The new and improved Airbnb AirCover for Hosts has dropped! In this article I will answer what AirCover on Airbnb is, plus explain the exciting new changes in detail.
There are 7 new updates that will improve the way you host. Trust me, as an Airbnb host I am super excited about these updates.
For starters, a new guest screener will make it harder for problem guests to book your Airbnb. Additionally, it is now easier to get unfair Airbnb reviews removed. Score!
But without doubt, the best update for AirCover for Hosts is that it’s now easier to file a claim. So with this in mind, let’s get started!
Airbnb AirCover for Hosts Updates
Airbnb has finally listened to us hosts! As part of their Winter Release, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced a raft of great updates.
In brief, there are 7 major updates to discuss, including:
- Retaliatory review protections
- More details in Guest Reviews
- Airbnb AirCover for Hosts improvements
- Guest Identity Verification
- Reservation Screening Technology
- Easier to file an AirCover Claim
- Ground rules for guests
- Airbnb Fast Pay
Below I will cover each of these in more detail. You can also read more about the Airbnb Winter Release at their website.
#1 Retaliatory Review Protections
First, let’s start with what I believe is the most exciting update. One of the biggest bugbears for hosts are bad Airbnb reviews. In fact, I have a whole article dedicated to dealing with bad Airbnb reviews.
But now the game has changed. It is now simpler to request removal of a retaliatory or unfair review, no matter how long ago a guest left it.
Airbnb wants you to feel comfortable hosting guests without worrying about bad reviews. As a result you can now request removal of any retaliatory reviews.
Additionally you will also be able to flag guests who violate your rules, or damage your property.
How to dispute bad Airbnb reviews?
For starters, Airbnb has introduced a chatbot were you can directly dispute a review. In other words, no longer will you have to deal with the annoying Community Support.
But how does it work? How can you use Airbnb AirCover for Hosts to get a bad or unfair review taken down?
Let’s say a guest smokes in your home, against your house rules. There is damage to your property, so you request a reimbursement for deep cleaning. As a result your guest refuses to pay and leaves you an angry review.
Usually there would be nothing that you can do, that bad review would stay. Whereas now you can dispute this bad review and have it taken down.
You can also flag reviews from guests that:
- Commit a serious violation, such as property damage or overstaying a reservation
- Violate house rules, for example having parties or events at your house
#2 More details in guest reviews
Furthermore on the topic of Airbnb reviews, you can now leave more detailed reviews. Airbnb has added the ability for hosts to leave more details in their reviews of guests. This will assist you in knowing more about your guests track record on Airbnb.
For example, you can leave more detailed reviews to assist other guests. So in addition to leaving a star rating, you can now add more details. Other hosts will see this information when they get a booking request from this guest.
This information will appear as dot points underneath a guests review. For example, you may write that the guest took care of the garbage, or communicated well. Or you could write the guest was late checking out, or had an unapproved pet.
These updates to the review process are the best part about the new Airbnb AirCover for Hosts.
#3 Even more Airbnb AirCover for Hosts
Airbnb AirCover for Hosts now includes more protections for cars and boats parked at your home. Plus expanded coverage for art and valuables.
Plus Airbnb is increasing damage protection from $1 million to $3 million!
Also there is now a 24 hour safety line for you to contact if you ever feel unsafe. The Airbnb provides one tap access to trained agents, day or night.
Also worth noting is that Airbnb will reimburse you for lost income if you cancel a booking due to guest damage. This one is a game changer!
Airbnb Damage Protection updates
- 3 million USD damage protection
- Improved art and valuables protection
- Auto and boat protection
- 24 hour safety line
- Pet damage protection
- Deep cleaning reimbursement
- Income loss protection
#4 Guest Identity Verification
As an Airbnb host, you want to be sure guests are who they say they are. That’s why Airbnb has introduced guest identity verification in AirCover for Hosts.
Airbnb has placed a strong focus on guest verification with this update. Now identity verification has expanded to all guests that book a trip to the top 35 countries on Airbnb. That covers 90% of all reservations on Airbnb. Furthermore, within the next year that will include 100% of countries.
Meanwhile Airbnb will continue running background checks on guests before their first stay. As a result, flagged guests will appear on watchlist or sanctions lists.
On top of this, Airbnb has made some changes to the Instant Book requirements. Now only guests that meet the right verification can book a trip using Instant Book. This is great news indeed!
#5 Reservation Screen Technology
Furthermore to guest identity verification, there is an update to Airbnb’s screening technology. This technology looks at hundreds of factors to block bookings that may lead to parties.
Airbnb has been testing out this technology in Australia with great success. As a result they will now start expanding it out to the rest of the world.
So now if a guest tries booking your property but fails the screening test, you should see a message like the one above.
#6 Easier to file an AirCover claim
If you have ever filed an AirCover for Hosts claim on Airbnb, you would know how tedious this can be. The good news is that filing a claim is now much, much easier.
Should a guest damage your place or belongings, you can submit a reimbursement claim in only a few steps. Simply visit the Resolution Centre and follow the steps required.
First, the guest receives your reimbursement request and has 24 hours to respond, or pay. If the guest fails to act during during that period, the Airbnb AirCover for Hosts team steps in to mediate.
Airbnb will reimburse you for guest damage quickly, usually within a fortnight. The good news is that Airbnb Superhosts get priority service and faster reimbursements.
As discussed above, Airbnb has expanded their host liability insurance to $3m USD. That covers things such as:
- Bodily injury to a guest (or others)
- Damage to or theft of property belongings to a guest
- Damaged caused by a guest to common areas
#7 Ground Rules for Guests
Another great inclusion in the Airbnb AirCover for Hosts is the new Ground Rules for Guests. This is a new system that requires guests to respect your home and follow your house rules.
Airbnb wants guests to respect your home, which is why they are now enforcing a new set of standards. It’s a simple and clear way for guests to view your rules before making a booking.
These new ground rules go hand in hand with the updated review process discussed above. Therefore enabling Airbnb to gather more info from hosts and guests after a stay.
If a guests break ground rules, Airbnb will give them an official warning. If these issues persists, they face suspension or even removal from Airbnb. This is a great innovation and provides more protection for hosts into the future.
Included in the new ground rules are the following options:
- Pets
- Events
- Smoking
- Vaping & e-cigarettes
- Quiet hours
- Check In and Check Out times
- Maximum number of guests
- Commercial photography and filming
These rules will feature prominently on your Airbnb listing in four places. First on your listing page, then on the confirmation screen as guests make their booking. Then thirdly in the Pack Your Bags email, and lastly on the arrival guide.
Also, as discussed above, if you notify a guest of a rule violation and it leads to a bad review, you can now dispute this review with much ease.
#8 Airbnb Fast Pay
And last but not least, Airbnb Fast Pay has finally launched! This means you can now get paid much, much faster.
Airbnb Fast Pay is a new payment method that delivers your money within 30 minutes. This even includes on public holidays and weekends!
It’s a great feature, the only catch is you must pay a fee of 1.5% for every transaction, with a cap of $15 USD per payout. You can read more about how Airbnb payouts work here.
Airbnb AirCover for Hosts Summary
Like me, I am sure you are super excited about these changes. Airbnb has amped up AirCover for Hosts with this winter update and improved things in a big way.
In summary, the key updates include the ability to remove bad or unfair reviews from guests. Airbnb has also spent a large focus on screening and verifying guests to improve booking quality.
Another key update was increasing damage protection from $1 million to $3 million USD. Additionally, submitting a reimbursement request is now much simpler to do.
Finally was the addition of fast pay, where you will receive payments within 30 minutes.
Let us know in the comments below what you think of these updates, and happy hosting!