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Airbnb Host Home Insurance

Quick to buy online

  • Cover provided when let out to Airbnb guests (restrictions apply)
  • Defaqto 5 Star-rated buildings insurance
  • Underwritten by AXA Insurance.
David Joyson

Written by

David Joyson

Home Insurance Expert & Customer Champion

Libby Goodsearles

Reviewed by

Libby Goodsearles

Head of Marketing

Less than 1 minute

Updated: 25 Mar 2024

what insurance do i need for airbnb?

If you’re an Airbnb host, you can buy dedicated host insurance, if you want to rent out a spare room or your entire home for short periods on house-sharing platforms like Airbnb and Homestay. This host insurance is designed to protect against incidents that could be caused by guests, such as theft, damage (deliberate, malicious or accidental) and injuries.  

At Homeprotect we don’t provide host insurance, but we do provide home insurance for circumstances where you have paying guests, including through Airbnb. So, whilst our home insurance will, as standard, cover you for incidents such as storm, flood, escape of water and fire, it won’t cover you for theft from Airbnb guests, or damage (be it deliberate, malicious or accidental) by Airbnb guests. 

As long as you correctly disclose the fact that you use your property for business use and accept paying guests from the likes of Airbnb then a Homeprotect home insurance policy does provide liability cover for incidents involving your Airbnb guests that result in accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage and that you are legally liable to pay. 

“A Homeprotect policy for Airbnb and other house-sharing platforms is not equivalent to host insurance, in that it won’t cover you for theft from Airbnb guests, or damage (be it deliberate, malicious or accidental) by Airbnb guests. It will, as standard, cover you, whilst your property is occupied by Airbnb guests, for incidents such as storm, flood, escape of water and fire. And it will also cover you for incidents involving your Airbnb guests that result in accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.”  

Gerry McNally, Home Insurance Expert 

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What’s covered by home insurance with airbnb guests?

Home insurance provides financial protection if you need to repair your home or replace your belongings after they’ve been stolen, damaged or destroyed.

It comes in two parts: buildings insurance (cover against damage to the property itself) and contents insurance (for damaged or stolen items within the home). These can be combined or bought separately, so the first step is deciding which option is better for you.

What we offer

Quick fix for uncontrollable leaks

Have a home emergency, such as electricity failure, faulty locks or vermin infestation? With the 24/7 Home Emergency cover, which we provide as standard, you can typically get an engineer at your home within four hours. And if you’re worried about an uncontrollable leak in your home, we aim to have an emergency plumber to you within two hours.

Extreme weather conditions may extend response time. Policy terms and claim limits apply.

5 star rated buildings cover

Our building insurance has been given the highest rating by independent financial research companies, Defaqto and Moneyfacts.

Repair guarantee

Any buildings work we undertake is guaranteed for 24 months following a claim and any contents repair work we undertake is guaranteed for 12 months.

New for old

Where we replace an item, we will do our best to meet the original specification on a ‘new for old’ basis. If we can’t find an exact replacement, we’ll offer you a suitable alternative, or a full cash settlement.

Legal advice

We provide Legal Protection cover as standard, giving you access to telephone legal advice on any personal legal issue, under the laws of the UK, any European Union country, the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Norway.

What isn’t included?

Damage cause gradually, or by wear and tear, or by failure to fix a known issue.

Faulty design or poor workmanship.

Theft, vandalism or accidental damage caused by a paying guest.

The cost of repairing or replacing items following a mechanical or electrical fault.

Lost items.

Escape of water incidents occurring between 1 October – 1 April (inclusive) if your home is left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days.

The costs of alternative accommodation (unless the property is your main home).

Recommended by our customers

72% Saved money when they switched to Homeprotect*

HOME Insurance Cover Levels

Our home insurance is designed to protect your home against insured events such as fire, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, malicious damage, subsidence, landslip or heave.

Buildings cover

Covers the main structure of your home if you need to rebuild or repair it.

up to £1 million

(eligibility criteria applies)

Contents cover

Covering the value of all your possessions in the home, on a new for old basis.

from £25,000

Loss of rent

If you have paying guests, we’ll cover lost rent if your guests can’t stay in the home due to an insured event.

up to £30,000

Home emergency

Covers emergencies that occur in your home like uncontrollable water leaks, electricity failure, faulty locks and vermin infestation. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £500

Family legal protection

Provides a 24/7 legal advice helpline and up to £25,000 cover for claims involving contract disputes and property damage. For a claim to be successful, there must be reasonable prospects (more than a 50% chance) of winning the legal case. Two levels of cover are available.

up to £25,000

Trace and access

Covers the cost of detecting the source of a water or oil leak and repairing any damage caused in the process.

up to £10,000

Outbuildings cover

Covers rebuild or repair of your outbuildings (such as detached garages, greenhouses, sheds and summerhouses).

from £20,000

Liability cover

Liability cover involving accidental death, bodily injury or illness or property damage that you are legally liable to pay.

up to £5 million

Personal possessions

Cover for portable items that you take out of your home, like bags, clothes and sports equipment

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

Gadgets, bikes and valuables away from the home

Cover for electronic gadgets (e.g. mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc), bikes (including electrically assisted bikes) and valuables (e.g. watches and jewellery) that you take out of your home.

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

Accidental damage

Covers situations when unexpected accidents happen, such as spillages on the carpet, breakages around the house or drilling through hidden pipes. Two levels of cover are available.

Optional

(excluded if you have paying guests)

New Customer?

If you’re deciding on whether to buy home insurance with us, you can use our latest policy booklets as a guide.

Existing Customer?

Your Questions Answered

Public liability insurance would be included as standard in your Airbnb insurance.  

Cover of up to £5,000,000 per period of insurance can be provided to pay damages and claimants’ costs and expenses (agreed by us in writing) for your legal liability in the event of incidents such as death, bodily injury, or illness to a third party (e.g. someone other than you, anybody permanently residing with you) or domestic staff (e.g. cleaners or gardeners). This cover can be extended for your legal liability in the event of death, bodily injury or illness to a paying guest (including Airbnb guest), as long as you note that your property is used for business purposes and has paying guests.  

Please read our policy booklet to find out more about what is and isn’t covered.  

The cost of Airbnb insurance will vary depending on factors such as location, rebuild value, property security, property maintenance, and the level of cover you choose. 

You can get a quote for Airbnb insurance today.  

No, Homeprotect can only provide Airbnb insurance to customers who live in the UK.  

No, Homeprotect only covers properties within the United Kingdom, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. 

As long as your home has fixed foundations, our Airbnb insurance can provide cover for properties such as:  

  • Cottages 
  • Mansions 
  • Lodges 
  • Country homes 
  • Barn conversions 

A standard home insurance policy typically won’t cover your property if it’s used as an Airbnb. So you should look either for dedicated host insurance, or a home insurance policy which caters for paying guests from house-sharing platforms like Airbnb.  

A Homeprotect policy is not host insurance, but it will provide cover for most insurance circumstances, such as storm, flood, escape of water and fire. It won’t however cover you for theft from Airbnb guests, or damage (be it deliberate, malicious or accidental) by Airbnb guests. 

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