Airbnb Home Suffers Half-Million In Damages

ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA — A home being rented through Airbnb caught fire Thursday sustained nearly $500,000 in damages, according to reports. The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

The blaze was reported about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 19100 block of Galatina Street, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

"The cause of the fire is unknown and no one was injured," according to a sheriff's department statement.

The county fire department estimated the damage at $490,000.

Airbnb facilitates dwelling rentals on a daily or short-term basis, and a Galatina Street residence was still listed as of this report, though it is not the rental that burned according to Airbnb spokesperson Mattie Zazueta.

“The safety of our community is our number one priority. We immediately contacted our guests and host to offer our full support and we will work closely with local authorities investigating the cause," Zazueta said. "There have been over 200 million guest arrivals on Airbnb and negative incidents are extremely rare.”

If you're looking for short term rentals in the area, a nearby nine-bedroom home was listed as available on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Smoking was listed as allowed on that property.

According to Airbnb:

• In 2016, there were more than 30 million trips at Airbnb listings worldwide. Significant property damage (claims that were reimbursed under our Host Guarantee program for over $1,000) was reported to us 0.009% of the time. At that rate, you could host a new reservation every single day for over 27 years without expecting to file a significant property damage claim under our Host Guarantee.

• Home Safety: We require hosts to follow their local laws and regulations, including where required having a functioning smoke alarm. We also give out free smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to hosts and provide online safety cards containing important information —such as emergency phone numbers, locations of fire extinguishers, and fire alarms, as well as emergency exit routes—so guests know what to do if there is an emergency. Our review system lets guests see what previous travelers have thought of the home and if any concerns are raised we take action to suspend the listing and investigate.

• 24/7 Global Response & Assistance: In the rare event that any issue should arise, Airbnb’s global Customer Service and Trust and Safety teams are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in 11 different languages to help make things right with rebooking assistance, as well as refunds, reimbursements, and insurance programs. If, for instance, a guest arrives at a listing and it’s not as advertised, all they need to do is reach out to our team and we are here to help.

• Host Guarantee: We’re committed to creating a safe and trusted community around the world. The Host Guarantee will reimburse eligible hosts for damages up to $1,000,000. What’s protected?
• The Host Guarantee provides protection for up to $1,000,000 in damages around the world. Payments are subject to certain conditions, limitations, and exclusions. For more details, read the Host Guarantee terms.
• The Host Guarantee payment request form can be submitted online.
• Hosts seeking payment under the Host Guarantee agree to cooperate with Airbnb and its insurers, including providing documentation of the claimed loss and agreeing to inspection in the rare cases when it may be necessary.

• Host Protection Insurance (HPI): The Host Protection Insurance program provides primary liability coverage for up to $1 million per occurrence in the event of third party claims of bodily injury or property damage. This coverage is also subject to a $1 million cap per listing location and certain conditions, limitations, and exclusions may apply. For more information, please visit our Help Center. What’s covered?

• The Host Protection Insurance program covers landlords and homeowners associations in many cases when claims are brought against them because a guest suffers injury during a stay. For examples of what’s covered and what’s not, please visit our Help Center.
• The Host Protection Insurance program may also cover claims if a guest damages building property. This often includes claims filed by a landlord against a host. For examples of what’s covered and what’s not, please visit our Help Center.
• The Host Protection Insurance program can now serve as your primary coverage for eligible claims filed as a result of Airbnb stays. Landlords are covered only if Airbnb and/or the host is also a party to the claim.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Photos