Airbnb Insurance UK: What AirCover Covers and What You Still Need

AirCover for Hosts is useful, but it isn't a replacement for your own insurance. Airbnb says so itself: its damage protection is not an insurance policy, it only applies to Airbnb bookings, and it leaves out things like wear and tear and acts of nature. Most UK landlords who let a home on Airbnb still need buildings and contents cover that knows the property takes paying guests, and they need to tell their insurer and their lender.

We're Matt and Steph, and we've been hosting since we welcomed our first Airbnb guests in May 2017. We don't sell or arrange insurance, so this isn't advice on which policy to buy. It's what Airbnb's own UK pages say, and the questions we'd want answered before letting a home to guests.

The short version

1. AirCover for Hosts has two money parts: host damage protection (up to US$3 million) and host liability insurance (up to US$1 million). Airbnb shows both limits in US dollars.
2. Damage protection is not insurance. Airbnb says so in its terms, and it has exclusions and strict time limits.
3. It only covers Airbnb bookings. Booking.com stays and direct bookings are outside it.
4. Your normal home or buy-to-let policy may not cover paying guests. Check the wording, and tell your insurer before the first guest arrives.
5. Tell your mortgage lender too, and if your flat is leasehold, check your lease and the building's insurance with the freeholder.
6. Speak to a broker about specialist short-let cover. They can compare policy wordings for your home in a way we can't.

What AirCover for Hosts includes

According to Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts page and its AirCover help article (both checked November 2026), it's free and includes guest identity verification, reservation screening, a 24-hour safety line, host damage protection up to US$3 million and host liability insurance up to US$1 million. Those last two matter most here, and they work very differently.

Host damage protection: what it is, and what it leaves out

Airbnb's Host Damage Protection terms (last updated 1 August 2026, checked November 2026) are clear: "These Host Damage Protection Terms are not an insurance contract." The terms say they don't replace any insurance you hold, and Airbnb "strongly encourage[s]" hosts to buy insurance for losses the scheme doesn't cover. The help article agrees: "not all damage is included".

What it can pay for. Damage a guest causes to your home and belongings during an Airbnb stay, up to US$3 million per stay (converted at the exchange rate on the payment date). It also includes a narrow kind of lost income: bookings you have to cancel because guest damage made the home uninhabitable.

What it leaves out. Airbnb's UK guarantee page and the terms list exclusions including:

• normal wear and tear
• acts of nature, such as earthquakes and hurricanes
• mould, mildew and fungus
• cleaning that's part of a normal checkout
• injury or damage to guests or other people (that's the liability side)
• mortgage payments, and general loss of business beyond the cancelled-bookings cover

The full list is long, so read the terms rather than any summary, including this one.

The time limits. Under the terms, you must ask the guest to pay and notify Airbnb within 14 days of the guest's checkout, then submit the formal request with your evidence within 30 days of checkout. Airbnb's UK guarantee page simply says to file a reimbursement request in the Resolution Centre within 14 days of checkout, so treat 14 days as the real deadline.

The evidence. Airbnb asks for photos or video, receipts, an itemised list with purchase dates and condition, and repair quotes, and says it can reject documents it can't verify.

How it works with your own insurance. Any payment is reduced by money you've already received for the same loss, including from an insurance policy or from the guest.

Host liability insurance

This part is a real insurance policy. Airbnb's Host Liability Insurance summary (checked November 2026) says it covers your legal liability if a guest or someone else is injured, or their property is damaged, during an Airbnb stay, up to US$1 million per stay, including the cost of defending a claim.

For UK hosts, Airbnb says the policy is arranged by Airbnb UK Services Limited, an appointed representative of Aon UK Limited, and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The help article names Zurich Insurance Company Ltd as the underwriter.

Three things worth knowing from the summary:

• It doesn't cover your own property. That's what damage protection (or your own policy) is for.
• It has exclusions, including intentional acts, mould, communicable disease and assault, and Airbnb says the list "is not exhaustive".
• If you have six or more active listings, the summary says it may ask your other insurance to contribute, or apply only as excess cover. Failing to tell Airbnb about other insurance "may impact coverage".

Booking.com and direct bookings aren't covered by AirCover

The Host Damage Protection terms say they "only apply to Hosts who offer Accommodations on the Airbnb Platform", and the guest has to book through Airbnb. A Booking.com or direct stay in the same home isn't covered.

Booking.com runs its own separate scheme. Its Partner Liability Insurance FAQ (checked November 2026) describes up to £1,000,000 of liability cover for Booking.com stays only (for stays in 2026), and says it "doesn't cover damage to the partner's own property and/or contents". The same page warns that a homeowner's policy may not cover rental periods.

Direct bookings have no platform scheme behind them, so your own policy is the only cover.

Why your normal home or buy-to-let policy may not cover you

Home insurance is built around a home you live in, and landlord insurance around a tenant on a longer tenancy. Neither is necessarily built for a run of paying guests staying a few nights each. In 2019, a solicitor quoted in Insurance Times said "the insurer will not usually have catered for paying guests when arranging the policy", and the article reported that most insurers could refuse a short-let claim if the letting hadn't been declared (checked November 2026).

Policies may have changed since, which is the point: the only way to know is to read your own wording. Look for paying guests, holiday or short-term letting, business use, and theft or malicious damage by people you've let in.

What the law requires, and what's optional

Required by law:

• Employers' liability insurance, if you employ anyone. GOV.UK says it must cover at least £5 million, with fines of £2,500 for every day you're not properly insured (checked November 2026).
• Gas safety. The Health and Safety Executive lists rented holiday accommodation, including flats and cottages, among the lets where landlord gas duties apply, and says that for stays under 28 days a copy of the gas safety record should be displayed in the property (checked November 2026).
• Fire safety. The government publishes a guide to making small paying guest accommodation safe from fire, with a fire risk assessment checklist, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (checked November 2026).

Not required by law, but often required by someone else:

• Buildings insurance. Your mortgage lender or your lease will almost certainly require it, and as Kingsley Napley notes below, invalid buildings cover can itself breach a mortgage.
• Public liability insurance isn't currently a legal requirement, as West Sussex County Council's guide puts it (checked November 2026). Airbnb's liability cover only applies to Airbnb stays, so think about the gaps.

Planning and licensing rules are separate from insurance. We cover those in our guide to Airbnb rules in Manchester.

What to ask a broker about

A broker who understands short lets can compare policy wordings for your home. These are the covers we'd ask about:

• Buildings cover that knows the property is let to paying guests (unless your freeholder insures the building, see below).
• Contents cover, including theft and accidental or malicious damage by guests.
• Public liability for every booking, whichever platform it came through.
• Loss of income if the home can't be let after an insured event like a leak or fire.
• Accidental damage, since most guest damage is accidental.
• Employers' liability, if you employ anyone directly.

Ask how it works alongside AirCover, and whether there's a limit on nights or empty periods.

What to tell your insurer and your lender

Your insurer. Tell them before the first guest arrives, and be accurate: short stays, paying guests, which platforms, and whether you live there. For a consumer policy, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 says you must take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything when you buy or change a policy, and the insurer's remedies if you don't can include refusing claims or paying only part of one. For a business policy, the Insurance Act 2015 asks for a "fair presentation of the risk" (all checked November 2026). A broker can tell you which applies.

Your mortgage lender. Many residential and standard buy-to-let mortgages don't allow short lets without the lender's consent. In 2017, law firm Kingsley Napley warned that letting on Airbnb without consent could breach your mortgage, and that buildings insurance invalidated by not telling your insurer can itself be a breach (checked November 2026). Lenders' rules differ and change, so ask yours in writing.

If your flat is leasehold

In many blocks of flats, the freeholder or managing agent insures the whole building under one block policy, usually paid for through the service charge (your lease says who insures). That policy isn't yours to change, so you need to know whether it allows short lets.

Check your lease first. Solicitors Blandy & Blandy (writing in 2022, checked November 2026) explain that courts have found Airbnb letting breached a lease that required use as a "private residence", and that existing insurance may be invalidated by using a property this way. Then ask the freeholder or managing agent, in writing, whether short lets are allowed and whether the block insurer knows. You'll still need your own contents and liability cover, because the block policy is for the building.

How we help (and what we don't do)

We don't provide or arrange insurance, and choosing a policy is a job for a broker. What we can do is lower the chances of you needing to claim, and handle the platform side when something goes wrong.

• Guest vetting on every booking. Every guest goes through our vetting procedure before they get keys.
• Damage claims through the platform. If a guest damages your home, making the claim on your behalf through the platform, within its time limits, is part of our guest management.
• One flat fee. It's 15% + VAT per booking, with a one-off £400 + VAT onboarding fee and one month's notice either way. You can see what's included on our pricing page.

To talk it through, get in touch through our contact form or call 07523 840 013.

Frequently asked questions

Does AirCover replace landlord insurance in the UK?

No. Airbnb says its host damage protection is not an insurance policy and recommends that hosts buy their own insurance for losses it doesn't cover. AirCover also only applies to Airbnb bookings, so it does nothing for Booking.com or direct stays.

How long do I have to make an Airbnb damage claim?

Airbnb's UK guarantee page says to file a reimbursement request in the Resolution Centre within 14 days of the guest's checkout. The full terms then allow 30 days from checkout to submit the formal request and evidence. Treat 14 days as your deadline and gather photos and receipts straight away.

Does AirCover cover Booking.com bookings?

No. Airbnb's damage protection terms only apply to homes booked through Airbnb. Booking.com has its own Partner Liability Insurance for Booking.com stays, which it says doesn't cover damage to your own property or contents.

Do I legally need insurance for an Airbnb in the UK?

GOV.UK says employers' liability insurance is compulsory if you employ staff, while public liability insurance isn't currently a legal requirement. Your mortgage lender or lease will almost certainly require buildings insurance. Safety duties such as gas and fire safety apply whatever insurance you hold.

Do I need to tell my insurer and mortgage lender I'm letting on Airbnb?

Yes, before the first guest arrives. If you don't tell your insurer accurately, the law allows it to refuse or reduce claims in some cases, and many mortgages don't allow short lets without the lender's consent. Ask both in writing and keep their replies.

Does City Superhost provide insurance?

No, we don't provide or arrange insurance, so we'd suggest speaking to a broker who understands short lets. What we do is vet every guest before they get keys, and handle damage claims through the platform on your behalf as part of our guest management.