Integrating Damage Protection with Airbnb

There is a lot of talk in the Airbnb community about damage caused by guests and homeowners stuck with a repair bill. An option for vacation homeowners is to do as the professionals do and protect against the financial risks of damage by purchasing damage protection coverage.

What is Damage Protection?  It is a contents-only property protection program that provides first-dollar coverage for most “to-the-studs” contents damages including flooring, carpeting, dry-wall, appliances, furniture and other items that are part of the rental property. If accidental damage should occur during a covered stay, managers receive reimbursements covering the costs of repair and/or replacement of the damaged items.

The professionals buy coverage and pass along the cost to the guest in the form of a 'damage waiver' fee.  The challenge for those who list with Airbnb is there is no an easy way to add the cost as a fee to the reservation.  What you don't want to do is to add the fee as an Airbnb 'damage deposit' as those funds are collected and then returned to the guest at the end of the rental period. 

The only real way to add a damage waiver fee in their current system is to either increase the nightly rate or to add it to the cleaning fee.  In either case, you would want to let the guest know that included with their reservation is coverage against accidental damage.

Protection Brands provides their partners with suggested verbiage for their listings and rental agreements to make the process of adding additional protection easy.  Claims are filed online and reimbursement is made within 30 days.

To learn more about purchasing damage protection, visit www.protectionbrands.com or visit www.getdamageprotection.com.  Protection Brand Products are offered by Insure Stays Insurance Group, powered by the RentalGuardian.com platform. Damage Protection is underwritten by TERN Financial Group, a Lloyds of London coverholder.