@Charles14......I have posted this before on other pages but, this question is coming up time and time again so, here we go again....
A lot of posts have given graphic details of the problems associated with trying to avail yourself of this umbrella insurance cover that Airbnb offers. The reality of it is, YOU SHOULD ASSUME THIS COVER DOES NOT EXIST! A damage deposit is possibly a prudent thing to include in your listing details for the odd broken or 'mis-placed' item, but we are now seeing reports of some guests facing bills of thousands of dollars for damage to major fittings that they thought would be covered by with this 'warm and fuzzy' Airbnb protection cover. The terms and conditions of the Airbnb cover have been so cleverly crafted, that, realistically it covers you for three quarters of nine tenths of bugger all.....forget about it, it's a marketing tool!!
Most general insurance companies will not cover 'rental property' under their homeowners insurance agreement! In fact some are even cancelling existing policies if they find out a rental agreement is taking place!!
I can't speak for the rest of the world but, for Australian hosts a company called 'Sharecover.com' offers insurance cover specifically for either Airbnb or Stayz hosts from $3.80 per night for $200,000 building cover and $40,000 contents cover with a $10 million liability cover. You pay ONLY for nights when guests are in residence. Now this sits well with my property because it is separate from the main residence but, it shares some facilities with the main residence. You can take out cover on-line on the spot! I currently have guests in my cottage and for the 4 nights they will be here my premium is the princely sum of $15.30 AU!....It sure is peace of mind and every host should be using it. There is also another company called LMZ who offer a protection on an annual premium basis, and this may be more applicable to hosts who have a higher number of guests!
Now I know that similar cover exists in nearly all other countries so I suggest that you phone the insurance council for your country and ask them to recomend an insurere who operates in this field....cheers.....Rob