What happens when a guest damages your home?

The first 48 hours

1. Photograph and film the damage straight away, with the date, before anything is cleaned or moved.
2. Keep damaged items, receipts and the make and model of anything that needs replacing.
3. Get written quotes for repairs. Fix only what is urgent for safety or the next guest until the evidence is recorded.
4. Message the guest through the booking site, not by phone or text, so the conversation is on the record.
5. Diary the deadline. Most booking sites give you 14 days from checkout.

Airbnb: AirCover for Hosts

AirCover for Hosts includes host damage protection of up to US$3 million per stay. Airbnb’s terms say it “is not insurance” and does not take the place of insurance.

Airbnb expects you to have tried to recover the money from the guest first. The evidence it asks for includes when, how and why the damage happened, receipts, photos and videos, a list of damaged items with make and model, and detailed repair estimates for damage to the building.

Any security deposit you have already collected reduces the payout. Co-hosts with full access, such as a manager, can make and manage requests, but the money goes to the listing owner.

AirCover also includes host liability insurance of US$1 million, arranged in the UK by Airbnb UK Services Limited as an appointed representative of Aon UK Limited. It covers injury to others and damage to their property, not damage to your own home.

Booking.com

On Booking.com you can either take your own damage deposit from guests, or use the Damage Programme, where the guest pays no deposit upfront.

Send a description, photos and invoices. Routine cleaning, broken house rules and unpaid fees cannot be claimed through the programme.

Booking.com’s Partner Liability Insurance, underwritten in the UK by Zurich, covers claims up to £1 million per incident from guests or others. Like Airbnb’s liability cover, it does not pay for damage to your own property or contents.

Vrbo

Vrbo lets you require a refundable damage deposit, and you have 14 days after checkout to claim against it, up to the deposit amount. Guests can also buy their own damage protection. Vrbo’s help pages are largely written for the US market, so check the terms shown for your UK listing.

Direct bookings and the courts

On a direct booking, the protection is whatever your terms and payment set-up provide. Many hosts place a hold on the guest’s card instead of taking a deposit. With Stripe, an online card hold usually lasts seven days, so it is placed shortly before arrival and released or taken before it expires.

If a guest will not pay, mediation is often quicker and cheaper than court. Claims of up to £10,000 in England and Wales normally go to the small claims track, and you can claim online only if the guest has an address in England or Wales. Court fees depend on the amount you claim.

Insurance

Tell your insurer before you let your home. Which? warns that letting a property for money without declaring it could invalidate your cover. Specialist holiday let insurance can include:

• malicious damage by guests, and in some policies accidental damage too;
• loss of booking income while the home is repaired;
• public liability, if a guest or visitor is hurt.

Not every policy covers malicious damage by paying guests as standard, so ask the question directly.

Preventing it

• Screen bookings, and set a minimum stay if one-night parties are a risk in your area.
• Put house rules in the listing, so guests agree to them when they book.
• Record the condition of the home with dated photos and an inventory before and after every stay.
• Use a noise monitor if you want one. Airbnb allows disclosed decibel monitors that measure sound levels without recording, outside bedrooms and bathrooms.
• No indoor cameras. Airbnb has banned indoor security cameras since 30 April 2024. Outdoor cameras must be disclosed and must not look into private spaces.
• If a crime is in progress, call 999. Otherwise report it on 101 or online.

How we handle it