Golf Carts in Vacation Rental?

[Steve Triano]

Do any of you offer a golf cart in your STR? If so... do you make the guest take rental insurance or something? What happens if the guest crashes the golf cart? I'm in contract to buy a place on a golf course so curious about offering a golf cart as part of the stay.

[Account Closed]

I was talking to someone looking into this. He was thinking about adding a gps tracker onto it for safety. 

Interested in the responses from others here. I know lots of questions come up about offering a car as an option and generally most say that's not worth it. Better would be to create a partnership with a local company, like some kind of discount for referring every guest to them to use. That way it's them worrying about insurance etc. Do that for a while as a quick solution if you can while you explore the rest. 

[Collin Hays]

Quote from @Steve Triano:

Do any of you offer a golf cart in your STR? If so... do you make the guest take rental insurance or something? What happens if the guest crashes the golf cart? I'm in contract to buy a place on a golf course so curious about offering a golf cart as part of the stay.

The question isn’t if the guest crashes the golf cart, but when, and who is injured or killed.  Golf carts can kill.  Read my blog entry Risk Management for the Self Manager.  https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

[Steve Triano]

Quote from @Collin Hays:

Quote from @Steve Triano:

Do any of you offer a golf cart in your STR? If so... do you make the guest take rental insurance or something? What happens if the guest crashes the golf cart? I'm in contract to buy a place on a golf course so curious about offering a golf cart as part of the stay.

The question isn’t if the guest crashes the golf cart, but when, and who is injured or killed.  Golf carts can kill.  Read my blog entry Risk Management for the Self Manager.  https://www.biggerpockets.com/...

 Great points to consider.

[Lisa Graesser]

I offer a golf cart with each of our rentals. I have golf cart insurance and I have a golf cart waiver that each guest has to agree to prior to making the reservation. Fingers crossed in 7 years I have not had to test my coverage, but in the area of my rentals a golf cart is expected with the rental.

[Collin Hays]

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

I offer a golf cart with each of our rentals. I have golf cart insurance and I have a golf cart waiver that each guest has to agree to prior to making the reservation. Fingers crossed in 7 years I have not had to test my coverage, but in the area of my rentals a golf cart is expected with the rental.

When they crash into someone else, did that person sign the waiver too ?

One cannot waive the legal rights of another in the event of negligence or gross negligence.  If so, there would never be any lawsuits in the short term rental world.  

Waivers usually do not hold up in court.  Providing any sort of motorized vehicle as an amenity is a lawsuit waiting to happen.  It ranks right up there with swimming pools and tree swings.  

[Todd Goedeke]

Golf courses rent golf carts every day and don t suffer from lawsuits!

The threat of a lawsuit can be minimized thru your commercial property insurance. Golf carts and swimming pools are no different than a baseball bat and ball. You could hit a ball or throw a ball that could hit a neighbor. That does not mean people should fear offering any amenities with their STVR. Thousands of STVR owners have pools and hot tubs with no financial loss via lawsuits. Talk to your property and casualty agent for professional insurance advice.

[Steve Triano]

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

I offer a golf cart with each of our rentals. I have golf cart insurance and I have a golf cart waiver that each guest has to agree to prior to making the reservation. Fingers crossed in 7 years I have not had to test my coverage, but in the area of my rentals a golf cart is expected with the rental.

 Can you possibly share the waiver & insurance that you got?  I just bought a place on a golf course and would like to offer the option of having one with a stay if possible.

[Lisa Graesser]

Quote from @Steve Triano:

Quote from @Lisa Graesser:

I offer a golf cart with each of our rentals. I have golf cart insurance and I have a golf cart waiver that each guest has to agree to prior to making the reservation. Fingers crossed in 7 years I have not had to test my coverage, but in the area of my rentals a golf cart is expected with the rental.

 Can you possibly share the waiver & insurance that you got?  I just bought a place on a golf course and would like to offer the option of having one with a stay if possible.

 You should get your own waiver made up. But I have the golf cart insurance through Foremost.

[Andy Fisher]

For those concerned about the liability, that is my hesitation as well. We own an airbnb in a beach town-South Carolina. How do the golf cart rental shops mitigate the liability risk? What type of insurance do they have that allows them to run that business and why couldn’t those of us with Airbnb’s do the same with a separate agreement?