Leo Walton, Co-Founder of SUPERHOG: “We are here to deter as well as to cure a problem”
From unexpected guests to the occasional wild party mishap, the life of a short-term rental (STR) host is a whirlwind of ups and downs. But amidst the fun stories and chaos, one thing remains crucial — protecting your property and your business. And that’s exactly what we explored in the latest episode of our Hospitable Hosts podcast!
We sat down with SUPERHOG’s Co-Founder Leo Walton to collect the best tactics for insuring and protecting your vacation rental business. Leo shared valuable insights on creating a safe environment for both visitors and hosts, how the innovative SUPERHOG can help and more.
Tune in for an episode of our Hospitable Hosts podcast filled with laughter, eye-opening stories and practical tips.
Prefer to read the highlights? We’ve got a summary of the key takeaways below.
Why Insurance? Why SUPERHOG?
It’s no secret that unexpected mishaps can occur, leaving hosts anxious and concerned about their investment. That’s where STR insurance and damage protection come into play, providing you with a safety net and peace of mind. Leo, a seasoned expert in the short-term rental industry, understands these anxieties all too well.
“Think about SUPERHOG as being the risk management toolkit that you need to make the hosting experience safer. […] We’ve been in business for a long time trying to make sure that people can get on with hosting and take as many bookings as they want to because there are some safety rails in place.”
Just like that, every Hospitable Direct Premium reservation is covered with US$5M damage protection from SUPERHOG. If you report an incident, they will take over, and contact the guest to recover any damages.
The Easiest Set-Up You Can Get
Soon, even bookings not taken via the Hospitable Direct Premium integration can be easily covered too. With just one click, you’ll be able to upload your properties from Hospitable right into the SUPERHOG dashboard and set up your Damage Protection Plan. Guests will then have to accept SUPERHOG’s terms and conditions link via email or SMS, depending on the available contact information. This extra safety journey is white-labeled, meaning it carries your branding and logo, making it feel like a seamless continuation of your guests’ experience.
“We’ll also provide you some words to put on your listings about the fact that you’re going to be asking them to go through the verification process. And, if you want it, we can also add a damage deposit or a damage waiver,” Leo concluded.
Automate your hosting experience from A to Z in just a few clicks.
Proactively Preventing Damage — More Than Usual Screening
Leo pointed out that you’re not left dealing with the damages alone. Their Damage Protection Plan steps in to handle the resolution process, mediating between you and the guest, aiming to retrieve the liability while ensuring you are not directly impacted financially.
“So that’s trying to get the money from your guests, liaise with them, but also pay you for any damages. We’ll most likely do that first and then we’ll go after the guest in the background so that you are not left waiting,” Leo explained, “You can really hammer us to the wall with this, it should be within 48 hours… if you can provide a photo and evidence of how much the item cost”
Funniest Frauds & Weirdest Damages
Fraud detection and damage prevention can be both entertaining and intriguing. From creative attempts at deception to uncovering patterns of suspicious behavior, Leo’s experience has provided insights into the weirdest damages encountered and the funniest fraud attempts.
“You see people trying to put on masks. You see people clearly uploading images of themselves that are not them… that weren’t even them 20 years ago. Which is just excellent. They can try and cheat the system, but the great thing is we get to manually look back at them when something flags the system.”
Want to have a laugh? Check out the full episode.
Prevent. Protect. Recover.
During our talk, Leo revealed a wide range of STR insurance options for small-scale hosts. He mentioned some more extensive details on SUPERHOG deligating liabilities, conducting deeper screenings and working with criminal registries.
Want to learn more about insuring your property and which tools help you protect and recover from damages in no time? Explore the full episode of our Hospitable Hosts podcast!
Looking to build a direct booking business without the risk?
Hit this link to learn more about our unique direct booking features and automate your hosting experience.
