We've all been there, running to the restroom at a crowded festival or concert only to find a line stretching out the door and down the block, much further than our bladder will likely be able to hold.

Leave it to technology to come up with a solution to this all-too-human problem.

Airpnp is a new smartphone app that connects homeowners with available bathrooms to potential “users” in their area, who pay $3-$5 for the right to use the host's facilities. The system got its start in New Orleans — where Mardi Gras revelers helped to put the app on the map — but it has since expanded globally, with some 400 bathrooms available worldwide via the service.

It's like Airbnb for bathrooms, but it's no joke from a liability standpoint. Car-sharing services like Lyft and Uber, and home sharing sites like Airbnb and HomeAway, have already come under fire from insurers, regulators and industry groups over what some consider to be their illegal activities, enabling homeowners and car owners to rent out their properties without having adequate liability insurance in place. Airpnp opens up another front in this fight, and it's one where the potential for trouble is significant.

Drunken Mardi Gras revelers in my home, potentially slipping on my bathroom tile? What could go wrong?

What do you think? What should the industry do about these new “sharing economy” services? Are they out of bounds for traditional insurance plans?

Special Reports /

Airpnp: Your Insurance Carrier's Next Sharing Site Nightmare Is Here

Related Stories

Recommended For You