AirCover for hosts damage claims: deadlines, deposits and checks

A guest checks out, the cleaner opens the door and finds a cracked glass table, a stained mattress and a missing remote. What happens next depends on which platform the booking came from, how quickly you act and what evidence you have. Most hosts only learn the rules the first time something breaks, and by then the claim window may already be closing.

This guide explains AirCover for hosts damage protection in plain language, using Airbnb's own terms, then sets out what Booking.com and Agoda offer, how deposits work on direct bookings, and a check-out inspection routine that produces the evidence every platform asks for. Each platform fact links to the official page we read in October 2026. Terms change, so confirm the current version before you rely on any figure here.

One thing this post is not: insurance advice. Platform protection programmes are not the same as an insurance policy for your property. If you need cover for fire, storms or liability beyond what the platforms describe, talk to a licensed insurer in your country.

AirCover for hosts damage protection: what Airbnb says

Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts page lists several parts: damage protection of up to USD 3 million for damage caused by guests if they don't pay, USD 1 million of liability insurance, guest identity verification, reservation screening and a 24-hour safety line.

The detail sits in the Host Damage Protection terms. The points that matter most for a small property:

• What is covered. Physical damage caused by the guest or their invitees, damage by a guest's pet, unexpected cleaning of stained linen or other items, smoke odour from smoking that broke your house rules, and lost booking income if a damaged home forces you to cancel confirmed stays. Cleaning costs are paid only above the cleaning fee you already collected.
• What is excluded. Wear and tear, acts of nature, faulty construction, mould, most consumables, cash, and losses from events after the stay ended.
• Where different rules apply. The terms say they do not apply to stays in Japan, where Japan Host Insurance applies instead, and they set out different provisions for Australia and some US states. Hotels and some similar listings are also excluded. Read the version shown for your country.
• It is not insurance. Airbnb's host damage protection help article says host damage protection "is not insurance or a financial service" (Washington state works differently).

The AirCover claim window

Timing is where most AirCover for hosts damage claims fail. According to Airbnb's help article, you file a reimbursement request in the Resolution Center within 14 days of the responsible guest's checkout, and the guest then has 24 hours to respond. If the guest declines, pays only part or doesn't reply, you can ask Airbnb to step in under host damage protection. The terms add a second deadline: the payment request form and evidence must be submitted within 30 days of checkout. Treat 14 days as your real deadline and aim to file within two or three days.

Can you take a security deposit on Airbnb?

Usually not. Airbnb's security deposit article says most hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit or credit card hold for incidentals. Some hosts, including "select software-connected hosts", may collect a deposit off the platform, but only if it appears in the correct fee field so guests see it before booking, and it must be refunded within 7 days of checkout if there is no damage. If you keep any part of it, be ready to give the guest a written explanation and evidence. Don't ask an Airbnb guest for a cash deposit at the door unless your listing qualifies and shows it.

Booking.com damage deposit and damage programme

Booking.com's damage policy options page gives partners outside the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands two choices, set in the extranet under Property → Property policies → Other policies → Damage policy options:

• Damage deposit. The guest pays you a deposit directly before the stay. You decide how and when you collect it, you return it as agreed at booking, and you may keep it if the guest is proven to have caused damage. Booking.com notes that damage deposits "tend to result in fewer bookings and more cancellations".
• Damage programme. No money is taken upfront. You set a maximum amount per stay. If damage happens, you submit a damage payment request from the reservation within 14 days of check-out, and Booking.com contacts the guest for you. Payment is not guaranteed: you are paid only if the guest agrees to pay, by bank transfer.

The same page lists what you can and can't claim. Furniture, electronics, water damage, broken fixtures, third-party cleaning beyond general mess (invoice required) and lost keys or stolen items (receipt required) are eligible. Routine cleaning, smoking, untidiness, house-rule breaches such as unauthorised pets or extra guests, and unpaid fees such as tourist tax are not. Booking.com also says you may not upload invoices showing personal details, security camera footage of guests, or screenshots of conversations as evidence.

A new maximum amount only applies to bookings made after you change it. If you raise the cap in December, guests who booked in November are still under the old cap.

Agoda: deposits are up to you

Agoda's partner guidance on check-in procedures is short. It advises properties to take a room deposit at check-in that is refundable at check-out, to add a property policy on Agoda so guests know about it, and states that Agoda will not be responsible for damage during a stay and will not collect security deposits on your behalf. We found no official Agoda claim programme for hosts, so plan as if any damage on an Agoda booking is between you and the guest.

Deposits on direct bookings

On your own website you set the rules, which means you also carry the risk. A fair deposit policy has five parts, written down before the guest pays:

• Amount and currency, in numbers, not "a small deposit".
• How it is collected: bank transfer, a card authorisation through your payment provider, or cash at check-in. Keep a receipt for every method.
• When it is returned, for example within seven days of check-out, and to which account.
• What can be deducted: physical damage, missing items, extra cleaning beyond normal use. Say that normal wear and tear is never deducted.
• How a deduction is shown: photos, the repair invoice and a short written breakdown.

Put the policy on the booking page and in the confirmation, and refer to it in your house manual. If you take card payments online, our direct booking payments guide explains how the money flows.

The check-out inspection that wins claims

Every platform asks the same question: can you prove the damage happened during this stay? You can only answer it with a "before" record and an "after" record.

Two habits make all of this easier. Keep receipts for furniture and appliances when you buy them, because Airbnb's terms ask for make, model, purchase date and cost. And never leave a gap between the guest's check-out and the inspection that another guest can fill, or you lose the ability to say who caused what.

How Santara AI helps with check-out inspections

Santara AI doesn't file AirCover claims, run Booking.com damage requests or hold deposits. Those stay in each platform. What it does is make the inspection hard to forget:

• Every booking creates a cleaning task. New bookings from any connected channel create cleaning tasks automatically, so each check-out shows up on the cleaning board, where you assign the job and mark it done. Add the inspection to the cleaner's routine for that task.
• The Daily Brief lists departures. The morning email (6am by default) shows the day's arrivals, departures and cleans, so you know which properties need a check-out walk-through today.
• Guest messages in one inbox. Messages from Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia arrive in the Santara AI inbox. AI can draft a calm message about the damage, and nothing sends until you press Send.
• Repair costs in the monthly statement. In Reports you can add expenses such as a repair invoice, so the owner statement shows gross revenue, channel fees and costs together.
• One calendar. Bookings from every channel land on the same calendar, so a property can't be resold into the inspection window by a channel you forgot to block.

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