Short-Term Rental Insurance and Protection: How the Layers Work

A guest breaks a sofa. Someone slips on the steps. A pipe bursts while the home is empty. All three cost money, and each one is handled by a different kind of protection.

When you rent your home, you should know what happens in each case. At Haus, the setup has five layers: your own short-term rental insurance, our business insurance, the protection each booking platform attaches to its own stays, Truvi at enrolled homes, and a card hold on applicable reservations.

The distinction that matters most is damage to your home versus a liability claim against you. Replacing a broken sofa is a property question. A guest saying you're responsible for their injury is a liability question. Different layers answer each one.

What happens when something goes wrong

A guest breaks the sofa. We document its condition before and after, the damage, and the repair or replacement cost, then go to the right layer for that reservation: Airbnb's damage program, Booking.com's property insurance, or the hold and Truvi. Airbnb settles at actual cash value and Truvi applies a depreciation table, so a ten-year-old sofa won't come back as a new one.

A guest falls on the steps and makes an injury claim. This is a liability matter, not a damage collection. We notify the liability program attached to that stay and hand over our records. Whether anyone is legally responsible is worked out by the insurers, not by us.

A pipe bursts between bookings. This one goes to your property policy and its water, heating and vacancy provisions. We send you the photos and the vendor's report and coordinate the repair. Guest-damage programs need a guest and an eligible stay. None of them protect an empty home.

A guest causes a serious fire. A loss this size goes to your property policy first. We review any platform or Truvi protection alongside it. Airbnb's and Booking.com's damage programs may apply within their limits and exclusions; with Truvi, proving the cause is the hard part. Your own policy is the layer that matters most here, which is why it has to be written for rental use.

Ordinary upkeep stays in the operating budget. Worn linens, aging appliances and routine maintenance are costs of owning a rental home, and no layer pays for them.

In every case we handle the evidence, and we run the platform, Truvi and card-hold claims. Every turnover produces photos of the main rooms, which is what establishes the home's condition before and after a stay. When a guest causes damage, we gather the photos, quotes and invoices, prepare the claim, and submit it through the platform program or Truvi, or capture the hold. The reporting deadlines are short (Airbnb allows 14 days from checkout, Truvi 30), so our cleaners report what they find at the turnover and the clock starts the same day.

For documented guest-damage claims of $200 or more, a $150 administration fee comes out of what we recover. If we recover nothing, there's no fee. Both are on our fees page.

Your home still needs its own insurance

The starting point is coverage written for how the home is actually used: paying guests, your own stays, and the weeks it sits empty.

A standard homeowners policy may exclude or limit claims tied to rental use. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners puts it plainly: many homeowners policies won't cover guest injuries or property damage. Some carriers fix that with a rental endorsement on your existing policy. Others want a landlord policy or a dedicated short-term rental policy instead. Which form fits depends on the carrier and the home, so tell your agent exactly how it's used and get the answer in writing.

Does the policy cover short-term guests, the damage they cause, and your liability as the owner? What happens during an owner stay or between bookings? Does it pay lost rental income after a covered loss? For a Hudson Valley home, ask about frozen pipes, vacancy conditions, and a pool or hot tub if you have one. If the home is held in an LLC, make sure the named insured is right; our note on LLCs and insurance covers that.

Haus carries general and professional liability insurance for our management business. That's separate from the policy on your home. An insured manager doesn't replace your own coverage for the home and your liability as its owner.

What the booking platforms provide

Each platform runs a different program, and a dollar figure next to the word "protection" doesn't tell you which kind of loss it addresses. Every number below is a published maximum, not a promised payment, and each program has its own exclusions.

Airbnb runs two separate programs. Host Damage Protection reimburses certain guest-caused damage, and some unexpected cleaning, when the guest doesn't pay. Airbnb says itself that it isn't insurance. It excludes wear and tear, routine checkout cleaning and natural events, a request has to be filed within 14 days of checkout, and its terms settle at actual cash value. Host Liability Insurance is insurance, $1 million per stay, for guest injuries and damage to other people's belongings. One detail applies to us: the program summary says that for host accounts above a listing threshold, the policy may require contribution from other insurance or apply as excess (pay only after other coverage). Ours is above it, so your own liability coverage still matters on Airbnb stays.

Vrbo covers liability only. Its program summary describes up to $1 million per occurrence for guest injury and damage to third-party property, coordinated with your own insurance. It doesn't pay to repair your own home. The summary describes stays reserved through Vrbo's checkout; our guests pay through our booking software instead, so in October 2026 we asked the program's administrator, who confirmed a Haus Vrbo reservation qualified. That's one confirmation, not a blanket ruling, and the public summary describes an older policy period, so we don't quote its finer terms.

Booking.com has two programs as well, and both apply across our Booking.com listings. Host Property Insurance, provided by Generali, covers up to $1 million of eligible guest-caused damage at US vacation rentals, including pet damage and up to three months of lost bookings, for stays checking in on or after November 10, 2025. It excludes wear and tear, natural disasters and unauthorized parties, and Booking.com asks that a claim be reported through its extranet as soon as possible. Partner Liability Insurance, provided by Zurich, covers €1 million of third-party liability for stays during 2026. Eligible properties are enrolled automatically unless the host opts out.

Each program is tied to a stay booked through that platform. An Airbnb listing doesn't bring AirCover to a stay booked directly with us.

Where Truvi and the card hold fit

Enrolled homes are the ones where we've turned Truvi on; we decide that with you at onboarding, based on the coverage you already carry. At those homes, Truvi applies to Vrbo, Booking.com and direct reservations. Airbnb stays use AirCover. Truvi screens every imported booking and adds a route for recovering guest-caused damage. It's contactless, so booking and check-in involve no extra step for your guests.

Truvi is not insurance, and its STR Protection terms say every payment is at Truvi's discretion. The program we chose is built for larger incidents, with a maximum of $1 million per booking. Damage must be declared within 30 days of checkout with timestamped before-and-after photos, repair invoices and the owner's insurance schedule, and Truvi can ask that a claim go to the owner's policy first. It excludes wear and tear, cosmetic damage, pet damage (service animals excepted), bodily injury and lost income, and most contents are capped at $3,500 per item. Truvi told us directly that a fire has to be proven guest-caused, usually by a fire marshal, and that a total loss sits outside the program.

On applicable direct reservations, and Vrbo reservations made on or after October 26, 2026, we also place a $1,000 refundable card hold. It's scheduled 24 hours before check-in and released two days after checkout unless we capture funds for documented damage. Booking.com stays don't carry it.

The hold is the fastest way to collect for a small, well-documented loss. It isn't the limit of a guest's responsibility, and it doesn't protect the home against a larger one. The layers don't stack, either: Airbnb reimburses only what the guest doesn't pay, and Truvi deducts whatever a guest or another program has already paid for the same damage.

Quick answers

Does Airbnb's AirCover replace my own insurance?

No. Host Damage Protection is a reimbursement program, not insurance, and Host Liability Insurance covers only Airbnb stays. You still need a policy written for short-term rental use.

Does Vrbo cover damage to my home?

No. Vrbo's program is liability only, up to $1 million per occurrence. For guest damage on Vrbo stays we use the card hold and Truvi where they apply.

What does Booking.com protect?

Host Property Insurance, provided by Generali, covers up to $1 million of eligible guest-caused damage at US vacation rentals for stays checking in on or after November 10, 2025. Partner Liability Insurance, provided by Zurich, covers €1 million of third-party liability for stays during 2026. Both apply only to stays booked through Booking.com.

What is Truvi?

Guest screening plus a discretionary damage-recovery program on Vrbo, Booking.com and direct reservations at enrolled homes, with a maximum of $1 million per booking. It isn't insurance, and every payment is at Truvi's discretion.

What is the $1,000 card hold?

A refundable hold on the guest's card, placed 24 hours before check-in on applicable direct reservations and Vrbo reservations made on or after October 26, 2026, and released two days after checkout unless we capture it for documented damage.

Does Haus charge to handle a damage claim?

For documented guest-damage claims of $200 or more, a $150 administration fee comes out of what we recover. If we recover nothing, there's no fee.

Program terms checked October 30, 2026. They change, so follow the links above for each provider's current terms.

If you're considering renting your home, tell us about it and how you want to use it. Justin reviews every home personally and replies within 3 business days. See if your home is a fit.