What is the direct answer?
AirCover can reimburse some guest damage, but it is not insurance, it has strict deadlines and it does not pay for ordinary wear and tear. Stained towels, chipped glasses and worn sheets are a normal operating cost, and the occasional claim that is late, unproven or denied is a cost too. Size a reserve from your own last 12 months of replacements and repairs, divide it by your stays, and count it as a cost per stay, not as a surprise.
80 stays, €40,000 revenue. Recurring replacements: linen and towels €300, small breakages €250. One incident: a stained sofa, €900, claim not accepted because it was reported after the next guest arrived. Total €1,450: 3.6% of revenue, or €18.13 per stay. Recurring items alone: €6.88 per stay. Illustrative figures, not a benchmark.
Use your own records and verify the assumptions before making a decision.
Follow the workbook method and instructions →This summer a host on the Airbnb Community forum complained that the platform would not reimburse damage they had clearly documented, while they were now also paying a larger service fee. The frustration comes up again and again. So does the opposite experience: hosts who got paid quickly because they had photos, receipts and a report filed on time.
The difference is rarely luck. It is process, and it is budgeting. This guide covers both.
Apply this method to your own records: apply the method with the free calculator.
A clear definition of the metric or operating question.
A calculation you can reproduce with your own data.
The limits that prevent the number being misread.
What AirCover's damage protection is, and is not
Airbnb's Host damage protection, part of AirCover for Hosts, can reimburse hosts for certain damage caused by guests during a stay, up to a high limit. Three conditions decide most outcomes:
| Rule | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| It is not an insurance policy | Airbnb says so on its own help page. Your home insurance and any short-term rental insurance are separate. |
| There is a deadline | Airbnb's help page says you must submit supporting documentation within 14 days of the damage or loss if you want Airbnb Support involved. Guides summarising the process add that you should report before the next guest checks in, so the damage can be tied to one stay. |
| Wear and tear is excluded | Scuffed floors, a worn rug, thinning towels: normal use, not damage. |
Claims also need two kinds of proof: evidence of the damage (dated photos or video) and evidence of the cost to fix or replace it (a quote or receipt). A new sofa receipt without photos of the stain is not enough.
None of this makes AirCover useless. It means that a claim is a possible recovery, not a guaranteed income line, and your budget should not depend on it.
Two kinds of cost, two ways to treat them
Recurring wear. Linen, towels, glasses, mugs, pans, small appliances, a sofa cover. These wear out because guests use them. They are a cost of every stay, like cleaning, and they belong in your price.
Incidents. A broken TV, a burn on a worktop, a red-wine stain on a mattress. Some are recoverable through the guest or the platform. Some are not, because of deadlines, missing proof or a guest dispute. Budget for the share you will not recover, and for insurance excesses if you claim on a policy.
Keeping them separate in your records matters. Recurring wear tells you what to add to your per-stay costs. Incidents tell you whether your screening, house rules or deposit approach need to change. Revenue vs profit explains why you should keep exceptional costs in the result but label them, so one bad month is not mistaken for a bad business.
How big should your reserve be?
Use your own history. Industry percentages vary too much by property type to be useful.
- Add up the last 12 months of replacements and damage repairs, including anything you paid and did not recover.
- Subtract any reimbursements you actually received.
- Divide by the number of stays.
In the example, €1,450 over 80 stays is €18.13 per stay. If most of that came from one incident, look at the recurring part separately (€6.88 per stay) and decide how much incident risk you want to carry.
Then use the per-stay figure where it changes decisions: in your per-stay costs when you calculate break-even occupancy and your minimum price, and in your budget for next year (budget versus actual).
The process that gets claims paid
- Photograph before every arrival. The same angles, every time, with timestamps. Your cleaner can do this in two minutes.
- Inspect after every departure, before the next arrival. If your cleaner finds damage, they photograph it and tell you the same day.
- Message the guest first, through the platform. Many cases resolve directly. Keep everything in the platform's messages.
- File within the deadline, with photos of the damage and a quote or receipt.
- Keep receipts for what you bought. Original purchase receipts help show value.
- Record the outcome, paid or not, against the stay and the property.
Short turnovers make step 2 the hard one. If a damaged item is only discovered after the next guest checks in, the claim gets much harder. That is a strong argument for a quick checklist your cleaner completes before leaving.
Reduce the incidents you can
- Set house rules that match your property: guest numbers, events, pets.
- Use the screening tools your platform offers and ask questions when something does not fit.
- Choose durable furnishings for high-wear items: washable covers, darker towels, solid glassware.
- Keep spares on site so one broken item does not trigger an emergency purchase.
Your checklist this week
- Make a list of everything you replaced or repaired in the last 12 months.
- Mark each item as recurring wear or incident.
- Note which incidents you claimed, and which were paid.
- Calculate your reserve per stay, total and recurring only.
- Add the recurring figure to your per-stay costs.
- Give your cleaner a photo checklist for every departure.
Explore related questions
Clear answers, without the jargon
Why was my AirCover claim denied?
Common reasons are late reporting, missing evidence of the damage or its cost, and damage that counts as normal wear and tear. Read the outcome message carefully; it usually says which condition was not met.
What is the deadline for an AirCover damage claim?
Airbnb's help page says you need to submit supporting documentation within 14 days of the damage or loss to involve Airbnb Support. Report as early as possible, ideally before the next guest checks in.
Is AirCover the same as insurance?
No. Airbnb states that Host damage protection is not an insurance policy. Check your home insurance and consider specific short-term rental cover; ask your insurer what is excluded for paying guests.
Should I charge a security deposit?
It depends on the platform and your market. A deposit can help with small incidents, but guests compare total prices, and handling deposits takes time. Whatever you choose, keep the same evidence process.
How do I record damage costs?
As an expense against the property and month in which you paid them, labelled as recurring wear or incident, and record any reimbursement separately when it arrives.
References you can check
Sources checked October 18, 2026. Worked examples and review methods are our own.
- Airbnb: Host damage protection — Airbnb's published coverage, exclusions, evidence requirements and deadline.
- Airbnb Help Centre, "Host damage protection" — Source checked for the article.
- Nasdaq, "What Hosts Need to Know About Airbnb Insurance" (claim timing) — Source checked for the article.
- Rakidzich, "AirCover for Hosts: What It Actually Pays For (and What It Denies)" — Source checked for the article.
- Airbnb Community, "Mandated service fee" — Source checked for the article.
How this guide was prepared
The reserve method uses your own recorded costs rather than an external percentage. AirCover terms vary by country and change over time; read the current terms for your listing. Hostpartner is an operational analysis tool and does not provide insurance or legal advice.
Make replacements visible in your monthly profit.
The free Hostpartner calculator records every expense against its property and month, so linen, breakages and repairs show up in operating profit instead of hiding in your bank statement. Up to seven properties, 400 stays and 400 expenses.
- Built for 1–7 properties
- Excel (.xlsx)
- No platform connection required
What the Hostpartner calculator measures and which inputs you need
Revenue and profit