Check Safety First launches protection service for holiday rental home owners
Check Safety First is launching a new service to protect holiday rental home owners and managers against accident and injury claims from their guests.
Under a new scheme called Via-Cristal, the holiday health and safety expert is offering owners a manual which outlines a series of action points that must be undertaken to mitigate the risk of guests becoming injured while staying in the accommodation.
Once these action points have been met, Check Safety First’s team of inspectors will do an independent audit of their premises.
Subject to this independent verification, the property will be granted Via-Cristal certification for 12 months and details will be added to www.checksafetyfirst.com, an online portal proactively marketed to the travel trade and general public.
CEO Mark Harrington explained: “More than 800,000 Brits own holiday properties overseas, but most are unaware of their legal obligations to protect guests.
“Anecdotal evidence also suggests that very few have adequate insurance policies in place to provide cover in the event of an injury claim against them.
“Via Cristal provides them with a tangible framework for addressing potential hazards and allows owners to market their property on the strength of an internationally recognised standard for health and safety.”
The Via-Cristal service covers the specific safety requirements of living quarters, including bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, kitchens and dining areas, gas appliances, balconies and terraces, swimming pools and recreational facilities, fire safety and emergency medical facilities.
Check Safety First has joined forces with specialist insurer HISCOX to offer Via Cristal certified properties access to buildings and contents insurance packages.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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