurance cover a home exchange?

In the vast majority of cases, yes. Comprehensive home insurance policies include a "free occupant" guarantee that covers the people you host. Still, confirm with your insurer before your first exchange — a quick phone call is enough.

What happens if there is damage?

The host’s civil liability takes over for damage they caused. If the host is not covered, your own home insurance can step in for property damage. Keep photos, invoices and a written inventory to ease the claim.

Theft by an exchange guest is generally excluded from standard policies (it would be a breach of trust). Limit the risk by locking valuables, IDs and safe keys in a locked room before the exchange.

What if there is a bodily accident?

Your host is covered by their own civil liability insurance, as in any trip. For long stays or outside the EU, a complementary travel insurance is recommended.

Insurance and safety for your home exchange

Home exchange raises one recurring question: what happens in case of damage, incident or dispute? The good news is that in 90 % of cases, your current home insurance is enough. Here is the playbook for a completely worry-free exchange.

Does your home insurance cover the exchange?

Most comprehensive home insurance policies include by default a "free occupant" guarantee. In practice, this covers:

material damage unintentionally caused by your host (broken vase, sofa stain, water damage…);
the civil liability of the welcomed occupant towards neighbours or the building association;
fires, explosions and water damage that occur during the stay;
sometimes burglary, but not theft by the occupant themselves.

📞 Simple reflex : before your first exchange, call your insurer and ask them to confirm in writing (an email is enough) that home exchange is included in your policy. It’s free, takes 5 minutes, and avoids any nasty surprise.

Risks to anticipate

A home exchange remains a low-stakes event, but a few risks are worth anticipating:

💧 Unintended material damage

Broken glass, stain, appliance breakdown… The most frequent and best covered. Standard cover of your host’s home insurance.

🔥 Major incident

Fire, significant water damage. Covered by your own home policy (you are the owner/tenant of the affected property).

🚪 Burglary

Covered by your standard home insurance, including during your absence (but check any "uninhabited more than X days" deductible exclusions).

⚠️ Breach of trust

Rare but possible. Hard to cover contractually — hence the importance of moderation and public profile reviews. Limit risk by securing your valuables.

Our insurance partnership (coming soon)

For long-term exchanges (over 30 days), non-EU stays, or members who want extra cover, we are working on a partnership with a specialised insurer to offer complementary coverage at a preferential rate.

This page will be updated as soon as the offer is available. Meanwhile, the standard individual options (Europ Assistance, Allianz Travel, Chapka…) remain available.

Best practices before an exchange

Photograph your home — room by room, with date stamps. Keep the files — they serve as reference if a dispute arises.
Write a written inventory — even informal — dated and emailed to the host. A written trail is precious.
Exchange phone numbers — and identify a neighbour, friend or relative available in case of emergency (lost keys, heating breakdown, etc.).
Prepare a welcome guide — Wi-Fi codes, appliance instructions, emergency contacts, neighbourhood restaurants. Your guest’s comfort = the quality of the exchange.
Store your valuables — Jewellery, IDs, safe keys, laptops. A locked room or a key-lock cupboard is enough.
Stay reachable — by message or phone during the exchange. Most incidents are solved in 2 messages.
Ask for or leave a review — at the end of the exchange. This is what keeps trust alive in the community.

If an incident happens during an exchange

Communicate immediately — with the host or guest concerned via messaging or phone. Transparency prevents 90 % of escalations.
Document — photos of the damage, repair quotes, invoices as proof.
Declare to your insurer — within 5 business days (2 days for theft). Don’t forget the claim declaration by registered letter or via the customer area.
Contact our support — via the contact page if you need mediation. We are not judges, but we can facilitate dialogue and, if necessary, remove an offending member from the community.

⚖️ Our role : Homeforswap is a peer-to-peer connection platform. We are not party to private contracts between members and do not directly provide insurance for exchanged property. We do actively moderate profiles and may remove any member whose behaviour harms the community.

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