What should be in an Airbnb first aid kit?

Plasters/bandages in assorted sizes, sterile gauze and dressings, a crepe bandage, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, disposable gloves, scissors, tweezers, a burn dressing or burn gel, an instant cold pack and a foil blanket. Avoid supplying medicines unless local rules allow it.

How often should I check the first aid kit?

Glance inside before every booking to restock anything that was used, and check expiry dates monthly. Replace any item that has been opened, damaged or is past its date.

Where should the first aid kit be kept?

Somewhere a stranger finds it in under a minute without asking — the kitchen or a bathroom, labelled, at adult height, not locked in a cupboard or tucked in a bedroom wardrobe. Say where it is in the welcome guide and in your listing, because a kit nobody can find is the same as no kit at all.

Should I stock painkillers and other medicines?

Think carefully before you do. Supplying oral medicines raises real problems: dosage for children, allergies, interactions with a guest's own prescriptions, and tablets left where a child can reach them. Many hosts deliberately stock dressings and burn care only, and point guests to the nearest pharmacy. Some licensing schemes and insurers take a view on it, so check yours.

Do I need an AED at a short-term rental?

Almost never a requirement, and it is not a substitute for a first aid kit — an AED addresses cardiac arrest and nothing else. It is worth considering if you host large groups or are somewhere an ambulance takes a long time to arrive. If you fit one, it needs a quarterly check of the pad and battery expiry dates, because both expire whether or not the unit is ever used.

Airbnb First Aid Kit Requirements & Checklist

Most guest injuries in a short-term rental are small: a cut finger in the kitchen, a burn from the grill, a scraped knee by the pool. A well-stocked first aid kit that guests can actually find turns those moments into a minor inconvenience instead of a bad review — or a claim. This checklist keeps the kit complete, in date and signposted before every stay.

Use it on paper, or in our Airbnb safety checklist software to assign it to your cleaner, require a photo for every item and generate a compliance report.

Use this template free Download printable PDF

The first aid checklist (5 items)

1
First aid kit stocked & in date
Plasters, dressings, bandage, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, scissors and tweezers are present and nothing is past its expiry date. Photograph the open kit.
Every booking Photo proof
2
First aid kit location signposted
The kit is in a consistent, labelled place and its location is listed in the house manual.
Monthly Photo proof
3
Burn dressing & cold pack included
Burn gel or a burn dressing and an instant cold pack are in the kit — kitchens and grills cause most burns.
Monthly Photo proof
4
Medicines & chemicals stored safely
Cleaning products, pool chemicals and any medicines are stored out of children's reach, ideally locked.
Every booking Photo proof
5
Emergency numbers & nearest hospital posted
Emergency number (911 in the US, 999 or 112 in the UK), property address, nearest urgent care or A&E and your contact number are posted next to the kit.
Monthly Photo proof

Why it matters

Airbnb lets hosts list a first aid kit as a safety amenity, and families with young children often look for it when choosing where to stay.
Some local short-term rental permit checklists include a first aid kit alongside smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
Kits get used and not restocked. Dated photos of the open kit show it was complete when each guest arrived.

This checklist reflects common US and UK safety guidance and is not legal advice. Requirements vary by city, state and UK nation — check with your local authority, fire service and insurer.

The complete first aid checklist

Print it, save it to your phone, or track it digitally so every item carries a photo and a timestamp.

1. The kit itself

Item	What to check	How often
Kit present and labelled	Marked "First aid", in the kitchen or bathroom, at adult height	Every booking
Findable without asking	Not locked away, not in a bedroom, and its location is in the welcome guide	Every booking
Restocked after use	Anything the last guests used has been replaced, not just noted	Every booking
Nothing expired	Dressings, wipes, burn gel and eyewash all carry dates — check them all	Monthly
Seals intact	Sterile items still sealed; anything opened or grubby gets thrown out	Monthly
Full inventory	Against the contents list, at the start of each season	Annually

2. Contents — wound care and tools

Item	What to check	How often
Plasters, assorted sizes	Including washproof, plus a few large ones	Monthly
Sterile gauze and dressings	Small and large, sealed and in date	Monthly
Crepe or roller bandage and tape	Plus a triangular bandage for a sling	Monthly
Antiseptic wipes	Individually wrapped, in date	Monthly
Scissors and tweezers	Blunt-ended shears that cut a dressing, and tweezers for splinters and ticks	Monthly
Disposable gloves	Nitrile rather than latex, so a latex allergy is not a problem	Monthly
Burn gel or burn dressing	The single most used item in a holiday kitchen	Monthly
Instant cold pack	For sprains — the second most used item, usually from the stairs	Monthly
Foil emergency blanket	For shock or cold, particularly useful near water	Monthly
Eyewash	Sealed pods or bottle, in date	Monthly

3. Posted emergency information

Item	What to check	How often
Emergency number	911 in the US, 999 or 112 in the UK	Every booking
Non-emergency medical	UK: NHS 111. US: your local urgent care or nurse line	Quarterly
Poison control	US: 1-800-222-1222. UK: NHS 111	Quarterly
Nearest hospital with an emergency department	Name, address and phone — and check it has not closed or moved	Quarterly
Your number and a backup	Host plus co-host or manager, answered around the clock	Every booking
Full property address	Written out, so a shaken guest can read it to a dispatcher	Every booking

First Aid requirements for short-term rentals: US vs UK

United States

There is no single federal rule for first aid kits in short-term rentals. The duty, where it exists, comes from local permitting:

Short-term rental ordinances in some cities and counties require a stocked, accessible kit as a permit condition
Lodging and transient-occupancy rules can impose their own requirements
Airbnb asks hosts to provide a kit and to say in the listing where it is
Inspectors typically look for accessibility, labelling and in-date contents rather than a specific brand or size

Requirements differ sharply between neighbouring jurisdictions, so check your own city or county ordinance rather than a state-level summary. A kit costs very little and is worth having whether or not your ordinance mentions it.

United Kingdom

Letting property is a business, so general health and safety duties apply, and licensing schemes add their own conditions:

A stocked, accessible first aid kit is standard expectation in holiday-let guidance
Scotland's short-term let licensing and individual council schemes attach their own conditions, which can include first aid provision
Emergency information — 999, NHS 111 and the property address — displayed for guests
An accident book or incident record where your licence or insurer asks for one

Conditions vary between councils and between licence types, so read the conditions attached to your own licence. Recording incidents matters as much as the kit: a dated note of what happened and what was provided is what an insurer asks for later.

How often should you run this check?

Before every bookingKit present, labelled and findable; anything used replaced; emergency information posted
MonthlyExpiry dates across every item, seals intact, and the contents list checked off
QuarterlyPosted hospital and helpline details still correct; AED pads and battery where fitted
AnnuallyFull inventory and replacement of anything approaching its date before the season starts

Restock what was used before the next guest arrives. Everything else can wait for the monthly check.

5 mistakes hosts make

1
Hiding the kit
A locked cupboard or a bedroom wardrobe means guests never find it. Kitchen or bathroom, labelled, adult height.
2
Never checking expiry dates
Sterile dressings, burn gel and eyewash all expire. A full-looking kit can be entirely out of date.
3
Not restocking after use
The plasters go first. If nobody replaces them, the next guest opens an empty box.
4
Stocking loose medicines
Dosage, allergies and interactions are real risks, and tablets in a low cupboard are a risk to children.
5
Out-of-date emergency information
Hospitals close departments and change numbers. Re-check what is on the wall quarterly.

FAQs

What should be in an Airbnb first aid kit?: Plasters/bandages in assorted sizes, sterile gauze and dressings, a crepe bandage, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, disposable gloves, scissors, tweezers, a burn dressing or burn gel, an instant cold pack and a foil blanket. Avoid supplying medicines unless local rules allow it.
How often should I check the first aid kit?: Glance inside before every booking to restock anything that was used, and check expiry dates monthly. Replace any item that has been opened, damaged or is past its date.
Where should the first aid kit be kept?: Somewhere a stranger finds it in under a minute without asking — the kitchen or a bathroom, labelled, at adult height, not locked in a cupboard or tucked in a bedroom wardrobe. Say where it is in the welcome guide and in your listing, because a kit nobody can find is the same as no kit at all.
Should I stock painkillers and other medicines?: Think carefully before you do. Supplying oral medicines raises real problems: dosage for children, allergies, interactions with a guest's own prescriptions, and tablets left where a child can reach them. Many hosts deliberately stock dressings and burn care only, and point guests to the nearest pharmacy. Some licensing schemes and insurers take a view on it, so check yours.
Do I need an AED at a short-term rental?: Almost never a requirement, and it is not a substitute for a first aid kit — an AED addresses cardiac arrest and nothing else. It is worth considering if you host large groups or are somewhere an ambulance takes a long time to arrive. If you fit one, it needs a quarterly check of the pad and battery expiry dates, because both expire whether or not the unit is ever used.