Security deposits and damage claims on listing platforms

An Airbnb security deposit is something most hosts cannot charge. Airbnb’s policy bars deposits and card holds for most listings and handles damage through host damage protection of up to $3 million instead. Select software-connected hosts and hotels are the exceptions.

That leaves most hosts with a claim process, not a deposit. This guide covers who can still collect one, how a claim works, the deadlines and what you can do differently on a booking you take yourself.

Security deposit rules at a glance

Question	Answer as of November 10, 2026
Can most hosts charge a deposit or card hold?	No
Who can?	Select software-connected hosts, off the platform. Hotels, at check-in
How must an allowed deposit be shown?	In the fee field, so guests see it before booking
When must an allowed deposit be returned?	Within 7 days of checkout if there is no damage. 14 days for hotels
What covers damage for everyone else?	Host damage protection, up to $3 million
Deadline to request reimbursement	14 days after the responsible guest checks out
Time the guest has to respond	24 hours

Does the platform require a deposit?

Does Airbnb require a deposit from guests? No. A guest pays nothing up front for damage.

What the guest gives instead is permission. Airbnb’s terms say that by booking, a guest agrees their payment method may be charged to collect a damage amount. The Payments Terms add that a guest may not remove that payment method until 14 days after checkout.

So the money is not held, but the route to it exists. Whether you reach it depends on the claim process below.

Who can still collect a deposit

Airbnb’s policy on pricing and payment transparency names two groups.

Some hosts, including select software-connected hosts, may collect a deposit off the platform. This usually means a host who manages listings through property management software connected to Airbnb. The deposit has to sit in the right fee field so the guest sees it before booking.

Hotels may ask for a card hold or a deposit at check-in to cover incidentals, as part of their normal procedures. It has to be disclosed in the listing.

Where an Airbnb deposit is allowed, it comes with duties. The host must refund it or release the hold in full within 7 days of checkout if there is no damage, or 14 days for a hotel. A host who keeps any part of it should be ready to give the guest a written explanation and evidence.

How a damage claim works

The Airbnb damage policy runs through the Resolution Center. Hosts may not ask for damage money any other way.

1. Document the damage. Take photos or video, and get a repair or cleaning estimate or a receipt.
2. File a reimbursement request in the Resolution Center within 14 days of the responsible guest’s checkout.
3. The guest has 24 hours to respond.
4. If the guest does not respond, declines or pays only part, submit a request under host damage protection.
5. Airbnb Support reviews it. For a home in Washington state, Airbnb’s insurer does.

Airbnb says some requests are reviewed automatically to speed things up. If you do not accept the result, you can ask for a person to review it and add evidence.

The Host Damage Protection Terms set a second deadline. The payment request form and your evidence are due within 30 days of the guest’s checkout.

Do not use the full window. A claim filed the day you find the damage is easier to prove.

What host damage protection covers

Host damage protection is part of AirCover for Hosts, which is included for every host at no charge. Airbnb’s help page lists what the protection covers.

• Damage to your home, furnishings, valuables and belongings caused by guests or the people they invite
• Damage to parked cars, boats and other vehicles
• Extra cleaning for stains, pet accidents, smoke odor or unapproved guests
• Income lost when guest damage forces you to cancel confirmed bookings

It also lists what is left out.

• Normal wear and tear
• Loss of currency
• Acts of nature
• Injury to guests or damage to other people’s property, which falls under liability insurance
• Routine checkout cleaning such as laundry, dishes and trash

Airbnb states that host damage protection is not insurance. It pays only when the guest does not, and only after its own review. Ask your insurer how your policy treats short-term rental stays.

What happens when a guest does not pay

Guests search for what happens if you don’t pay Airbnb damages, and Airbnb answers on its page about getting charged for damage.

If the guest pays the full request, it closes. If the guest pays part, declines or stays silent, the host can involve Airbnb. A support team member decides whether the guest is responsible and whether the amount is reasonable, using the host’s evidence and the guest’s reply.

The guest then gets a chance to pay or to appeal. If they do neither in time, or the appeal fails, their payment method is charged.

Airbnb says guests are never charged without notice and a chance to appeal, and they have 60 days to appeal after a charge. It notes this does not apply to stays in China, Japan or India.

For you as a host, the point is that the outcome rests on evidence. A request with dated photos and a receipt is hard to decline. A request with a description and a round number is not.

Make a claim easy to prove

You cannot change the policy, so make the process work for you.

• Photograph each room at every turnover. A dated before picture is half the claim.
• Keep an inventory with purchase prices for furniture, electronics and linens.
• Inspect before the next guest arrives. With back-to-back bookings, damage found a week later is hard to pin on one stay.
• Get a written estimate or receipt for every repair.
• File through the Resolution Center only. Asking a guest to pay you another way breaks the payment rules in the off-platform policy.

Small losses are the weak spot. A broken glass or a missing towel is rarely worth a claim, and a deposit would not have changed that. Price normal breakage into your rate.

How Vrbo handles the same problem

Vrbo takes the opposite approach and leaves the choice to the host.

Its help page gives two options. You can set a damage deposit, or you can require the guest to buy Property Damage Protection at $59, $89 or $119 for $1,500, $3,000 or $5,000 of cover.

For a deposit of $5,000 or less, Vrbo keeps the guest’s card on file and charges it only if you file a claim. Above $5,000 it collects a refundable deposit at booking. Either way you have 14 days after checkout to report damage.

Hosts who connect through software and collect payments themselves are in a different position. Vrbo’s page for integrated property managers says they cannot claim damages through the Vrbo dashboard.

Deposits on a booking you take yourself

On your own site, the deposit is your decision. There are three common setups.

Option	How it works	Trade-off
Refundable deposit	The guest pays an amount up front and gets it back after checkout	Clear for you, but it raises the price a guest sees at booking
Card hold	The card is authorized for an amount shortly before arrival and released afterward	Lighter for the guest, but holds expire, so timing matters
Damage waiver fee	The guest pays a small non-refundable fee in place of a deposit	Easy to book, but you carry the larger losses unless insurance backs it

The guide to the vacation rental security deposit goes through each option, and Waivo vs Safely compares a waiver with per-night insurance.

Whichever you choose, write it down. Your vacation rental agreement should state the amount, what it covers, how you document damage and when the money goes back. Some places set rules for deposits, so check yours.

This is the control that the Airbnb rules for hosts take away on platform bookings. It is one reason owners add a direct channel next to their listings.

Final Thought

The Airbnb security deposit is gone for most hosts, and a claim process has taken its place. That process can work if you document every turnover and file within 14 days. It still leaves the decision with the platform.

On a direct booking the deposit, the agreement and the timeline are yours to set. If you want a site that takes bookings on those terms, see vacation rental website design.