MINNEAPOLIS - Thousands of Twin Cities homeowners and renters plan to cash in on Super Bowl festivities by renting out a room, or their entire home, on the website Airbnb.
With the high demand for rooms, the company said it will make safety a priority during Super Bowl week.
Airbnb is conducting background checks on all users, but still encourages hosts to read reviews of potential guests or even send them a message. Airbnb has a messaging app for renters to communicate with guests.
Airbnb will also have a Super Bowl SWAT team made up of cyber experts and engineers to help with any issues related to Super Bowl week reservations.
For those concerned about guests damaging their homes or property, Airbnb said it will cover damages up to $1 million.
"If you're a host and God forbid something bad does happen during your reservation, you're going to have a specific email or phone number to get In touch with us, reach out to us," said Nick Shapiro, Airbnb risk management. "We're going to send someone out to your home and you're going to get reimbursed."
While the process sounds easy, one Minneapolis woman said she had a lot of difficulty getting money from Airbnb after guests trashed her home.
Heather Harnell rented out her condo during the Ryder Cup in 2016. Both times, Airbnb guests stole her TV, left a pile of trash and caused thousands of dollars in home damages, Harnell said.
After the Ryder Cup incident, Harnell reached out to Airbnb to try and get reimbursed for $14,000 in damages.
It took two months after the damage had been cleaned and repaired for an Airbnb adjuster to check her home, she said. Harnell has now stopped renting out her condo through the company.
That incident happened over a year ago and Airbnb said it has made changes to prevent delays like that from happening again.