AirCover: how to claim Airbnb host damage protection

AirCover does cover guest damage. However, it operates with strict requirements: you need proof, must meet deadlines, and cannot make ineligible reservations or off-platform payment arrangements that breach Airbnb’s terms. Host damage protection is not insurance, but it requires similar diligence. Hosts who report a loss without photos or quotes usually get a denial. Documentation supports the request, but terms, exclusions, and evidence still determine eligibility.

This guide covers the mechanics of a claim. We will explore what AirCover covers and ignores, payout limits, the strict 14-day windows, the step-by-step process in the Resolution Center, and why so many requests are denied. Preventing problematic guests before they book is a different topic, covered in how to prevent parties and damage on Airbnb. Here, the focus is on the aftermath: the damage has already happened, so what comes next?

Key points

• Up to USD 3 million in damage protection and USD 1 million in liability insurance, subject to terms and exclusions (Japan and Airbnb Travel LLC excluded).
• Two 14-day clocks: request reimbursement from the guest within 14 days of checkout; involve Support and submit evidence within 14 days of the damage or loss.
• Resolution Center: the guest has 24 hours to respond before you can involve Airbnb Support.
• Proof is everything: before-and-after photos, videos, and quotes support your request.
• Not covered: normal wear and tear and bookings made outside of Airbnb.

What does AirCover cover and what does it exclude?

AirCover protects against what a guest damages during their stay and ignores property wear and tear or ineligible reservations or off-platform payment arrangements that breach Airbnb’s terms. AirCover for Hosts is the protection Airbnb includes in every booking made through the site. It covers your home and its contents, parked vehicles, and deep cleaning for stains, pet urine, or cigarette smoke. It also compensates for lost income if you need to cancel a booked night due to the damage. Beyond this list, Airbnb does not intervene. The platform does not reimburse for natural wear and tear, missing cash, natural disasters, or injuries to the guest themselves, which fall under different policies. Anything that happens during a direct booking or on a competing site is also excluded. An Airbnb reservation and guest-caused damage are the starting point for reviewing eligibility, not a guarantee of reimbursement.

It is important to separate the two halves of AirCover. Host liability insurance may cover up to USD 1 million when you are found legally responsible for injury or damage to someone else’s property during a stay, subject to policy terms. Host damage protection, which applies when a guest breaks your TV, is a separate program with a higher limit. For the official breakdown of inclusions and exclusions, refer to the Airbnb host damage protection page, as terms are subject to change.

How much does AirCover pay and is there a deductible?

Damage protection has a limit of up to USD 3 million, subject to its own reimbursement terms; it is separate from liability insurance. It sounds like a lot, but the ceiling can be misleading. Airbnb pays the actual cost of repair or replacement, almost always factoring in depreciation. Normal wear and tear is the expected deterioration of the home over time, and Airbnb deducts this: a five-year-old sofa will not be reimbursed at the price of a brand-new one. In practice, you receive the value of the item in its previous condition, not the receipt value of a new item. This depreciation often surprises hosts expecting full replacement, so adjust your expectations before filing.

A real case from a Brazilian host illustrates this process. A host had their TV and oven glass broken by an angry guest, an episode of retaliatory damage bordering on a scam against the host. They opened a request for about BRL 10,000. Lost income is the revenue you lose while the property is out of commission, and this made up the largest portion of the request. Airbnb paid less than the total amount because they did not recognize all the blocked dates, but they covered the repairs and a significant part of the loss. Lost income from confirmed bookings canceled because of eligible damage may qualify. If serious damage makes hosting impossible, contact Airbnb to assess whether host cancellation consequences can be waived.

The repair itself was inexpensive. What inflated the request was the blocked calendar, and that is exactly the part Airbnb analyzes most rigorously before paying.

A common question is how security deposits fit into this, and the answer catches many by surprise. For Airbnb bookings, most hosts cannot charge a security deposit. This rule applies to both Resolution Center requests and off-platform collections via bank transfer or credit card. A security deposit is a guaranteed amount held before the stay, and AirCover was introduced precisely to replace it. The exception is narrow: some hosts connected via property management software or hotels can collect deposits off-platform, provided they declare the amount in the correct fee field. Otherwise, charging a deposit violates platform policy and risks listing penalties.

The intended path works better than it seems: you open a reimbursement request in the Resolution Center, and Airbnb charges the guest directly on their payment method when they acknowledge responsibility. In a direct booking, outside of any platform, the story changes: any security deposit depends on the contract, applicable law, and required disclosures. An independently sourced direct booking has no AirCover backing it.

What are the two 14-day deadlines?

The official guidance gives two clocks. File the guest request within 14 days of their checkout. Involve Airbnb Support and submit evidence within 14 days of the damage or loss. The second clock can start before checkout, so act promptly when damage happens during a longer stay. Inspect at every turnover and check the terms applicable to your case.

Within this process, there is a second timeline. When you file the request, the guest has 24 hours to respond and agree to pay. If they accept, the payout is usually fast. If they ignore or decline it, you must involve Airbnb Support, who will review the case under AirCover. Note that you must involve Airbnb Support and submit your evidence within 14 days of the damage or loss occurring.

How to use AirCover in the Resolution Center?

The official path is always the same and starts inside the app. The Resolution Center is the tool within Airbnb where you formalize the reimbursement request, attach evidence, and communicate with the guest under the platform's supervision. Everything that matters for the claim must live there, not on external messaging apps or verbal agreements.

The step-by-step process that works:

1. Document first. Photograph and record the damage as soon as you notice it, with timestamps.
2. Message the guest via Airbnb chat. Register the notice politely and directly.
3. Open the Resolution Center. Choose to request compensation for damages and provide the reservation details.
4. Attach proof and the amount. Quotes, receipts, or links to identical products support your figure.
5. Involve Airbnb if the guest does not pay. You have up to 14 days from the damage to do this.

Here is a point that confuses many hosts. The record that counts for AirCover is what stays in the Airbnb app, so the formal conversation about the damage must happen there. Customer service tools help before that: they respond to the guest instantly, organize the history, and help you notice early when something is wrong, from a messy check-in to a broken coffee maker. The faster you spot the problem, the fresher the evidence and the more likely you are to act within the deadline. But when it is time to open the request, move the conversation into Airbnb. Automation handles daily operations and speed; the claim itself lives in the Resolution Center.

What evidence secures your request?

Good proof is the difference between getting paid and hearing no. In practice, what decides the claim is not the size of the loss, but the quality of the dossier you build. Before-and-after photos are the backbone: they show that the condition changed during that specific stay. Video provides context that a photo alone might miss. A quote, receipt, or link to an identical product proves the amount you are requesting.

The secret to the "before" photo is not taking it on the day of the damage, but already having it. Organized hosts photograph the tidy property at every turnover, save it with a date, and never look at it again until needed. When damage appears, the comparison is ready: this was the condition, this is it now. Without this habit, you are chasing proof that has already vanished. A photo inspection at every checkout turns your word into a document.

Preserve original, unaltered photos and records. Edited evidence can undermine credibility, so record the actual condition and keep the source files. A detail many ignore: tampered evidence not only ruins the request but also damages your account standing. Photograph reality, without filters or retouching, and check the current rules in the AirCover for hosts help center before claiming, as they do change.

Why does Airbnb deny a damage request?

Five useful categories help you prepare a claim, without implying that every denial is avoidable. The reality is that AirCover investigates before paying out. They cross-reference photos, messages, and quotes before releasing any funds. The classic case is a word-against-word dispute. A host had a broken sofa bed, the guest swore it was already like that, and without a "before" photo, the request died. Photo against photo, Airbnb stays in the middle, and in a tie, no money is paid.

An off-platform agreement can complicate a request. Use the Resolution Center, preserve the payment record, and avoid signing a private settlement without understanding its effect on any remaining claim. Do not assume a privately arranged payment preserves your eligibility. Wear and tear confused with damage is the other classic: a rug worn out by use is not compensable damage, and insisting on it burns your credibility for future claims.

Two situations warrant an extra warning. The first is repeated damage: Airbnb now expects the host to show reasonable care to prevent the same damage from happening again, so keep records of what you adjusted between cases. The second is a denial that seems unfair. Not every "no" is final: with new or clearer evidence, you can reopen the dialogue with support, provided it still makes sense time-wise. Insisting without new material, however, only causes friction.

Preventing the problem guest is another story

AirCover is a good safety net, better than the market usually assumes. But a net does not replace solid ground. It pays for the damage afterward; it does not choose a better guest, read the red flags in the booking, or prevent the party. That is operational work, and it starts before acceptance, in the screening and house rules. If your problem lies there, the right read is how to prevent and handle problem guests.

So, can you sleep peacefully running a vacation rental? Yes, on one condition. Inspections, before-and-after photos, in-app records, and compliance with both deadlines strengthen your request. They do not eliminate exclusions or guarantee that Airbnb will reimburse every loss.