Documentation that gets a Waivo claim approved
Waivo, Safely, and standard STR carriers default to the assumption that the burden is on the property to prove maintenance was current. Here is what they actually ask for — and what the program delivers as a matter of routine.
STR insurance is unforgiving when documentation is thin. Waivo, Safely, and the carrier-side adjusters at standard short-term-rental insurance lines have a working assumption when a claim comes in: the burden is on the property to prove the damage wasn’t preexisting and that maintenance was current. Without that proof, claims get reduced or denied.
We’ve watched this play out enough times to standardize what we deliver.
What insurers actually want to see
The list is shorter than most owners expect. In rough order of how often it gets asked for:
- Pre-stay condition records. A photo, dated, of the area in question before the guest checked in. The cleaner’s exit photos sometimes count; a scheduled inspection photo always counts.
- Maintenance history. Proof that the relevant system was on a maintenance schedule. For HVAC claims: the last annual airflow check. For water damage: the last plumbing inspection. For appliance claims: the last appliance check.
- A written incident report. What was found, when, and what action was taken. Dated, attributable, and consistent with the photos.
- Vendor coordination records. If a licensed trade was involved (plumber, electrician), the invoice and the work scope.
What we deliver as a matter of routine
Every visit produces a photo set and a written report. Both are dated, attributable to a specific visit, and stored against the property. The annual visit produces a comprehensive condition report with photos of every major system: HVAC, water heater, attic and crawl space, exterior envelope, decks, and the property exterior.
That record set, on file, is the working answer to most insurance questions. Not all of them — some claims need a vendor’s signed assessment, which we coordinate at the time. But the part that almost always trips owners up — the “do you have records?” part — is built into the routine program.
One specific item worth calling out
Dryer vents. The claims question that comes up most often is annual dryer vent cleaning. We document it at the semi-annual visit. The proof is on file. The answer to the question is “yes.”
The point isn’t to win every claim. The point is to remove the documentation gap that turns a recoverable claim into an unrecoverable one.