CO Poisoning in Austin TX Short-Term Rentals: Liability for Unsafe Airbnbs and Vrbos

In 2025, there were close to 15,000 short-term rental listings across platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo in Austin, TX. The property owners who capitalize on this city’s attractions owe their renters a duty of care, including protections against carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. If your vacation in sunny Central Texas becomes a costly hospital stay because of CO inhalation, it’s not your fault. Your body can’t detect the odorless, invisible gas, but a lawyer can prove who was responsible for exposing you to that risk.

Whether you suffered immediate injuries or experienced confusing symptoms that emerged several weeks later, you deserve acknowledgement and compensation. After a preventable CO accident, the Austin personal injury attorneys at Carabin Shaw are dedicated to:

• Helping you understand what happened
• Clarifying who may be legally responsible
• Offering options for accountability and support

Read on to learn more, and you can always call our toll-free number at 1-800-862-1260 at any time to schedule a free consultation.

Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of burning fuel that you can’t detect without alarms. Boilers, water heaters, and ovens are all examples of appliances that burn natural gas to function while releasing CO, which doesn’t hurt us when vented properly.

A lawyer might take your case if CO caused you or a loved one to faint, have a seizure, or experience organ failure—in fact, lung or heart failure is the cause of death from CO poisoning. But even milder symptoms from lower or shorter exposure, like nausea and headaches, might cost you. Delayed neurological symptoms can also appear weeks later, affecting memory, personality, and motor skills. A CO poisoning attorney in Austin TX should leave no damage unaccounted for.

Faulty gas appliances, blocked vents, and nonfunctional detectors all increase the risk of CO poisoning. Because short-term renters are outside their own homes, they’re more vulnerable for a few reasons:

• Lack of familiarity with the property’s systems or warning signs
• False sense of security with platforms like Airbnb, which don’t always require CO detectors
• Hosts’ inconsistent inspections or poor maintenance (even something as simple as failing to replace batteries)

If you’re vacationing, you might have also chosen an Austin Vrbo or Airbnb for its pool. Swimming pool heaters are the most common source of CO poisoning incidents and deaths in U.S. hotels and motels, and an attorney can help you if a leisure feature like this causes your injuries.

Austin requires CO alarms in residences, and knowledge of city ordinances like this one helps a Travis County premises liability lawyer make your case. But who will pay the price? There are a few parties that face the most scrutiny:

• Property owners and hosts, who should follow all legal and safety guidelines
• Property managers, who have liability for gas leaks in Texas, because they share a role in safety compliance
• Rental platforms themselves, or their insurers that cover certain rental incidents

Because liability can be complicated or even shared, consulting an attorney is recommended. However, you might be worried about legal costs, especially on top of other financial burdens you’re facing. While legal fees aren’t typically recouped as damages, we offer our services on a contingency-fee basis. This means you’re obligated to pay only a percentage of what we win.

Documenting injuries, collecting multiple types of evidence, and researching your legal options are all important steps following CO poisoning. Fortunately, our law firm’s client reviews demonstrate the value of our support at each step.

Our consultations are confidential and free, and you can call to schedule one 24/7 in English or Spanish. We know just how much a claim for CO injuries or wrongful death can mean, including addressing long-term needs and making sure no one else endures what your family did ever again.

For more information:

• https://www.kut.org/austin/2025-09-11/austin-tx-airbnbs-short-term-rental-property-changes-city-council
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6744520/
• https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=285971