Yes, you may be able to sue if you or a loved one was poisoned by carbon monoxide at an Airbnb or Vrbo. Hosts and owners must keep detectors working and heating equipment safe, and a failure to do that can support a claim.
Key terms
- Premises liability
- The legal rule that a property owner or host must keep guests reasonably safe from hazards they know about, or should know about.
- Statute of limitations
- The deadline for filing a claim. It varies by state and can run out before you realize you have a claim, so do not wait to ask.
Injured at a short-term rental? Talk to our team today, free of charge.
Hosts and property owners have a duty to keep guests safe, and that includes working carbon monoxide detectors and safe, properly maintained heating equipment. When they fail, the results can be deadly.
A carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer at Traction Law Group can review what happened, free of charge, and help you understand whether you have a claim. You pay nothing unless we win.
Poisoned by carbon monoxide at an Airbnb or Vrbo? You don't pay unless we win.
Call 833-236-8253 for a free case review, available 24/7.
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What Is Carbon Monoxide, and Why Is It So Dangerous at Rentals?
Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a gas you cannot see, smell, or taste. The CDC calls it "an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning." That is exactly what makes it so dangerous. By the time most people realize something is wrong, they may already be too sick to escape.
CO is produced any time fuel is burned. According to MedlinePlus, it comes from sources like "cars and trucks, lanterns, stoves, gas ranges and heating systems." Inside a closed home, those fumes can build to a deadly level.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is common and serious. The CDC reports that more than 400 Americans die every year from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit an emergency department, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized.
Vacation rentals carry extra risk. There is usually no front desk, no staff checking the equipment, and no guarantee that detectors are installed or working. You are trusting a stranger's home with your family's safety.
What Does Carbon Monoxide Smell Like?
Carbon monoxide has no smell at all. It is completely odorless. It also has no color and no taste. The CDC calls it "an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning." MedlinePlus likewise states that "carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that has no odor or color."
You may have heard people say they "smelled gas." That smell is not carbon monoxide. Natural gas companies add a rotten-egg odor (a chemical called mercaptan) to natural gas so leaks can be noticed. Carbon monoxide is a separate, odorless gas produced when fuel burns, and nothing is added to it to warn you.
This is exactly why CO is so dangerous in a vacation rental:
- You cannot rely on your senses. There is no smell, haze, or taste to warn you, even at deadly levels.
- It often strikes while you sleep. A furnace or water heater can leak CO overnight, and a sleeping guest never wakes up to a warning.
- The only reliable warning is a working CO detector, the one device that may be missing or dead in a stranger's home.
If a rental has fuel-burning appliances (gas furnace, water heater, stove, fireplace) or an attached garage, a working carbon monoxide alarm is not optional. When one is missing or broken, guests have no way to know they are being poisoned.
Warning Signs and Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Knowing the symptoms can save your life. The most common warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the CDC, are:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Weakness
- Upset stomach (nausea)
- Vomiting
- Chest pain
- Confusion
The CDC notes these symptoms are "often described as 'flu-like.'" That is part of the danger. People assume they caught a bug and go back to sleep, breathing in more gas.
MedlinePlus adds that "it is often hard to tell if someone has CO poisoning, because the symptoms may be like those of other illnesses."
Red flags to take seriously at a rental:
- Several people in the home feel sick at the same time.
- Symptoms get better when you go outside and come back when you return indoors.
- Pets seem sick or sluggish too.
If you notice these signs, get everyone outside into fresh air immediately and call 911. Do not go back in.
Think this happened to you this week? Get everyone into fresh air and call 911 first. Then photograph the detector, or the bare spot where one should be, before anyone touches it.
Call 833-236-8253 for a free review, 24/7.
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Who Is Most at Risk?
The CDC says "everyone is at risk for CO poisoning," but some people get sick faster and more severely. Infants, the elderly, and people with chronic heart disease, anemia, or breathing problems are more likely to get seriously ill from carbon monoxide.
How Long Does Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Last?
It depends on how much CO you breathed in and for how long. Mild poisoning may clear in hours to days once you are in fresh air and treated, but serious poisoning can cause lasting, sometimes permanent, harm.
There are two phases to understand:
Acute (short-term) effects. Right after exposure, the flu-like symptoms (headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion) often ease within hours once you get fresh air and oxygen. MedlinePlus notes that "the symptoms may be like those of other illnesses," which is why people wrongly assume they are simply getting better.
Delayed and long-term effects. This is the part many people do not know about. Even patients who seem to recover can develop delayed neurological problems days or weeks later. According to a National Institutes of Health (NCBI) clinical review, "23% to 47%" of hospitalized CO poisoning patients "suffer delayed neurologic sequelae," and up to 40% of patients "experience residual neurocognitive impairment," problems the review describes as "often irreversible."
These lasting effects can include:
- Memory loss and trouble concentrating
- Personality and mood changes, depression, or irritability
- Movement and coordination problems
- Heart damage, because CO also starves the heart of oxygen
Because some harm appears later, the NIH review recommends a "neuropsychological evaluation approximately 1 to 2 months after recovery." If you were poisoned at a rental, keep getting checked even after you feel better, and keep every medical record. The full picture of your injury, and your claim, may not be clear for weeks.
In the worst cases, carbon monoxide poisoning is fatal. If your family lost someone to CO at a rental, our wrongful death page explains how a claim may help.
Why Does Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Happen at Vacation Rentals?
These tragedies are almost always preventable. Common causes at short-term rentals include:
- No carbon monoxide detector at all. Many rentals simply do not have one.
- A broken or dead detector, or one with the batteries removed.
- A faulty furnace, water heater, or gas appliance that leaks CO indoors.
- A gas fireplace or space heater used in a poorly ventilated room.
- A portable generator running in or near the home. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that about 85 people die each year from CO poisoning caused by gasoline-powered portable generators, with most of those deaths occurring in homes.
- A blocked chimney or vent that traps exhaust inside.
- A car or pool heater near a bedroom or living space.
When a host or owner ignores these risks, they put every guest in danger.
Who Is Liable for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at a Rental?
In a CO case, the question usually comes down to detectors and appliance maintenance. A host or owner generally has a duty to install working carbon monoxide alarms (many states and cities now require them in rentals) and to keep fuel-burning equipment such as a furnace, water heater, gas range, fireplace, or generator properly serviced and vented. A missing alarm, a dead battery, an unserviced furnace, or a generator run too close to the home can each point to a breach of that duty. Liability can also reach the property manager, an HVAC contractor who serviced the equipment, or, depending on the facts, Airbnb or Vrbo.
Our who is liable page explains how responsibility is sorted out. A free case review is how we find out who is at fault in your case.
Was a detector missing or broken? That can be the heart of your case.
Call 833-236-8253 now, free, 24/7.
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What to Do After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning at a Rental
If you suspect CO poisoning, your health comes first. Then, a few steps can protect your right to a claim:
- Get to fresh air and call 911. Tell the dispatcher and paramedics you suspect carbon monoxide so they bring oxygen.
- Ask the hospital for a carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) blood test. This measures how much CO is in your blood and is key evidence, but the level drops quickly once you are breathing clean air, so the test must be done soon. Keep the result.
- Ask whether you need hyperbaric oxygen treatment. For serious cases, this is a recognized therapy; the records also document how severe your poisoning was.
- Document the home before you leave, if it is safe. Photograph the CO detector (or the bare spot where one should be), the furnace, water heater, gas appliances, any generator, and chimney or vents. This evidence often disappears once the host "fixes" things.
- Report it to the host and the platform in writing. Keep copies of every message.
- Save your reservation, the listing, and receipts.
- Do not accept a quick refund or sign anything before talking to a lawyer, and follow up with your doctor for weeks, since some CO effects appear later.
For a full checklist, see what to do after a vacation rental injury.
Compensation for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Every case is different, and we never promise a specific result, but if you have a valid claim, you may be able to recover money for losses such as:
- Medical bills, including emergency care, hospital stays, and hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
- Future medical care for lasting neurological or heart damage.
- Lost wages and lost earning ability.
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
- Wrongful death damages, if a family member died.
What a claim may be worth depends on the facts. Our compensation page explains the types of damages in more detail.
Why Call Traction Law Group
A carbon monoxide poisoning attorney at Traction Law Group can move quickly to preserve the detector, the appliance, and the utility and service records before they disappear, whether the rental was booked through Airbnb, Vrbo, or another platform.
Carbon monoxide cases are technical. They often require investigating the heating system, the detectors, maintenance records, and the listing, quickly, before evidence disappears. We handle that work for you.
We take on the large platforms and negligent owners. Airbnb and Vrbo have teams of lawyers; you deserve someone who will push back. We are available 24/7, and there is no fee unless we win your case.
You trusted them with your family's safety. Hold them accountable.
Call 833-236-8253 for a free case review, available 24/7.
Start Your Free Case Review →
Frequently Asked Questions
What evidence helps prove carbon monoxide poisoning came from a rental?
Medical records and photographs from the home carry the most weight. A blood test taken soon after exposure can measure carbon monoxide in your blood, and the level drops quickly in fresh air, so ask about it early. Photograph the detector, or the empty spot where one should have been, plus the furnace, water heater, or any generator. Save your reservation, the listing, and every message with the host.
Can I sue Airbnb for carbon monoxide poisoning?
Yes, in many cases you can pursue a claim if you were poisoned by carbon monoxide at an Airbnb. Airbnb requires hosts to have working carbon monoxide detectors in many locations, and a failure to maintain one can support a premises liability claim against the host or property owner. The same is often true for Vrbo listings.
Who pays the medical bills after carbon monoxide exposure at a rental?
Your own health insurance usually pays first, and you may face deductibles and bills the insurer does not cover. If an investigation shows the host, owner, property manager, or platform failed to keep the home safe, those parties or their insurers may ultimately bear those costs through a claim. Do not treat a refund from the host as a substitute for understanding what a claim may cover.
Can I bring a claim if the rental had a carbon monoxide detector but it never went off?
You may. An alarm that failed to sound can point to a dead battery, an expired unit, or a detector placed where it could not do its job, and hosts and owners generally must keep safety equipment working, not just present. A leaking furnace, water heater, or generator can support a claim on its own. Photograph the detector before anyone replaces it, because that evidence often disappears quickly.
Does this apply if the carbon monoxide exposure happened at a Vrbo?
Yes. Everything on this page applies to carbon monoxide poisoning at a Vrbo or any other short-term rental, not just an Airbnb. Your claim rests on the duty the host and property owner owe to keep the property reasonably safe, and that duty does not change with the booking platform. What changes is the paperwork: report what happened to Vrbo in writing through the app, save your reservation and every message, and let us review the listing and Vrbo's published policies as part of your free case review.