Your Guide to Successful
Vacation Rental Management
The Ultimate Airbnb Host GuideAirbnb InsuranceAnswering Frequently Asked Questions About Airbnb Contacting AirbnbHow does the Airbnb Security Deposit Work for Hosts? Airbnb Service Fees How Much Does Airbnb Charge Hosts? Airbnb cleaning fees for hosts Airbnb ExperiencesHow to Become an Airbnb HostAirbnb Host requirementsThings you should do before joining AirbnbHow to list your property on Airbnb? How do OTAs work?Airbnb Host Cancellation PolicyAirbnb Owner LoginAirbnb Guest Reviews
Airbnb Insurance - Vacation Rental Guide
Accidents happen and that's why it's important to have good insurance. As a vacation rental host, you need to make sure you're fully protected. This means getting a special insurance policy just for vacation rentals, because regular homeowner's insurance usually isn't enough for the unique situations you face as a rental host.
It's a good idea to have your own third-party insurance that covers everything about your property. On top of that, Airbnb offers “AirCover for Hosts.” This program helps protect hosts around the world, covering things like property damage and liability. Having both your own insurance and Airbnb's AirCover can really help make sure you and your rental are safe if something unexpected happens.
Airbnb AirCover for Hosts
Airbnb’s AirCover for Hosts is an insurance-like protection program that provides comprehensive coverage for the duration of a guest’s stay. This includes:
- Host damage protection up to $3 million for damage caused by guests or their invitees. This includes damage caused to the residence, furnishings, valuables and belongings; parked cars, boats and other vehicles; and extra cleaning costs from having to remove stains left by guests or their invitees, pet accidents, removal of smoke odor or required due to additional unapproved guests. It also covers income lost if you need to cancel a confirmed Airbnb booking due to the damage caused by a guest or their invitee.
- Host liability insurance up to $1 million USD for guest injuries or damages during a stay
- $1 million liability insurance for Experiences & Services during the period of the Experience or Service and cannot exceed a 24 hour period. This includes bodily injury to a guest or others and damage to or theft of property belonging to a guest or others. • Guest identity verification, reservation screening (not applicable in some countries).
- 24-hour safety line
What is NOT covered by Airbnb AirCover for Hosts?
Just like other property insurance policies, there are some types of damages and situations that are not covered by Airbnb. Below is a list of liabilities that are excluded from Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts' program. This includes:
- Intentional damage or injury
- Defamation or digital theft
- Pre-existing conditions or property
- Extreme sports or aircraft-related experiences
- Property damage caused from normal wear and tear
- Loss of currency
- Loss caused by acts of nature such as hurricanes and earthquakes
- Regular cleaning associated tasks like washing dirty dishes or picking up trash
- Damage cause to or bodily injury caused by aircraft, auto and mobile equipment
- Loss or expense due an assault and/or battery committed by the insured
- Property damage or bodily injury due to
- Chinese drywall
- Property damage, bodily injury or loss due to communicable disease
- Property damage or bodily injury arising from distributing material in violation of statutes
- Loss of electronic data
- Bodily injury caused by employees
- Property damage or bodily injury due to exterior insulation and insulation systems
- Property damage or bodily injury caused by fungi or bacteria
- Property damage or loss from liability assumed in a contract for lease of premises
- Property damage or loss due to nuclear material
- Personal and advertising injuries
- Property damage or bodily injury due to pollution
- Punitive or exemplary damages unless they are insurable by law
- Property damage or bodily injury due to recording of material or information
- Loss or expense due sexual assault
- Property damage or bodily injury due to silica, silica dust, lead and asbestos
- Property damage or bodily injury related to watercraft unless it is listed on Airbnb and while being used as an accommodation
- Workers compensation
- Employer liability
How much does it cost to be covered by Airbnb AirCover?
AirCover applies automatically to all Airbnb bookings and is free, but does not replace third-party vacation rental insurance.
The Airbnb Host Guarantee
If you stop to think about it, allowing strangers to stay in your property comes with quite a few risks, and the internet is filled with “Airbnb Horror Stories” that could have you rethinking your decision to host. However, by introducing the Airbnb Host Guarantee the vacation rental giant has helped realize that some of these risks can be greatly reduced.
For the most part, users of the platform are quite responsible especially due to the collection of damage deposits and the ability of hosts to review and blacklist them if things go south. This, in itself, reduces the risk of property damage. Nevertheless, there is a chance that you could end up hosting a troublesome guest and this is exactly the reason why Airbnb has put the host guarantee in place.
Due to the risk factor involved, property managers and owners are always on the lookout for additional ways to cover their property and to reduce the costs of damage. This program by Airbnb helps with protection against damages and automatically covers hosts on Airbnb free of charge. It consists of USD $1,000,000 worth of protection, giving every proprietor some much-required peace of mind.
Disclaimer: This does not mean that hosts can opt to rely solely on the Airbnb Host Guarantee and Airbnb Host Protection without investing in third-party insurance. The protection programs that Airbnb is offering are to be used in addition to regular property insurance.
What is covered by Airbnb AirCover for Hosts?
Airbnb covers up to $3 million for damage caused by guests or their invitees. This includes:
- Damage caused to the residence, furnishings, valuables and belongings.
- Damage caused to parked cars, boats and other vehicles.
- Extra cleaning costs from having to remove stains left by guests or their invitees, pet accidents, removal of smoke odor or required due to additional unapproved guests.
- Income lost if you need to cancel a confirmed Airbnb booking due to the damage caused by a guest or their invitees.
- Airbnb covers up to $1 million in liability for guest injuries or damages during a stay.
- AirCover for Hosts covers up to $1 million in liability for Experiences & Services during the period of the Experience or Service and cannot exceed a 24 hour period. This includes:
- Bodily injury to a guest or others.
- Damage to or theft of property belonging to a guest or others.
What is NOT Covered by Airbnb AirCover for Hosts?
Just like other property insurance policies, there are some types of damages and situations that are not covered by Airbnb. Below is a list of liabilities that are excluded from Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts' program:
- Intentional damage or injury
- Defamation or digital theft
- Pre-existing conditions or property
- Extreme sports or aircraft-related experiences
- Property damage caused from normal wear and tear
- Loss of currency
- Loss caused by acts of nature such as hurricanes and earthquakes
- Regular cleaning associated tasks like washing dirty dishes or picking up trash
- Damage cause to or bodily injury caused by aircraft, auto and mobile equipment
- Loss or expense due an assault and/or battery committed by the insured
- Property damage or bodily injury due to Chinese drywall
- Property damage, bodily injury or loss sue to communicable disease
- Property damage or bodily injury arising from distributing material in violation of statutes
- Loss of electronic data
- Bodily injury caused by employees
- Property damage or bodily injury due to exterior insulation and insulation systems
- Property damage or bodily injury caused by fungi or bacteria
- Property damage or loss from liability assumed in a contract for lease of premises
- Property damage or loss due to nuclear material
- Personal and advertising injuries
- Property damage or bodily injury due to pollution
- Punitive or exemplary damages unless they are insurable by law
- Property damage or bodily injury due to recording of material or information
- Loss or expense due sexual assault
- Property damage or bodily injury due to silica, silica dust, lead and asbestos
- Property damage or bodily injury related to watercraft unless it is listed on Airbnb and while being used as an accommodation
- Workers compensation
- Employer liability
How to reduce the risk of property damage and theft?
- Use a guest screening tool to screen guests before confirming a booking
- Be explicit about property expectations and prohibited behavior in your house rules
- Lock away any fragile or expensive items. If possible, don’t leave them in your rental at all
- Install features like smoke detectors, noise monitoring devices, smart locks and cameras in the entry (make sure to list this in your description)
- Document the condition of your property before and after each stay
- Ask for a damage deposit
- Encourage guests to report issues immediately
How do you make an AirCover claim as a host?
- Identify the issue (damage or liability event) and gather documentation (photos, receipts).
- Submit within 14 days of guest checkout or before the next guest checks in via the Resolution Center.
- Guest has 24 hours to respond to reimbursement request.
- If no resolution, escalate — Airbnb Support reviews with documentation.
- Co‑hosts with full access can manage reimbursement requests but payouts always go to the listing owner.
What are the key differences between Airbnb AirCover for Hosts and vacation rental insurance?
Airbnb AirCover only applies to booking on Airbnb whereas vacation rental insurance obtained from a third-party provider will cover all your bookings
Vacation rental insurance may offer broader protection than AirCover, for example covering damage from natural disasters and pest issues.
Your AirCover claim is determined by Airbnb and will take into account any counter claims by the guest in question whereas vacation rental insurance claims will be determined by the insurance provider based on the substance of your claim.
Vacation rental insurance may pay out faster than AirCover. For example, users of Hostaway Insurance powered by Safely will have their claims paid out within a day.
In Conclusion
AirCover for Hosts is aimed at providing Airbnb’s hosts of stays, Experiences and Services some protections against damage and liability when hosting on Airbnb. AirCover is automatically activated for all hosts and is valid for the duration of the booking.
However, it has its limitations and should not be considered as a substitute for comprehensive vacation rental insurance. This is even more important if you also take bookings from other OTAs than just Airbnb.
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