Insurance on the Marketplace: how it works

Marketplace vehicles are covered by one of two types of insurance. The main practical difference is who handles the insurance procedures — the host, or Indie Campers. This article explains both, and the document and deposit steps that follow.

The two types of insurance

Own insurance — handled by the host

This is common with professional rental fleet owners. On the offer page, these vehicles show an "Insured Vehicle" label under Insurance Conditions, and the insurance details appear in the listing itself. The cost is already included in the nightly rate.

With Own Insurance, all insurance procedures are handled directly with the host — including document validation and the security deposit.

Indie Campers Camper Travel Insurance — handled by Indie Campers

This is more common with smaller vehicle owners. It covers the vehicle for incidents during the peer-to-peer rental. You can see what's covered for your country here:

• United Kingdom — Riverside
• Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Austria & Germany — Omocom
• Switzerland — Vaudoise

If your booking uses one of these, Indie Campers handles all insurance procedures — document verification, and the deposit charge and release.

The steps below apply to bookings under Indie Campers Camper Travel Insurance, still within the Marketplace. If your vehicle uses the host's Own Insurance, the host handles these steps directly.

Document verification

Upload your documents in the Client Area. If they aren't uploaded, Indie Campers will contact you before your pickup date to complete validation.

You'll need:

• Driving licences for all drivers
• A credit card with sufficient funds to cover the security deposit — the cardholder must be present at check-in 
• Passport or ID
• Booking reference

Security deposit

How the deposit is placed

Once your documents are validated, Indie Campers places an automatic hold on the security deposit using your provided payment method.

• If the hold attempt fails, Indie Campers will email you to arrange an alternative method.
• If all validations aren't completed and confirmed three days before check-in, Indie Campers may cancel the booking under our Terms & Conditions.
• The deposit can only be placed on a credit or debit card — transfers and cash aren't accepted.

For more on how deposits work, see Why do we hold a security deposit, and how is it returned?

How the deposit is released

If there's no damage attributable to you, the deposit is released after your trip.

Because the deposit is placed as an authorization hold, no money is actually charged. When the hold is released, it won't appear as a credit or debit on your statement — the original authorization is simply cancelled, typically 6–30 days after the rental, depending on your bank. It will look as though the transaction never happened, and you can confirm the status with your bank if you need to.