Essential Supplies for your Airbnb for Guest Safety and Maintenance
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Airbnb & VRBO Require Hosts to list Safety Essentials as amenities in their listings.
Click Here for the Amazon Quick Shopping List for Safety, Maintenance and Security Supplies
Does Airbnb require a Fire Extinguisher? No but you need to ensure you have working smoke alarms, and a CO2 detector is highly recommended and a very cheap investment to protect your guests.
While airbnb doesn’t require any specific safety items, they ask all hosts to confirm if they have these essentials on their safety considerations list, and will flag potential safety hazards (such as an un-fenced pool) to any potential guests when viewing your listing.
Airbnb’s host protection exists for some cases of bodily injury, however it may not protect you in all cases. For example, instances of negligence due to non-working smoke detectors or illegal suites without legal sized escape windows (read about the 2023 airbnb fire tragedy in Montreal).
Airbnb Liability Insurance - What's covered:
Host liability insurance covers you if you’re found legally responsible for:
Bodily injury to a guest (or others)
Damage to or theft of property belonging to a guest (or others)
Damage caused by a guest (or others) to common areas, like building lobbies and nearby properties
Host liability insurance doesn't cover:
Damage or injury resulting from something done intentionally
Damage to your place or belongings caused by a guest (that’s covered by Host damage protection)
Other exclusions apply (see the vague description here with no details, there’s probably a lot of fine print to allow exclusions) Read more on Airbnb’s host liability here.
If you are hosting through VRBO, YOU ARE NOT COVERED BY THEM FOR ANY LIABILITY INSURANCE.
In any instance, if you are operating a short term rental, be sure to check that you have adequate liability insurance to protect your investment, as well as including basic safety supplies for your guests.
How to make your AirBnb vacation rental better equipped for guest safety
These are the safety basics Airbnb wants you to check-off on your listing:
First Aid Kit & Emergency Contact Phone List (ie 911)
Don’t forget to include these items in your guest welcome guide as well
Contact List for Emergency Services including 911 and direct Fire-police-hospital info 911 is not universal and there are other numbers outside of north america, so it’s important to list the emergency contacts and include this info in your house manual.
How to use the thermostat or fireplace and where to find your fire extinguisher
Where to find your first aid kit
Where to find other safety supplies that you have on hand (air horn, lifejackets, etc)
Info to help prevent pipes from freezing if you have a winter property
How to Prepare for A Power Outage and emergency cell phone battery charger or lighting, lanterns or even a generator if you are in a remote area where outages may be more frequent, or you require back up power for the well/water system to run.
If you have security and doorbell cameras, you must note where they are located and highlight in your house rules that they must be left on. You are required to disclose all cameras or your airbnb listing can be immediately suspended with all reservations cancelled without warning
Emergency cleaning supplies for stains or other items that could cause lasting damage (ie a mop and rags if the toilet overflows) or a carpet & upholstery stain remover, especially if you are pet friendly, we have definitely had dogs pee on the beds and couches in the past
While we don’t include cameras in our own listings, a doorbell camera is a good idea to have some record of your guests and in case any obvious issues arise.
No matter where your rental place is, you should always consider a few things related to safety and basic maintenance and how to serve your guests should something happen when you are not close by, or even in the same country.
Do you have seasonal concerns such as snowstorms or tropical storms that could cause power outages or limit access to your property? You should have a written cancellation policy specific to weather events in your booking description on airbnb (ie if people want to cancel 2 weeks ahead of a storm, vs the road is closed and they can’t get to you). In your house guide, you should list where to find emergency supplies on hand such as battery operated lanterns, a snow shovel, a battery pack to charge your cell phones, etc. Anything relevant that you would use yourself if you were stuck during a storm or weather event
Is there a good chance of wildlife encounters such as bears? Do you need an air horn or bear horn, or other deterrent just in case?
Are you on septic and do you have signs advising of proper septic use and who to call in case of an overflow/issue emergency?
Extension cords for vehicle charging (well this is tecnically an every-day supply), and for emergency power from a generator etc.
Is there a 24 hour plumber in your area or do you need to keep basics on hand for a late night issue - ie plunger & drain de-clogger
This is in addition to your Insurance requirements, you need to make sure that no matter what property you have, that you have a SHORT TERM RENTAL RIDER on your home insurance policy as well.
If you don’t already have this, it’s time to make the call. Not all insurance providers offer this coverage and you might not be automatically covered on your home insurance.
Read More On How to Protect your Property from Damage and What Airbnb or VRBO covers.
These are a few of the basic items to consider for safety, insurance, protecting your space and meeting guest needs, just a couple key items to have on hand. Think about your area specifically though and other items that may significantly impact guest safety or comfort such as weather extremes, insects, road conditions, etc. Are there things you have needed to use at your space that a guest might need access to?
In addition, it’s important to have a relationship with a LOCAL ON CALL HANDYMAN to help with any urgent situations with your space for your guests such as a door lock being frozen and locking them outside, a fire alarm that won’t turn off, etc… things that can’t wait until tomorrow.
If you cannot fix an important issue for your guests the same day, they will likely call Airbnb or VRBO to get assistance with rebooking to a different place, and your listing stats will be penalized if the guest leaves, or leaves a negative review, or they will threaten a negative review or demand a refund.
Do you really want your guest to leave because the toilet is plugged, there is no plunger on site, and you’re reluctant to pay the cost for a $200+ call out charge on an evening/weekend if you can find a 24 hour plumber to come out after hours because your cleaner is not likely to be on call?
Get a plunger and have it readily available for guests
I hope this info has helped you prepare your vacation rental space with some extra ideas. Please read our other articles on the blog and linked below
Continue Reading for our other essential supplies Lists
