Vrbo Says It Will Reimburse Hosts for Damage. We Looked at What the Policy Actually Covers in 2026.

Vrbo does not have a host damage guarantee. That sentence should probably come with a longer explanation, but the policy does not require one. While Airbnb wraps its host protection in a branded program called AirCover and advertises up to $3 million in damage coverage, Vrbo’s approach to property damage is structurally different. The platform does not put its own money behind host damage claims. Period.

This is the follow-up to our investigation into Airbnb’s AirCover program, which found that AirCover’s $3 million headline number obscures significant exclusions, depreciation-based payouts, and a claims process that hosts describe as adversarial. That piece drove the largest single-article response in StaySTRA history, and the question that came back most was simple: is Vrbo any better?

The answer is more complicated than a yes or no, but the short version is this: Vrbo is more honest about the limits of what it offers, and what it offers is significantly less.

What Vrbo Claims the Program Covers

Vrbo markets three separate layers of host protection, and understanding what each one actually does requires reading them individually rather than treating “Vrbo host protection” as a single thing.

The first is the $1 million liability insurance program. This is automatic, free, and applies to every booking processed through Vrbo’s checkout. It is underwritten by Generali Global Assistance and provides coverage for liability and medical payments claims. If a guest slips on your stairs and breaks an ankle, this program covers the resulting claim against you. If a guest’s child damages a neighbor’s fence, this program can cover that too. Medical payments coverage goes up to $5,000 per incident.

What it does not cover: damage to your own property. The liability program is for injuries and third-party damage. Your broken furniture, stained carpets, and smashed television are not part of this coverage. Vrbo states this clearly in their policy documentation.

The second layer is the Accidental Damage Protection plan, which is an optional insurance product the guest purchases at booking through Generali. It comes in three tiers:

• $59 for up to $1,500 in coverage
• $89 for up to $3,000 in coverage
• $119 for up to $5,000 in coverage

The maximum a host can recover through this plan is $5,000. The guest pays the premium. The host files the claim. The insurer decides whether to pay. Vrbo itself is not the one writing the check.

The third layer is the damage deposit system. Hosts can require guests to put up a refundable deposit, have their credit card stored on file, or both. The host sets the amount. Vrbo holds the funds or card information. If damage occurs, the host files a claim within 14 days of checkout and either retains deposit funds or charges the card on file.

What the Fine Print Actually Excludes

The exclusion list is where the Vrbo damage program falls apart for hosts managing high-value properties.

Intentional damage is not covered. If a guest trashes your property during a party, punches a hole in the wall, or deliberately breaks fixtures, the Accidental Damage Protection plan will not pay. The word “accidental” is doing all the work in that product name. Reckless behavior that crosses the line from carelessness into intent gets carved out entirely.

Theft is not covered under the standard plan. Guests walk off with towels, linens, electronics, kitchen equipment, artwork, and outdoor furniture more often than most hosts want to admit. The Accidental Damage Protection plan treats theft by guests as an exclusion. The one narrow exception: theft or damage by someone other than the guests on the booking may be covered if a police report is filed.

Unauthorized pet damage is excluded. If a guest sneaks in an animal that was not pre-approved on the booking, resulting damage is not covered under the protection plan. Hosts who have dealt with undisclosed pets know this can mean thousands in carpet replacement, furniture cleaning, or allergen remediation.

Wear and tear determinations favor the insurer. Claims adjusters tend to classify borderline damage as wear and tear rather than accidental damage. A scuffed floor, a faded couch cushion, a loose cabinet hinge. These judgment calls consistently break in one direction, and it is not the host’s.

Claims filed after 14 days are rejected automatically. Hosts get 14 days from guest checkout to inspect the property, document damage, and file a claim. If one guest checks out and another checks in the same day, the inspection window is measured in hours, not days. Damage discovered after the filing deadline is not covered, full stop.

Deep cleaning is not covered. Unlike AirCover, which at least claims to cover deep cleaning costs for severely soiled properties, Vrbo’s Accidental Damage Protection does not include cleaning in its coverage scope.

What Real Host Claims Look Like

The gap between Vrbo’s coverage caps and the actual cost of property damage is where hosts get hurt.

Consider the scenarios that property damage insurers and host forums document regularly. An overflowing bathtub causes water damage to flooring and the ceiling of the unit below. Total repair cost: approximately $7,800. Maximum Vrbo Accidental Damage Protection payout at the highest tier: $5,000. The host absorbs $2,800 minimum, assuming the claim is even approved at full value.

A broken sliding glass door runs $1,500 to $3,200 depending on the property. A kitchen grease fire causes $1,900 to $5,400 in damage. Cumulative minor damage from a single stay, the kind that adds up when you walk through the property and start listing everything that was not like that before, typically runs $1,200 to $2,000. But adjusters frequently classify half of those items as wear and tear, leaving the host collecting $600 on a $1,200 claim.

The pattern in host forums is consistent. Hosts who file Vrbo damage claims describe payouts that are lower than expected, a process that feels adversarial rather than supportive, and documentation requirements that catch unprepared hosts off guard. Photos, receipts, repair estimates, and proof that the damage did not exist before the guest’s stay are all required. Incomplete claims get delayed or denied.

One data point worth noting: Vrbo’s claim approval rate of approximately 68% is higher than Airbnb’s AirCover approval rate of approximately 57%, according to industry analysis. But Vrbo claims are working with a $5,000 ceiling. A 68% approval rate on claims capped at $5,000 is a different proposition than a 57% approval rate on claims that can theoretically reach $3 million.

Vrbo vs. Airbnb AirCover: Side by Side

Here is where the two platforms stand in 2026:

The table makes the structural difference clear. Airbnb at least promises to reimburse hosts for property damage, even if our AirCover investigation found that the actual experience often falls short. Vrbo does not make that promise at all. The platform provides liability coverage for guest injuries. For property damage, you are on your own.

The 25% Deductible Most Hosts Do Not Know About

Buried in Vrbo’s liability insurance documentation is a provision that should concern every host who relies solely on platform coverage: if the host does not maintain adequate insurance coverage sufficient to cover the rental of properties, the limits and amounts paid under Vrbo’s $1 million liability program will be subject to a 25% deductible.

Read that again. If you do not carry your own short-term rental insurance policy, Vrbo’s liability coverage shrinks by 25%. A $100,000 liability claim becomes a $75,000 payout. A $1 million claim becomes $750,000. The platform is explicitly telling hosts that its coverage is designed to sit on top of your own insurance, not replace it.

What This Means for Multi-Platform Hosts

If you list on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and most professional operators do, the protection gap between the two platforms creates a specific risk calculation.

A guest who books through Airbnb and causes $15,000 in property damage triggers AirCover. You will likely fight for months and receive less than you claimed, based on what hosts report, but the mechanism exists. The same guest booking through Vrbo and causing the same damage triggers nothing except your own insurance policy and whatever deposit you collected.

This does not mean Airbnb’s protection is adequate. Our investigation found that it is not. It means that the floor on Vrbo is even lower.

For hosts managing financed STR portfolios, the implications are financial. A single uninsured damage event on a Vrbo booking can exceed the entire annual cash flow of the property. The $5,000 maximum from Accidental Damage Protection will not cover a burst pipe, a fire, or a guest who decides to redecorate.

The practical takeaway is not to abandon Vrbo. It is to stop treating platform coverage as insurance. Dedicated short-term rental insurance policies typically run $1,500 to $3,000 annually and provide $100,000 to $500,000 or more in property damage coverage, plus vandalism, theft, fire, water damage, and loss of rental income during repairs. That is the actual safety net. Platform programs are a bonus on top of it, not a substitute.

We do our best to keep our reporting accurate and up to date, but situations evolve and we are only human. Always verify current details directly with local officials and sources before making decisions.

If you are evaluating which markets make sense for your STR portfolio, run the numbers through the StaySTRA Analyzer before you commit.