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As warmer weather approaches, people start planning for spring and summer getaways. Travelling is more convenient than ever today with limitless vacation options and easily accessible, affordable accommodation available all over the US and outside. Airbnb has made a huge contribution to making travel as customized and budget friendly as possible. The Airbnb community spans 191 countries and 34000 cities globally, with more than 50 million guests serviced to date. Airbnb provides its guests the unique experience of staying in a home and allows them to really get to know the local culture.
The idea behind this house-sharing model is perfect, however problems start arising when one faces a personal injury situation such as a dog bite (on such a rental property). In April 2015, Mike Silverman, a 58 year old American travelled to Argentina with his wife and rented an Airbnb property. Having stayed at around 20 Airbnb properties before they did not expect what was to come. On the third of the stay Silverman encountered a Rottweiler who left him with a huge gash on his arm and a few other wounds. Besides being in a totally foreign place, Silverman had to deal with hospital fees and Airbnb’s (initial) refusal to cover his medical expenses.
Who is responsible if you get hurt on an Airbnb rental?
Airbnb provides liability insurance for guests staying on its properties within the US however, if you are travelling outside the US, Airbnb is not responsible to cover your liability expenses. Even within the US, Airbnb will encourage you to first approach your insurance provider with your claim; if denied, Airbnb will come to your rescue. If you do face a personal injury situation such as Silverman did, you might have to deal with up to three parties: Airbnb, the listing owner and/or the property landlord. Many tenants put up their rented space on Airbnb without informing their landlord which means that they do not have adequate support and coverage through their landlord and insurance. In most cases, Airbnb would refund your staying cost however, there is absolutely no guarantee that they will cooperate with an injured person when it comes to medical and travel expenses (in such situations).
Even in cases, where the homeowner is renting out his/her own property to a guest and the guest suffers an injury on the property, the homeowner’s insurance might not cover the guests. It is also highly likely that the insurance company does not provide coverage for a house being used for profit-making purposes by the policyholder.
Although Airbnb eventually agreed to cover Silverman’s medical expenses, injury on Airbnb listings can be quite tricky. Due to the high legal nature of liability issues such as these people shy away from asking for compensation or even involving a legal representative to review their situation. Recovering compensation might be difficult however; you may not know how strong your case is until you get in touch with a personal injury lawyer in Frisco. Personal injury attorneys at Rad Law Firm are experts in dog bites, premises liability and many practice areas within personal injury in the state of Texas and many other states in the US. Our attorneys at Rad Law Firm have a great deal of experience working with individuals who have sustained an injury such as a dog bite and have recovered millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Contact us today for a review of your case!
