Maison Law represents the victims of accidents while staying at Fresno Airbnb or Vrbo rentals. If you were injured by a homeowner’s or business owner’s negligence, contact Maison Law today for a free, confidential consultation. It’s a no-risk way to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold a property owner and a vacation rental company fully responsible for recovery costs.
Should I Call a Lawyer After an Accident in a Vrbo Home?
If you take a slip-and-fall in your rental home and get up with only very minor injuries, you probably don’t need the help of a lawyer. But if you walk away with a broken bone or brain trauma caused by the homeowner’s negligence, having a skilled Fresno Airbnb accident lawyer will be an important protection.
When medical costs run higher, homeowners and Vrbo will have corporate lawyers and insurance adjusters to help them avoid taking the blame for your injury. Your lawyer investigates your accident and backs your case with evidence that proves a homeowner or a property management company was careless. This keeps property owners from wiggling out of accountability and leaving you with too little support or nothing at all. Your Maison Law attorney makes sure you receive every benefit.
Can I Seek Support from Airbnb if I’m Injured in a Fresno Rental Home?
Yes. Airbnb and Vrbo are online vacation property rental companies. Their apps make it easy for home and property owners to list their rental properties and for those seeking lodging to book homes and condos for a short or long-term stay. The companies do provide insurance that covers renters if they are hurt in an accident on a property.
These online marketplaces are under the same “duty of care” that all business and property owners in California must observe. California’s “premises liability” laws require anyone inviting visitors in to show guests this caution. They must make their rental properties as free from accident hazards as possible. They must repair damaged carpets, stairwells, and decks so that people never have the chance to be tripped up or to be harmed in a dangerous collapse. They must keep pools hazard-free and repair sidewalks before someone can get seriously hurt.
Owners must take care not to create dangerous environments for their guests with exposed wiring, extremely hot water, or holes in floors. They must also monitor for the damage previous guests may have done that could harm a current Vrbo guest.
When negligence of these requirements causes a guest to get hurt, victims are empowered to file injury claims and demand help with recovery costs. Unfortunately, property owners and Airbnb can focus on escaping responsibility for accidents rather than helping injured guests. It’s often up to skilled lawyers to help victims get the support to pay for the support they’ll need now and perhaps in the months ahead.
Does Airbnb Provide Insurance If I’m Injured?
Yes. Airbnb covers guests with a one-million-dollar insurance policy. You are protected by this coverage when you rent any property. As a guest, you don’t have to sign up for any coverage.
The primary coverage kicks in first, even if homeowners don’t have their own liability coverage. In some cases, a homeowner’s normal homeowner’s policy also covers the home when it’s rented out. Some homeowners insurance companies don’t extend this coverage. Either way, you are protected as a guest.
The company’s website explains what types of damages their liability insurance covers for victims and homeowners:
- Bodily injury to a guest (or others)
- Damage to or theft of property belonging to a guest (or others)
- Damage caused by a guest (or others) to common areas, like building lobbies and nearby properties
A million-dollar safety net is nice, but victims often have to fight to get access to even a small portion of it as they try to recover. Insurance adjusters can withhold compensation as victims watch their medical bills continue to rise.
Do Vrbo Carry Insurance If I’m Injured?
Yes. Vrbo provides insurance for guests. It’s included with each booking. The policy provides coverage to injured victims up to a million dollars.
This is coverage on top of any liability coverage the homeowner already has. Vrbo coverage and the homeowner’s insurance would both be drawn from to help pay for the victim’s recovery costs.
What to Do After an Accident at an Airbnb
Unfortunately, online renters like Vrbo are in business for the profits and they won’t willingly pay out support to victims. They’ll have aggressive insurance adjusters trying to blame your accident on you. Bigger property management companies will also have corporate lawyers ready to downplay your injuries and suffering and try to limit what you receive.
It’s important to gather as much evidence of your accident and who was at fault right after your accident. If you are physically strong enough, try to collect these details:
- Call 911 if you are injured. Get checked out by paramedics even when you feel your injuries are minor. If you must leave for the emergency room, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to help you gather evidence. Call the police if you’ve been the victim of a crime.
- Get photos. Take pictures of the obstacle that caused your injury. Show any warning signs or warning tape around or the lack of warning signs. Take photos of any visible injuries.
- Note if there are any security cameras outside your rental that might have captured your accident.
- Talk to witnesses and find out what they saw. Find out how to reach them later. Your personal injury lawyer will be relying on their testimony to prove what happened.
- Contact Vrbo or Airbnb and let them know what happened. Follow their instructions to document what happened. Alert a property manager about what happened if there is one nearby.
- Get examined by your personal doctor. Get all injuries and any new pain documented. Follow all of the doctor’s recommendations and see any specialists the doctor advises. Save all medical receipts.
What Kinds of Things Can I Be Compensated for After an Airbnb Home Accident?
Once a Fresno premises liability lawyer has joined your case, your lawyer continues to add to your collection of evidence. Your lawyer makes sure your case is backed with all the proof available to keep a shady insurance company from denying your claim while you need support the most.
Once your claim is ready to file, you’ll also be submitting a list of every injury hardship you’ve faced. This list must include economic and non-economic damages you and your family have suffered.
These are just a few of the things that will factor into the amount you’ll see in a Vrbo settlement check:
- Totals on current medical bills and those expected in the future.
- Any expenses associated with a permanent disability. The cost of support over a lifetime.
- Wrongful death benefits. For the families left behind who have lost a loved one due to a property owner’s negligence. This includes assistance with funeral and medical costs. A wrongful death claim also seeks money to replace the weekly income the deceased can no longer provide to close relatives.
- The toll of physical pain and emotional trauma.
- Loss of enjoyment of life due to an injury
- Travel costs of making doctor’s appointments while unable to drive.
- All income and benefits lost while in recovery as victims are unable to perform job duties.
Insurance adjusters would go to work immediately trying to devalue your claim. Insurers and corporate lawyers might purposely delay responding to your claim. They want you to become desperate as your medical bills pile up.
Insurance companies hope you’ll get more and more desperate and be more likely to accept a “lowball” settlement offer out of fear of getting nothing. This shady tactic can work if you don’t have a skilled Maison Law attorney examining each settlement offer and rejecting those that don’t meet your needs.
Contact an Airbnb and Vrbo Accident Lawyer Serving Fresno Victims
When you or a loved one are injured while living in or visiting a vacation rental property anywhere in Fresno County, make sure you know about the benefits available to you and your family.
Filing a claim against a large company like Airbnb or Vrbo (owned by Expedia) can leave you facing off against giant companies and unhelpful insurance adjusters. It’s crucial that you have your own premises liability lawyer to protect your interests and make sure your case is taken seriously.
Contact our Fresno Airbnb and Vrbo accident lawyers for a free and confidential case evaluation. If you do need us to help make sure an insurance provider treats you fairly, you don’t have to stress about how you’ll pay for a lawyer. Maison Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check you receive from an insurance company or a vacation rental company.
