Airbnb Guest Insurance - What Do You Need To Know?

Airbnb Guest Insurance

You may have found it difficult to find an answer online regarding Airbnb guest insurance, whether you’re wondering what protections are provided by hosts/Airbnb or what coverages you’ll need to insure yourself financially—perhaps aware you might need to cancel/rearrange a booking at short notice. We’ve got you covered, and have put together this guide answering all the questions you might have about insurance as an Airbnb guest.

The average Airbnb stay is just over 3 days, so having to cancel or rearrange accommodation can be costly, especially considering Airbnb and its hosts generally don’t offer refunds/compensation unless your cancellation is caused by a fairly specific set of circumstances (property issues, travel restrictions, etc.) if you need to cancel close to the booking date.

Here’s everything you need to know about protecting yourself as a guest while renting through Airbnb.

• Does Airbnb provide insurance for guests?
• What is the Airbnb guest refund policy?
• Airbnb guest cancellation policy
• What insurances are available to Airbnb guests?
• Airbnb extenuating circumstances

Does Airbnb provide insurance for guests?

As of writing, Airbnb does not provide any coverage for their guests beyond the standard refunds for cancellations. The only time you’re likely to receive a full refund is if the host cancels your booking, you’ve cancelled well in advance (3 months+) or you’re forced to cancel due to an extenuating circumstance.

As a guest, it can leave you in limbo somewhat—if a host cancels your booking with short notice then you might be stuck waiting to receive your refund from Airbnb (the process can take up to 2 weeks if you’re unlucky with timings/public holidays), potentially leaving you without the funds required to make another booking.

Naturally, however, you will be entitled to a refund (partial/full) if there’s an issue with the property, either preventing you from staying (vermin) or if the listing was falsely advertised (different number of bedrooms). You can check out the Airbnb Guest Refund guide if you want more information, but here are a few of the circumstances that would allow for a full refund:

Make sure to take photos or videos of any of the issues you face. You’ll need to submit your claim within 24 hours of arriving, and you’ll want to have access to wi-fi and a phone to answer any additional questions Airbnb will have, and keep in mind that your refund might not be with you immediately.

If you’re looking for more effective coverage as an Airbnb guest than a refund (which might not even cover the full amount of your initial booking), you’ll want to consider travel insurance. It can offer protection against cancellations or interruptions (with a valid reason, of course). Some travel insurance policies will include a ‘Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR)’ clause, which, as the name suggests, covers you to cancel your booking for any reason.

Hosts set their own cancellation policy for any stay under 28 days, meaning especially harsh hosts may refuse cancellations altogether (unless you’re covered by the Airbnb extenuating circumstances policy). For hosts who do allow cancellations, the end value of your refund will depend on a few circumstances, such as:

What is the Airbnb guest refund policy?

Airbnb’s guest refund policy sets out the requirements for guests to be eligible for a refund. Simply put, Airbnb’s job is to generate income for its hosts, so you’re unlikely to be eligible for a full (and in some cases even a partial) refund if you want to cancel for an ‘invalid’ reason, say you’ve had a change of heart or want to stay somewhere else.

From a legal perspective, Airbnb’s guest refund policy doesn’t constitute a formal insurance policy, meaning Airbnb sets their own terms & conditions and completes its own checks into any ‘claim’. This can leave you at their will somewhat, and some guests online claim that their issues were legitimate and Airbnb opted not to offer them a refund/compensation. If you’re looking for more protection, you’ll want to consider a proper travel insurance policy.

The terms set out in Airbnb’s guest refund policy aren’t overly complicated, so we’ve summarised the issues that should make you eligible for a refund. As we mentioned, guests online complain that it can be difficult to claim through Airbnb, so if you do need to make a claim make sure you’ve got as much evidence prepared as possible.

There are a few conditions you’re required to meet before making a claim, too:

That last point is important. Essentially, if you have a minor issue but choose to stay in the property you’re not eligible for a full refund. Airbnb mentions you may still qualify for a discretionary partial refund, but it might be fair to question their willingness to issue these after reading online.

Airbnb cancellation by guest policy

Airbnb hosts set their own cancellation policies for any stay under 28 days. This means that hosts can choose how much of a refund you receive depending on when you choose to cancel. Most hosts are willing to offer partial refunds, but if you’re cancelling shortly before a stay was due to start then don’t be surprised if the host’s terms specify you’re not eligible for a refund.

For any stay over 28 days, you’ll need to get host approval for any refund if you’re cancelling less than a month before your stay (if you’re more than 30 days away you can cancel for free). Hosts may be within their rights to refuse you a full refund, so make sure to do your research before agreeing on a deal.

If you need to shorten a trip and end your Airbnb stay early you’re also unlikely to receive any form of refund (unless you’ve had a ‘travel issue’ like the ones listed above) as the host is unlikely to find a new occupant for the period you’ve booked with such short notice, so try to avoid overbooking accommodation where possible if you’re not 100% sure you’ll need it.

What insurances are available to Airbnb guests?

If you're looking for more effective protection when booking an Airbnb then you'll want to consider a proper travel insurance policy.

Buying travel insurance can help protect you against many of the issues that Airbnb's own protections/guarantees won't. While each policy is different, here are a few of the ways a travel insurance policy might help protect you when booking an Airbnb stay:

Airbnb extenuating circumstances

There are a few things out of the control of guests, hosts and Airbnb that should result in you being eligible for a refund. Airbnb refers to it as the ‘extenuating circumstances policy’ and it covers events that may occur that would make it impossible for someone to travel to their booked accommodation.

Changes to government travel requirements: Unanticipated changes to government rules/regulations on international travel. Doesn’t include lost/expired passports, visas or travel documents.

Emergencies/epidemics: Government-declared public health emergencies (e.g. COVID-19). Doesn’t cover endemic issues associated with a region, such as malaria in Thailand.

Government travel restrictions: Restrictions on travel from the government preventing/prohibiting travel to the listing location. Doesn’t include non-binding advisories or government recommendations/guidance.

Hostilities: Includes issues such as war, invasion, terrorism, explosions and civil disorder/unrest.

Natural disasters: Includes issues such as tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and large scale outages of essential utilities (water, electricity, etc.) Doesn’t include ‘foreseeable conditions in locations, for example hurricanes in Florida.