The most common reason a homeowner who likes the idea of storage hosting still doesn't list: "what if something goes wrong?" — meaning, what if a renter trips in my driveway, what if their items are stolen, what if they damage the garage door, what if my home insurance is voided.
These are reasonable questions. They have specific answers. This post walks through each one with the actual position your home insurance, the Packhood Host Guarantee, and an optional cheap top-up policy occupy. After reading it you'll know exactly which scenarios are covered and which aren't.
Scenario 1 — the renter's items are damaged or stolen
Who is responsible: The renter, not you. Their items are their property; they should have their own contents insurance (and most renters who store valuables do).
What Packhood Host Guarantee does: Covers damage to your space caused by the renter, not damage to the renter's items caused by the space. The Guarantee is a host-protection product, not a renter-protection product.
Practical: include a line in your listing description ("renters should arrange their own contents insurance for items of value") and reference Packhood's Host Guarantee FAQ for full terms.
Scenario 2 — the renter damages your garage
What's covered by Packhood Host Guarantee: Up to €300 of direct physical damage to your space caused by the renter (a forklift dent in the wall, a torn-up floor surface, a broken roller door from forcing it). Discretionary, decided by Packhood, requires you to file a dispute with photos within 7 days of the incident.
What's not covered: Damage caused by the host's own neglect (mould from a leaking roof, deterioration over time, items in the space pre-booking that the renter then accidentally damaged).
Practical: Take 5 dated photos of the empty garage immediately after the renter moves in. Repeat after they move out. The before/after pair is what makes a Host Guarantee claim succeed in 5 days vs argue for 6 weeks.
Scenario 3 — the renter trips in your driveway
This is a public-liability question, and it's the one most hosts worry about. Position: the renter is on your premises with your permission, in a private capacity. Standard Irish home insurance includes public liability covering "the insured premises" — usually €2.6 million of cover. Storage hosting that's a small, occasional, residential income (under ~€5k/year) typically falls within the personal-use scope.
What to actually do: Phone your home insurer once before listing. Ask: "I'm renting out my garage as storage on a peer-to-peer platform — is the public liability cover affected?" Most insurers say no for small-scale income; some require a small endorsement (a written note on the policy) for €0–€20/year. None cancel the policy.
Why this matters: a 2-minute phone call now beats a 12-month claim dispute later. Get the answer in writing if your insurer offers it. Most don't even need a written change.
Scenario 4 — your home insurance asks "is the property used for any business purpose?"
Most Irish home insurance policies have a clause asking about "business use" of the property. Whether storage hosting counts depends on the insurer. Aviva, AXA, FBD: typically don't classify small-scale peer-to-peer storage as business use; some prefer it noted as a small additional income. Allianz, Zurich: similar but vary by policy.
The phone-the-insurer step covers this question too. Be honest, be specific (peer-to-peer storage on Packhood, one garage, ~€1,500/year, no commercial use), and write down what they say. Most renewals will continue at the same premium.
What if they say no: rare, but you have options. (1) Switch to an insurer that does cover it (most do). (2) Don't list. The income from one garage doesn't justify policy non-disclosure — that's never the trade.
The optional €40 top-up that closes every gap
If you want absolute peace of mind, peer-to-peer-rental specific top-up policies are now widely available in Ireland through brokers. They're cheap (€30–€60/year) and add a small amount of additional public liability + content cover specifically scoped to peer-to-peer storage and short-term lets.
Most hosts don't need this because their existing home insurance + the Packhood Host Guarantee already cover the realistic scenarios. The top-up is for the host who specifically wants belt-and-braces. Brokers like Aon, Cornmarket, and Insure My Storage advertise these.
The simple checklist before listing
1. Phone your home insurer. 2-minute call. Ask about peer-to-peer storage. Note the answer.
2. Take 5 dated photos of the empty garage. Save them in a "before" album. (Repeat after every move-in / move-out.)
3. Read the Host Guarantee FAQ once. Know what it covers.
4. Add a line to your listing description encouraging renters to insure their own valuables.
That's the entire risk-management process. Five minutes total. After this, the worst-case outcomes are bounded, the cover is real, and you can list with confidence.
Get listed
Open the listing form. The platform's protection layer is real (€300 Host Guarantee, dispute resolution, ID-verified renters via Stripe Connect) and your existing home insurance carries most of the rest. The risk is bounded; the income isn't.