Airbnb & VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawsuits

An Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer can help if you or a family member were poisoned while staying in a short-term rental. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes significant harm, including damage to the brain and other organs, and death from exposure to dangerously high levels. The Buckfire Law Firm holds negligent Airbnb and VRBO property owners and managers accountable for the harm caused by CO poisoning.

Every year, millions of travelers book Airbnb and VRBO rentals expecting a safe, comfortable stay. What many don’t realize is that a colorless, odorless gas could be silently filling a rental home, condo, or apartment while they sleep. Carbon monoxide poisoning in short-term rentals is a documented public health issue that has injured hundreds of guests across the United States.

If you or a loved one suffered carbon monoxide poisoning during an Airbnb and VRBO stay, you’re likely facing mounting medical bills, lingering health problems, and questions about who is financially responsible. An Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer can help preserve critical evidence and pursue compensation from negligent property owners, management companies, maintenance contractors, equipment manufacturers, and construction companies. Owners of short-term rental properties have a legal duty to ensure safety measures, such as working carbon monoxide detectors, are properly installed and maintained.

• Immediate Steps if You Suspect Airbnb or VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Common Symptoms and Long-Term Effects of Carbon Monoxide Exposure
• Who Can I Sue for Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?
• Contact a Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawyer

About Airbnb

Airbnb is an online marketplace for short‑term lodging and experiences, connecting travelers with hosts who rent out homes, apartments, rooms, and unique stays around the world. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company operates in more than 220 countries and regions with over 8 million listings worldwide. Airbnb features tens of thousands of short-term rental properties across the state of Michigan, with listings common in destinations such as Detroit, Traverse City, and other popular tourist areas.

About VRBO

VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner) is an online marketplace for short-term vacation rentals. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is part of Expedia Group. The platform connects property owners with travelers, offering over two million listings worldwide, including houses, condos, cabins, and beach homes. Throughout the state of Michigan alone, there are over 21,000 vacation rental listings available on VRBO. Owners list and manage their properties online, while guests book stays through the site or app.

Bed and Breakfast Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide poisoning can also occur at bed and breakfast inns, which often operate out of older homes with aging boilers, furnaces, fireplaces, and water heaters. These properties may have converted living spaces, enclosed additions, or inadequate ventilation that increases the risk of carbon monoxide buildup. Bed and breakfast owners owe the same duty of care as other lodging providers and can be held liable when guests are exposed due to faulty equipment, poor maintenance, or missing or nonfunctioning carbon monoxide detectors.

What is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when a person inhales carbon monoxide—a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that cannot be detected without specialized equipment. This poisonous gas is produced whenever fuel is burned, including by gas-fired boilers, furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, generators, and pool heaters commonly found in short-term rentals.

When carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream, it displaces oxygen and prevents red blood cells from delivering oxygen to vital organs. This can lead to serious health consequences, including permanent brain damage, heart damage, and death. Because carbon monoxide is undetectable by human senses, it is often called the “silent killer.”

Monoxide poisoning can happen in any enclosed space, including Airbnb and VRBO rentals, when gas appliances malfunction, ventilation is blocked, or carbon monoxide detectors are missing or defective. Property owners have a legal obligation to protect guests by installing working carbon monoxide detectors and maintaining fuel-burning appliances. Failure to do so can result in devastating carbon monoxide poisoning cases, causing life-altering injuries or death.

Immediate Steps if You Suspect Airbnb or VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

If you are currently experiencing symptoms or suspect you’ve been exposed to carbon monoxide during a rental stay, your health is the priority. Carbon monoxide exposure can become fatal within minutes at high concentrations.

Emergency actions to take:

• Leave the rental property immediately. Do not stop to gather belongings. Get everyone in your party to the fresh air outside.
• Call 911 from outside. Report suspected carbon monoxide exposure and your location. First responders can test the air and provide emergency medical care.
• Seek medical care at the nearest emergency room. Even if symptoms seem mild, CO exposure requires professional evaluation.
• Request a carboxyhemoglobin blood test. This test measures carbon monoxide levels in your red blood cells. It must be done within hours of exposure—CO clears from the bloodstream relatively quickly, and delayed testing may not reflect your true exposure level.
• Notify the Airbnb or VRBO host or property manager in writing. Send a message or email stating the date and time, and that you suspect a carbon monoxide leak. Do not re-enter the rental property until officials confirm it is safe.
• Document what you can from outside. If safely possible, take photos or video of the location, unit number, and surrounding areas from outside.

Contact an Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer as soon as possible. Early legal involvement is critical because property owners often repair or replace equipment within days of the incident. Once that equipment is gone, crucial evidence disappears with it.

Prevention and Safety Measures

Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning starts with awareness and proactive safety measures. One of the most effective ways to protect against carbon monoxide exposure is to install carbon monoxide detectors in every area where fuel-burning appliances are present. These detectors provide an early warning if dangerous levels of carbon monoxide are detected, giving guests time to evacuate.

Regular inspection and maintenance of boilers, furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, and other gas-powered equipment is essential. Property owners and managers must ensure that all equipment is serviced according to manufacturer guidelines and that any signs of malfunction are addressed immediately. Proper ventilation must also be maintained to prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Property managers and managers should educate guests about symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and confusion, and provide instructions on what to do if a carbon monoxide leak is suspected.

Why You Need an Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawyer

Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide cases are not straightforward personal injury claims. They involve specialized knowledge of building codes, state detector laws, mechanical systems, and multi-party insurance coverage that most general practice attorneys rarely encounter.

Here’s what an experienced lawyer at Buckfire Law brings to your case:

• Complex regulatory knowledge. Airbnb and VRBO CO cases involve state carbon monoxide detector laws (many enacted around 2010–2013), local building and fire safety codes, and short-term rental regulations. A specialized lawyer understands how these overlap and where violations occurred.
• Multiple opposing parties. Property owners, short-term rental hosts, management companies, maintenance contractors, and equipment manufacturers often point fingers at each other. Each may have insurance carriers and defense attorneys working to dispute liability. You need counsel who can match that firepower.
• Identification of every party responsible. An experienced lawyer will thoroughly investigate your case to identify every responsible party who may be liable for your injuries, ensuring that all potential defendants are pursued.
• Rapid evidence preservation. A lawyer can quickly send preservation letters demanding that property owners and managers retain maintenance records, CO detector inspection records, surveillance footage (if applicable), and service contracts before these materials are routinely deleted or “lost.”
• Medical coordination. Carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers work with neurologists, cardiologists, and neuropsychologists to document brain and heart injuries that may not be immediately apparent. They help ensure your medical records accurately reflect the connection between your Airbnb or VRBO stay and your symptoms.
• Financial loss calculation. Lost wages from missed work are just the beginning. In severe cases involving permanent brain damage, lawyers work with economists and life care planners to calculate future medical expenses and diminished earning capacity.
• Contingency fee arrangements. Most Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers work on contingency, meaning you pay no upfront fees. Attorney’s fees come from the recovery, so injured guests can pursue claims without financial risk.

A personal injury lawyer can navigate the complexities of carbon monoxide cases and identify all liable parties, making sure your claim addresses every responsible party.

How Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Happens

Short-term rentals often contain gas-powered equipment that can produce carbon monoxide at dangerous levels when improperly maintained or installed.

Common short-term rental equipment that produces carbon monoxide:

• Boilers and furnaces
• Gas fireplaces
• Water heaters
• Pool and spa heaters
• Laundry dryers
• Backup generators

Carbon monoxide commonly accumulates in bedrooms, units above mechanical rooms, enclosed pool areas, and spaces near garages or blocked ventilation systems.

Common Symptoms and Long-Term Effects of Carbon Monoxide Exposure

One reason short-term rental carbon monoxide poisoning often goes undiagnosed is that symptoms mimic common illnesses. Guests assume they have food poisoning, the flu, or altitude sickness. By the time they realize the cause, significant harm may already be done.

Acute symptoms during or shortly after exposure:

• Headache (often described as dull, persistent pressure)
• Dizziness and lightheadedness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Confusion and difficulty thinking clearly
• Chest pain and shortness of breath
• Blurred vision
• Loss of consciousness
• Even death in severe cases

Children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with pre-existing heart or lung conditions face the highest risk.

Long-term consequences documented in carbon monoxide poisoning victims:

CO interferes with the blood’s ability to deliver oxygen to organs, particularly the brain and heart. Survivors of significant exposure may experience:

• Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
• Personality changes and mood disorders
• Chronic headaches that persist for months or years
• Balance and coordination issues
• Heart damage and increased cardiovascular risk
• Delayed neurological syndrome (symptoms appearing weeks after exposure)

If multiple family members or travel companions got sick during the same weekend stay—experiencing similar symptoms that improved after leaving—this pattern strongly suggests undiagnosed carbon monoxide exposure rather than a virus or food-borne illness.

If you suspect you were exposed to carbon monoxide after an Airbnb or VRBO stay, seek immediate medical evaluation and specifically ask providers to test for CO exposure.

Who Can I Sue for Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning cases typically involve multiple responsible parties. Identifying all of them is essential for maximizing your compensation, as each may carry separate insurance coverage.

Short-term rental-related parties that may be held liable:

• Property owners – The individuals or entities that own the rental property have a fundamental duty to maintain safe premises.
• Property managers – Professional management companies that oversee bookings, cleanings, inspections, and maintenance may be liable for carbon monoxide from poor maintenance.
• Co-hosts – Individuals responsible for day-to-day operations, guest turnover, or maintenance may share liability.
• HOAs or condominium associations – In condo or multi-unit buildings, associations may be responsible for shared mechanical systems, boilers, or ventilation that cause CO exposure.

Third-party contractors:

• HVAC companies – Firms that install, repair, or service heating and cooling systems
• Boiler service providers – Companies contracted for annual boiler inspections and maintenance
• Plumbers – Professionals who work on gas lines and water heaters
• Pool maintenance vendors – Companies servicing pool heaters and ventilation systems
• Construction companies – Contractors who may have improperly installed equipment or blocked ventilation during renovations

Manufacturers and distributors:

Equipment manufacturers may face product liability claims if defective products, such as a faulty furnace, boiler, water heater, or CO detector, caused or contributed to the poisoning.

Legal theories used in Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide cases:

• Premises liability
• Negligence
• Negligence per se
• Product liability
• Wrongful death

An Airbnb and VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer investigates contracts, lease agreements, and service records to identify every party with potential liability—and every insurance policy available to pay claims.

What is the Compensation Available in an Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Claim?

Victims may be entitled to financial compensation, which depends on the severity of exposure, the extent of injuries, the number of victims, and the degree of negligence involved. Victims can seek damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain, suffering, and funeral costs in wrongful death cases. Compensation for carbon monoxide poisoning can include both economic damages for quantifiable financial losses and non-economic damages for pain and suffering.

When Airbnb or VRBO carbon monoxide poisoning results in death, surviving family members may recover:

• Loss of financial support that the deceased would have provided
• Funeral and burial expenses
• Loss of companionship, guidance, and consortium
• The deceased’s pain and suffering before death
• Medical bills incurred before death

Contact an Airbnb and VRBO Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawyer

If you or a loved one suffered illness, hospitalization, or the tragic loss of a family member after staying in an Airbnb, VRBO, or bed and breakfast, you deserve answers and accountability. Contact the award-winning lawyers at The Buckfire Law Firm immediately to get started on your case. The sooner you start your case, the better chance you have of winning a great settlement.

There are no legal fees unless you win a settlement, and we pay all case expenses. If your case is unsuccessful for any reason, you owe us nothing.

Legally reviewed by:

Lawrence J. Buckfire, J.D., Lead Trial Attorney at Buckfire Law
Lawrence J. Buckfire, J.D. has over 30 years of experience specializing in personal injury and wrongful death cases. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and attended Wayne State University School of Law. Lawrence has been named a Super Lawyer, U.S. News Best Lawyer, and in The National Trial Lawyers-Top 100 Trial Lawyers.
Date of Review: Feb., 2026