Rental contracts

Yours is a very good question, David, that has been asked before by hosts.

Something that many hosts have pointed out, is that the "reservation form" that both sides get when the guests book, is in essence a "contract" since it stipulates: dates of the rental, terms of the rental (eg check in check out time, house rules, payment, ) and it is made based on Airbnb terms and policies. So one thing hosts can do is just have guests sign this reservation form when they arrive.

Other hosts use an additional contract, which they send in PDF form to the guest after the guest books, to have them fill out and/or sign.

I posted this example of a short term rental contract I found online;

globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/56/example-rental-agreement-hosts

I dont' use a separate contract, but then I rent rooms in my house rather than a whole apartment.

In terms of the issue you bring up about litigation and our litigious society --- this is most definitely something to think about. However, one also needs to consider what actually would be provided to you in terms of legal protections, when using a rental contract. THis may be a question for one's homeowner's insurance company or an insurance broker, as well as a real estate attorney. I think one of the best protections property owners may be able to afford themselves, is to limit renters' ability to sue them. This can be done via a mediation clause or a mandatory arbitration clause on one's rental agreement, or stated in one's Airbnb house rules. For instance, read my house rules here:

globalhosting.freeforums.net/thread/366/house-rules-long-comprehensive

You will see that the last line stipulates that all disputes for amounts over $5000 are required to be resolved by binding arbitration in my state. THis means that for all intents and purposes, a renter will not be able to get any attorney to sue me, since in my state, cases for $10,000 and less are handled in small claims court. And attorneys will not take a case where the most they could earn would be 30-40% (contingency fee) of $5000. YOu might consider adding such a binding arbitration requirement to your house rules and/or a rental contract.