What Airbnb Host Damage Protection Actually Covers
A breakdown of what falls inside and outside Airbnb's Host Damage Protection program, based on the published program terms.
It is a guarantee, not a policy
Airbnb backs "the Responsible Guest's primary obligation to compensate you for any HDP Losses," which "means we will only compensate you for HDP Losses if the Responsible Guest fails to satisfy their primary obligation" (article 2869 §2.3).
The terms then state that they "are not an insurance contract" and that the program "does not take the place of insurance obtained or obtainable by you" (article 2869 §2.5).
That structure explains the sequencing hosts find surprising. Because the platform guarantees the guest's obligation, the guest is asked first, and the request to Airbnb arises "in the event the Responsible Guest fails to pay the amount requested for HDP Losses in the relevant Damage Report" (article 2869 §3.2).
The core covered loss
Section 6.3.1 is the heart of coverage: "physical loss or physical damage to a Host's Eligible Property directly caused by the Responsible Guest or an Invitee" (article 2869 §6.3.1). Two words carry the weight. The loss must be physical, and it must be directly caused. Section 6.3.2 extends the same treatment to damage by "a pet owned or controlled by a Responsible Guest or Invitee" (article 2869 §6.3.2).
The host-facing summary describes the same buckets in plain language: damage to the home, furnishings, valuables or belongings caused by guests or their invitees, damage to parked vehicles, extra cleaning for stains, pet accidents or smoke odor, and income lost when confirmed bookings must be cancelled (article 279). The marketing page groups them as art and valuables, auto and boat, pet damage, income loss, and deep cleaning (AirCover for Hosts). The eight FAQ answers there load dynamically and did not render for review, so their contents are [U].
Eligible property, and what falls outside it
Eligible Property covers property "located at an Eligible Accommodation to the extent of your interest in such property, unless such property constitutes Ineligible Property" (article 2869 §5.2).
Section 5.3 then removes a long list, including currency and precious metal in bullion form, land, animals, standing timber and crops, property in transit, "any damage to any property that is not in, at, or on an Eligible Accommodation," real property owned by another party and not controlled by the host, weapons outside the applicable policies, and recording devices that do not conform with the Community Standards and Community Policies (article 2869 §5.3).
Cleaning coverage is narrow and excess-only
Cleaning is where expectations diverge from the text. Sections 6.3.3, 6.3.4 and 6.3.5 attach cleaning to specific triggers: linens stained by unauthorized invitees or a pet in violation of the House Rules, other cleaning for guest-caused stains or pet bodily fluids, and smoke odor from smoking in violation of the House Rules (article 2869 §§6.3.3 to 6.3.5). Section 6.3.6 then limits payment to "only cleaning costs in excess of cleaning fees paid to or charged by a Host" (article 2869 §6.3.6). The help page frames the boundary by noting cleaning and pet fees "are meant to cover expected costs," and lists "cleaning associated with normal check-out tasks (ex: laundry, dishes, or trash removal)" as not covered (article 279).
Income loss, exclusions, and the cap
Booking income loss is limited to confirmed reservations in force before the loss that "are reasonably required to be cancelled by you or us as a direct result of an Eligible Loss making the Eligible Accommodation uninhabitable" (article 2869 §6.2).
The exclusion families are worth reading once. Section 6.4.1 excludes losses caused after the stay expires, 6.4.2 caps losses above three million US dollars per stay, 6.4.3 excludes fine arts and valuables that cannot be replaced with other of like kind and quality, 6.4.4 excludes acts of nature, excessive utility use, indirect or remote causes and unexplained inventory shortage, 6.4.7 excludes the wear-and-tear family, and 6.4.8 excludes mold and other microorganisms (article 2869 §§6.4.1 to 6.4.8). Two internal cross-references in the published text point to Section 7.3 and Section 6.3 for pet damage while pet damage is defined at 6.3.2, and they are quoted as written rather than tidied (article 2869 §§6.4.4, 6.4.7, 6.3.2).
Two conditions sit above all of it. Section 2.6 states an obligation "to take reasonable care to avoid Eligible Losses" and reserves the right to deny where a loss resulted from failing to take that care, "as may be evidenced by multiple repeat requests for the same type of Eligible Loss in the same Listing" (article 2869 §2.6). Section 2.4 reserves denial where a host fails to comply with the Terms, Payments Terms, Community Policies and Community Standards (article 2869 §2.4).
Jurisdiction changes the backing
For listings in Washington state, amounts payable "are secured by an insurance policy purchased by us," with Washington hosts designated as loss payees (article 2869 §1.4), restated on the help page with the note that the insurer reviews the request (article 279). In Arkansas the obligations "are not covered under a reimbursement insurance policy and are backed only by us" (article 2869 §1.6). Japan, hotels, hosts contracting with Airbnb Travel, LLC, and services and experiences sit outside the terms (article 2869 §1.7), and a footnote adds a separate plan for stays offered in mainland China (Ground rules for guests).
The practical takeaway
Coverage turns on categories and on records: what the item was, what condition it was in, who caused the change, and what repair or replacement actually cost. That is an organization problem first.
StayTurn is a $39 one-time purchase that keeps each stay's turn prep, cleaner handoff, photos, receipts, notes, and costs together in one dated record you own, on your device. Your photos and files stay on your device unless you choose to send them.
StayTurn organizes evidence for export. It does not submit claims, does not give claims-handling advice, and no documentation practice determines any outcome.
StayTurn is an independent tool, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Airbnb or Vrbo.
Source. Airbnb Host Damage Protection Terms, article 2869. Live page checked July 31, 2026. The page displayed "Last updated: August 1, 2026." The quoted sections in this article were compared with the text displayed during that check. Platform terms can change, so operators should verify the current source directly (article 2869).
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