How we’re holding guests responsible for damage

Our community is founded on trust, and we’re always working on ways to strengthen that foundation. If your place or belongings are ever damaged by a guest, someone they invite, or a pet during an Airbnb stay, we want to take steps to hold guests accountable—which we know is vital to you.

To better support our Host community, starting at the end of May guests will be informed that their payment method on file may be charged if they cause damage to your place or belongings.* As part of this update, security deposits will be removed from the listing settings page. If you previously had a security deposit, this will no longer be in effect on your hosting account.

To give you peace of mind, we’re also giving you access to faster help if something goes wrong during a stay. Before, you needed to wait 72 hours to get a response from a guest for any reimbursement requests. Now, if you don’t hear from a guest within 24 hours, you can reach out to Community Support for help to escalate your request with the guest.

Here’s how to get reimbursed if damage does happen during a stay:

1. Gather evidence of the damage (photos, videos, estimates for repairs or cleaning, and/or receipts).
2. Within 14 days of the guest’s checkout, file an AirCover for Hosts request through our Resolution Center.
3. After you submit your AirCover for Hosts request, your guest will have 24 hours to pay. If they decline to pay the full amount or don’t respond, you can involve Airbnb Support. Your guest’s payment method on file may be charged for covered damages.
4. Keep in mind that if you do involve Airbnb Support in your AirCover for Hosts request, you must do so within 30 days of the damage or loss.

Last November, we launched AirCover for Hosts—top-to-bottom protection, free for every Host, only on Airbnb—which includes $1 million in Host damage protection.** Over the years, we’ve heard from Hosts that guest accountability is deeply important, which is why we’re continuing to make improvements to the way we hold guests responsible.

Since we introduced AirCover for Hosts, the response from Hosts has been largely positive. “I was very impressed with the response with AirCover [for Hosts],” says Superhost Janet of Boston. Though she had an issue with some guests, she got a response from her AirCover for Hosts reimbursement request “right away.”

“I had a guest who broke the dryer handle, and I immediately notified the guest and let him know that I would be submitting a [reimbursement] request through AirCover [for Hosts],” says Superhost Luz of Saskatchewan, Canada. Though the guest refused to pay for the damage, she was able to be reimbursed quickly with AirCover for Hosts. “Just a few minutes later,” she says her reimbursement request was approved and payment was on the way.

We’re so happy that AirCover for Hosts has been helpful to Hosts like you, and we've now made improvements to hold guests responsible in case they cause damage to your property during a stay. We designed this update to speed up the reimbursement process and disburse your payout more quickly.

As we continue to evolve our policies and protections, we always keep your feedback in mind. We’re committed to continuing our work to improve our protection programs for the community, so stay tuned for more—and keep sharing your thoughts with us. We’re listening.

*This does not apply to stays in China, Japan, or India.

**Host damage protection isn’t an insurance policy. It doesn’t cover Hosts who offer stays through Airbnb Travel, LLC, or Hosts with stays in mainland China or Japan. Host damage protection isn’t related to Host liability insurance. Keep in mind that all coverage limits are shown in USD, and that there are other terms, conditions, and exclusions.