What is Airbnb Host Liability Insurance?

Airbnb Host Liability Insurance is actual insurance providing up to $1 million per stay for third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising during an Airbnb booking. In the United States, it is underwritten by Generali US Branch (Assicurazioni Generali Spa). Unlike Host Damage Protection, which is a discretionary reimbursement program, this is a regulated insurance product.

What does it cover?

The policy responds to claims from guests, neighbors, or other third parties for bodily injury or property damage during a covered Airbnb stay. Qualifying scenarios include a guest who falls on a slippery porch, a neighbor’s property damaged during a guest’s stay, or injury to a visitor in a common area. Legal defense costs are included, though they come out of the $1 million limit rather than on top of it, which reduces what is available to settle or pay a judgment if litigation occurs. For example, if legal fees total $150,000 during a contested liability claim, only $850,000 remains available to pay a judgment or settlement.

What is the difference between primary and secondary coverage?

As of March 2025, the coverage is primary for hosts with five or fewer active listings, meaning it responds before the host’s own insurance. For hosts with six or more active listings, it is secondary, meaning the host’s own liability policy responds first and Host Liability Insurance covers the remainder. Hosts managing larger portfolios should verify how their commercial or landlord policy coordinates with Airbnb’s program. For example, a host operating eight listings who faces a $300,000 liability claim would need their own commercial policy to respond first, with Airbnb’s coverage applying only to any amount beyond that policy’s limit.

What are the key exclusions?

• Workers’ compensation or employer liability claims
• Communicable disease claims
• Fungi or bacteria claims
• Assault and battery
• Sexual assault
• Punitive damages
• Pollution liability
• Electronic data loss or corruption

The workers’ compensation and employer liability exclusions matter for hosts who employ housekeepers, cleaners, or co-hosts at the property.

How does claims handling work?

Third-party liability claims are handled through a dedicated claims administrator, not through Airbnb’s standard Resolution Center. Airbnb’s published help documentation does not describe a formal process for challenging a denied Host Liability Insurance claim.

What does it not replace?

Host Liability Insurance covers only stays booked through Airbnb’s platform. Stays arranged through VRBO, Booking.com, or directly with a guest are outside the policy’s scope. Hosts accepting bookings from multiple sources need liability coverage that applies regardless of which platform processed the booking.

Host Liability Insurance also does not cover damage to the host’s own property. That is the role of Host Damage Protection, the separate reimbursement component of AirCover for Hosts.

For a side-by-side comparison of AirCover and dedicated STR insurance in Georgia, see Airbnb AirCover vs. Insurance in Georgia.

A coverage review can show how Host Liability Insurance fits alongside a homeowners or STR policy for your specific situation.