Whether you’re new to hosting or just starting to explore the idea, you might have questions about protecting your space and belongings with people you don’t know staying in your home. Damage claims and safety incidents are extremely rare, but it might help you to know Airbnb has a number of protections in place for both hosts and guests.

“We had reservations about letting strangers into the house,” host Guy from San Francisco says about his pre-hosting jitters. "But the protection Airbnb provides gave us the confidence to list the house and try it out.” And his leap of faith paid off. “We’ve had over 120 guests, and we’ve never had to make a claim.”

Guests provide their full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and payment information to Airbnb before booking. Hosts also have the option of requiring guests to provide Airbnb with a government ID before they can book.

You’re encouraged to set your own house rules—for example, note any restrictions on pets and the number of guests. All guests are required to agree to your house rules before booking. If your listing was booked instantly, remember that you can take advantage of penalty-free cancellations if the need arises.

Beyond the peace of mind that identification verification provides, Airbnb helps you get to know guests before they book. You can check out their profiles and read reviews from past hosts. And since hosts and guests can only review each other after a reservation is complete, you can be sure that the feedback you’re reading is based on actual experiences. You can also use Airbnb’s secure messaging tool to ask questions and set expectations at any point before a guest’s stay.

Airbnb’s Host Guarantee* provides protection at no additional cost, of up to $1,000,000 USD in property damage, with every booking. Claims can be filed directly through Airbnb’s Resolution Center.

Airbnb takes a number of measures to safeguard your account, like requiring extra authentication when a login is attempted from a new phone or computer, and sending you account alerts when changes are made. As long as you stay on the platform throughout the entire process—from communication, to booking, to payment—you’re protected by Airbnb’s policies and Host Guarantee.

Airbnb also provides free Host Protection Insurance* covering liability claims up to $1,000,000 USD. This insurance is for the unlikely event that someone files a claim against you for guest property damage or injury that occurs on your property during a stay.

• Automatically applies to every reservation
• Claims can be filed directly through Airbnb

Airbnb’s global team is standing by 24/7 in 11 different languages to help with:

• Rebooking assistance
• Refunds
• Reimbursements
• Host Guarantee and insurance claims
• Mediation

With these protections in place and some basic safety measures on your part, you can begin hosting with confidence. For more details about the important ways Airbnb keeps hosts and guests safe, visit Airbnb’s Trust and Safety page.

*Airbnb’s Host Guarantee and Host Protection Insurance don’t apply to hosts who offer accommodations through Airbnb Travel, LLC, hosts in mainland China, hosts in Japan, hosts of experiences, or hosts of adventures. Airbnb’s Host Guarantee is not related to Host Protection Insurance or Airbnb UK Services Limited.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.