Traditional home insurance won’t cover damages caused by paying guests, but we have you covered.
Airbnb offers insurance for hosts, but what if you want to maximise your revenue by listing on other platforms?
Not only do we take care of multi-platform listing for you, but we’ll provide the insurance too at no extra cost.
Whilst hosting with us, you’ll remain covered by Airbnb’s AirCover - so you’ll still be insured for up to $3m damage protection and $1m liability insurance.
It’s also good to know that AirCover will reimburse you within 2 weeks.
We’ve partnered with GuardHog, so that you’ll still be covered for bookings on other listing sites.
This is automatically included in your plan with us, so you won’t need to pay any extra costs.
We’ll liaise with guests and booking sites to claim damages on your behalf.
No-one wants their property to be damaged. You’ve spent a lot of time decorating, furnishing, and perfecting your property to open it up to the world of short-lets. Repairs can feel like a lot of hassle, and it’s upsetting when a guest damages a property you’ve invested time, money, and effort into.
Luckily, Airbnb covers all hosts with their ‘AirCover’ insurance. So, if you find your property has been damaged by a guest here’s what to do:
You’ll need to show evidence of the damage. Take photos, videos, and make sure you’re able to provide estimates for the cost of cleaning and repairs (or receipts).
Create an AirCover request through Airbnb’s resolution centre. You’ll need to do this within 14 days from when the guest checked out of your property. Once you’ve submitted a request, the guest will have 24 hours to pay for the damages.
If your guest doesn’t respond to the request, or refuses to pay, you can involve Airbnb Support. You’ll have a further 15 days to do so. Airbnb will then decide whether the circumstances are covered by AirCover’s damage protection, and reimburse you directly if so.
It’s good to know that you’re insured with AirCover, but starting a reimbursement request can still feel like a hassle. So, here are some other ways you can keep yourself better protected when renting out your property on short-let platforms.
It’s always a good idea to keep an inventory of your property, so you can easily spot (and prove!) when a guest has damaged your rental. You’ll also be able to keep track of any general wear and tear, so that you can stay on top of routine Airbnb maintenance.
Make a list of all items, from essential appliances to decorations, and take photos of floors and walls to note their condition. If you can, regularly update your inventory.
If there’s anything valuable in your rental that doesn’t need to be there, make sure to remove it. This way, you completely eliminate the chance of it being damaged.
Double check your guests name, email address, and card details to check all their details add up. If they’re using a name different to their email address, or to their payment card, it could be a fraudulent booking.
If your guest is not already verified on Airbnb, you could also ask them to provide a picture of their ID or passport. It’s also a good idea to have a quick check for positive reviews from previous hosts on their account.
Although Airbnb provides protection for their hosts, if you list your property on booking sites such as Expedia, Booking.com, or Vrbo, you won’t be offered the same protection. So it’s a good idea to purchase additional insurance if you want to make the most of your rental by listing on multiple sites. That’s why we’ll insure your property across multiple websites at no extra cost.
To maximise your bookings and revenue potential, we'll list your property on multiple platforms. Our platform means your calendar is synched across them all, while you enjoy great returns. We also use a strategy of short, medium and longer term lettings to help ensure occupancy all year round.
Learn more: Multi-Platform ListingsWe'll increase your occupancy and the price you can charge with professional photography.
Learn more: Professional PhotographyTo help attract the right guests for your property and increase the number of bookings, we'll setup and write your listings on multiple platforms. We've got data from thousands of properties so we know what works best.
Learn more: Listing CreationA core part of the Houst difference is being able to increase how much you earn from your property. Behind every great pricing strategy is a lot of data and great human minds - we have both.
Learn more: Price OptimisationYour safety and the security of your property are our top priority. We screen all guests and, after hundreds of thousands of bookings, have also built up our own database of good and bad guests.
Learn more: Guest VettingEasy self check-in is a top priority for guests and the Airbnb algorithm loves it too! So we provide a free lock box to all new hosts who join us.
Learn more: Guest Check-inGuests always remember how good the sheets are! We provide hotel quality linen and a high-quality laundry service. Our housekeepers know all the perfect touches for an enjoyable guest stay.
Learn more: Linen & ToiletriesResponding to guests as quickly as possible is the key to getting more bookings and maintaining a good reputation. Our teams respond 24/7/365 and trained to deal with all questions and issues both before and during stays.
Learn more: Guest CommunicationWe've built our own Airbnb cleaning service to ensure every clean is done thoroughly with guests in mind and are never missed! Our cleaners even report back to HQ with photos.
Our housekeeping team take photographs between each guest stay and report on any maintenance items. If it's a small item, we'll fix it quickly. If it's something that needs repairing or replacing, such as washing machine, we can arrange this for you.
Learn more: Property MaintenanceBookings through Airbnb are covered by AirCover, while other bookings are covered by our partners, GuardDog, and other local insurances.
Learn more: Property InsuranceOur Host Dashboard syncs your calendar between multiple booking websites to give you more control and see who is staying. You can also track your performance and income.
What happens if a guest damages my property?
We have thorough screening processes in place, so it’s unlikely that a guest will damage or steal from your property. However, if a guest does damage your property, our house-keeping team will alert us as soon as they notice the problem and provide photos.
We’ll contact the guest via the platform they booked through, and request they pay for the damages. If a guest declines to do so, we’ll raise the case with either AirCover or GuardHog (depending on the booking site). As long as the guest is liable under the insurance policy, you’ll be reimbursed.
Will my personal home insurance cover my rental?
Most standard home and landlord insurance won’t give you the cover you need for letting a property via Airbnb or other short-term rental websites. You’ll need to have a specialist short-term let insurance policy to ensure you’re fully protected.
Get a quick and free estimate for what your property could be earning you with Houst managing it. Then, book a call with our team to discuss it further.
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