If you were injured at an Airbnb or Vrbo in Beverly Hills, figuring out who is responsible and which insurance policy covers your injuries is the first challenge you will face.
Under California premises liability law, the host or property owner is most often liable, but Airbnb’s AirCover and Vrbo’s liability program each cap coverage at $1 million and come with exclusions that can leave you undercompensated.
The Injury Partners handles short-term rental injury claims throughout Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County. Omeed Hakimianpour earned the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars distinction in 2025 and 2026, limited to the top 2.5% of California attorneys.
Under CCP § 335.1, you have two years to file. Call (310) 220-0066 for a free 24/7 consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
California premises liability law governs injuries at short-term rentals. The host or property owner is the most commonly liable party because they owe guests a duty to maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition under California Civil Code § 1714.
Not every injury at an Airbnb or Vrbo means the host was at fault. The guest must show that the host knew or should have known about the dangerous condition and failed to fix it or warn guests.
Multiple parties may share liability beyond the host. A property management company that handles upkeep can bear responsibility for a hazard it failed to address, and Airbnb or Vrbo may face limited liability because the platforms exert some control over safety standards. Third parties, including contractors and criminal actors in negligent security cases, can also be at fault.
Each liable party brings its own insurance, and identifying every defendant opens additional insurance coverage for your claim. An experienced Airbnb injury attorney in Beverly Hills can evaluate which parties owe you a duty and which policies apply to your claim.
Yes, if the host was negligent. A host who fails to repair a known hazard, ignores a safety complaint, or misrepresents the condition of the property in the listing may be liable for injuries that result.
You can also pursue a claim against the host’s homeowner’s insurance policy. However, many standard homeowner policies exclude or limit coverage for commercial short-term rental activity.
The Injury Partners investigates the property, preserves evidence, and identifies every applicable insurance policy.
Omeed Hakimianpour brings the rigor of Kirkland & Ellis, where he structured billion-dollar corporate transactions, to every Airbnb premises liability claim. Daniel Sabet built his career on personal injury advocacy after completing Southwestern Law School’s accelerated SCALE program in two years.
The firm has recovered more than $1 million for clients and carries a 5.00 Google rating. Every case is handled on a contingency-fee basis. You speak with Omeed or Daniel when you call our Beverly Hills personal injury office at 499 N. Canon Dr., Suite B1, CA 90210.
A standard premises case misses the coverage layers that make short-term rental claims different. Your attorney needs to map the host’s homeowner policy, any dedicated short-term rental policy, the platform’s liability program, and any umbrella coverage. Most firms treat an Airbnb injury like a typical premises case and miss available coverage.
We preserve the listing, screenshots, reviews, and safety representations before the host can edit or remove them.
Short-term rental injuries are more common than most guests expect because individual owners handle cleaning and upkeep rather than professional hotel staff. Hidden hazards go unnoticed until a guest is injured. The most common injuries at Airbnb and Vrbo properties include:
In most cases, the injury traces back to a property hazard the host failed to fix or disclose. Slip and fall accidents account for the largest share of short-term rental injury claims, followed by pool and hot tub incidents, structural failures, and carbon monoxide exposure.
Many hazards are not visible in the listing photos. A guest may not discover a loose railing, a missing pool fence, or a faulty heater until the injury has already occurred.
Both Airbnb and Vrbo provide liability insurance for hosts, but the coverage is designed to protect the host and the platform, not you.
| Airbnb AirCover | Vrbo Liability Insurance | |
| Coverage limit | $1 million per occurrence | $1 million per occurrence |
| What it covers | Guest bodily injury during a confirmed Airbnb booking | Guest bodily injury and property damage during a stay |
| Underwriter | Third-party insurers | Generali Global Assistance |
| Who controls the claim | Airbnb’s insurer, not the guest | Vrbo’s insurer, not the guest |
The host is not the named insured in the way most guests assume. The platform controls whether coverage responds, and the insurer’s job is to pay as little as possible.
AirCover excludes assault and battery, off-premises incidents, communicable disease, and injuries outside the booking window. It only applies to bookings made through the Airbnb platform. A direct booking or a reservation through another channel like Booking.com falls outside AirCover entirely.
A pool drowning, a carbon monoxide incident, or a catastrophic fall can generate medical costs and long-term damages that exceed the $1 million platform cap. Recovery then depends on the host’s own homeowner or short-term rental policy and any umbrella coverage above it.
It may cover your Airbnb or Vrbo injury, but the coverage is limited. AirCover provides up to $1 million in host liability insurance for guest bodily injury claims during a confirmed booking. The coverage is real, but the insurer works for the platform.
The insurer may deny coverage by arguing the hazard was obvious, that you assumed the risk, or that the injury falls within an exclusion.
Vacation rental and Airbnb accident scenes change fast. Hosts repair hazards, relist the property, and edit descriptions quickly. Evidence preservation is urgent, and what you do in the first 24 to 48 hours can determine whether your claim succeeds.
The listing itself is your strongest piece of evidence in a short-term rental case. Hosts can edit descriptions, remove photos, and delete guest reviews at any time. Screenshot the full listing, including the property description, house rules, safety amenities, and all guest reviews before the host makes changes.
Photograph the specific hazard that caused your injury, the surrounding area, and any contributing conditions such as poor lighting, missing railings, or wet surfaces.
If your injury involved a defective appliance or piece of furniture, do not allow the host to discard or repair it. That item may be evidence in a product liability claim against the manufacturer.
Your claim depends on proving four elements under California premises liability law:
The most contested element is what the host knew. To prove constructive knowledge, your attorney will investigate maintenance records, prior guest complaints, reviews that mention the hazard, and the listing’s history. A host who ignored repeated complaints about a loose stairway railing or a slippery pool deck will have difficulty arguing they did not know.
California does not require the guest to show the host created the hazard. It is enough to show the host had notice and did nothing.
A guest cannot recover for a hazard the host had no reasonable way of knowing about. A spill that occurred moments before your fall, with no time for the host to discover it, would not establish liability.
California does not cap noneconomic damages in standard premises liability cases. If the host or another party was negligent, you may pursue both economic and noneconomic damages.
Recoverable economic damages include:
Recoverable noneconomic damages include:
In cases where an Airbnb or Vrbo injury results in a fatality, such as a pool drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning, or a catastrophic fall, a Beverly Hills wrongful death lawyer can help surviving family members pursue a claim.
Two years from the date of injury under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. If you miss this deadline, you lose the right to file a lawsuit regardless of how strong your case is.
Evidence in short-term rental cases deteriorates faster than in most premises claims. An attorney can preserve your evidence before it disappears and file before the deadline runs.
An injury at a short-term rental leaves you dealing with a host who may deny responsibility, a platform insurer whose job is to minimize your payout, and a property that may be repaired before anyone investigates.
The Injury Partners handles Airbnb and Vrbo injury claims on a contingency-fee basis, which means you will never pay out of pocket. Our founding attorneys are available 24/7 and will identify every liable party and every applicable insurance policy.
Call The Injury Partners today at (310) 220-0066 or email info@theinjurypartners.com to schedule your free consultation. You can also visit our office at 499 N. Canon Dr., Suite B1, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.
