Airbnb Host Guarantee (AirCover for Hosts): Damage Claims

Updated July 23, 2026 · ClaimPack host guides

Most Airbnb hosts can't charge a security deposit directly through the platform. Instead, Airbnb covers guest-caused damage through AirCover for Hosts — the program many hosts still search for by its old name, the Host Guarantee: free, built-in protection that includes up to $3 million in host damage protection and $1 million in host liability insurance. If a guest damages your place or belongings during a booked stay, AirCover is the mechanism behind the reimbursement request you file — not a separate program you sign up for.

What AirCover for Hosts actually covers

Host damage protection reimburses you when a guest — or their pet or visitor — damages your property or belongings during a stay booked through Airbnb, and the guest doesn't cover the cost themselves. That includes physical damage to furniture, appliances, fixtures, floors, and walls, plus unexpected cleaning costs that go beyond your standard cleaning fee, such as smoke-odor removal or biohazard cleanup.

What it doesn't cover

• Normal wear and tear from ordinary use.
• Cash or valuables that go missing (this falls under separate theft handling, not damage protection).
• Damage from natural disasters or events unrelated to the guest's stay.
• General liability claims unrelated to property damage — those sit under the separate $1M liability portion of AirCover.

Airbnb's own Host damage protection page and AirCover for Hosts overview are the source of truth on current limits and exclusions — policies get updated, so check them before you rely on a specific number. (Also listing on VRBO or Booking.com? See how AirCover stacks up against their deposit and protection options.)

Host damage protection vs. host protection insurance: two different things

Hosts often use "host damage protection" and "host protection insurance" interchangeably, but AirCover for Hosts is actually two separate pieces, and mixing them up is why some claims get filed in the wrong place:

• Host damage protection is the reimbursement described above — up to $3 million when a guest damages your property or belongings and doesn't cover the cost themselves. This is the piece behind almost every "airbnb host damage protection" or "airbnb host protection" search: it's a reimbursement program, not a policy you buy or activate.
• Host liability insurance — what some hosts search for as "host protection insurance" — is a separate $1 million coverage for third-party bodily injury or property damage claims: a guest injured on your property, or damage that spills over to a neighbor's unit. It doesn't cover damage to your own home or belongings; that's what host damage protection is for.

Airbnb's Host damage protection page and Host Liability Insurance Program summary lay out the current terms for each — worth checking directly since limits and exclusions can change.

AirCover isn't a separate claim — it's where your reimbursement request ends up

A common point of confusion: hosts search for "how do I file an AirCover claim" expecting a dedicated form. There isn't one. The path is the same Resolution Center flow used for any damage reimbursement request:

1. Document first. Photograph the damage before cleaning, moving, or repairing anything. Get a repair estimate or receipt.
2. Message the guest through the Resolution Center and request reimbursement for a specific, evidenced amount — see our reimbursement request template and wording if you want a starting point.
3. Wait for their response — typically a short window, commonly 24 hours.
4. If they decline, pay only part, or don't respond, escalate the request so Airbnb Support can review it under Host damage protection — see our guide to a non-responsive or refusing guest for that escalation path. This is the point where "AirCover" actually enters the process.

All of this needs to happen within Airbnb's 14-day filing window after the responsible guest's checkout.

Why the evidence matters more than the label

Whether Airbnb calls the result "AirCover," "Host damage protection," or something else in a future update, the review step doesn't change: a person or system reads your documentation and decides if it clearly connects the damage, the timeline, the responsible stay, and the requested amount. A vague photo and a round-number ask are hard to approve no matter which program name is attached. A dated repair estimate, prior-condition proof, and a neutral written narrative are easy to approve under any name.

That's the same standard covered in our evidence checklist and claim narrative template — build the packet to that standard once, and it holds up whether you're asking the guest directly or escalating to an AirCover review.

If your AirCover request gets denied

A denial usually means the reviewer couldn't verify one of the four pieces above, not that the damage wasn't real. See our guide on rebuilding a denied damage claim for how to identify the weak link and refile with a clearer packet — and if your evidence includes any AI-touched photos, Airbnb's updated evidence rules are worth checking first.

Airbnb's April 2026 Terms update added a second reason a request can be turned down beyond weak evidence: a "reasonable care" standard for repeat damage. Filing similar claims at the same listing repeatedly — the same type of damage, stay after stay — can now itself be grounds for a denial, on the reasoning that a host should have taken steps to prevent it recurring. It's worth a look at whether a recurring issue needs a fix on your end, not just a stronger claim each time.

ClaimPack doesn't file the AirCover request for you, and it can't influence Airbnb's decision — no tool can guarantee reimbursement. What it does is turn your photos, receipts, estimates, and guest messages into one indexed, factual packet in about 10 minutes, so whichever stage your request reaches, the documentation is already in the shape a reviewer wants to see.

Questions, answered