Guests don't add their pets to the listing

[Mark4070]

Good morning. The Airbnb hosting experience has been great so far but, after only 4 guests, the same problem with pets has come up twice. We allow pets but charge a small fee for the extra time our cleaning service takes. Both guests did not register their pets to activate the fee. When challenged (politely) about it they modified the reservation right away and said they didn't know. Do you have tips to modify the listing to better highlight the need to register pets? Is this problem more widespread and in need of an Airbnb platform update more than a listing update?

[Sarah977]

@Mark4070  Change your listing wording from "Up to two pets are allowed with a prepaid fee." to "Any pets that will  be accompanying you must be mentioned at the time of booking and added to the booking form. We accept up to two pets only and there is a prepaid fee which will be added."

[Amanda660]

I have pets (well dogs) specified in my listing and ask at the time if booking they’ll bringing dogs.   If it’s a yes then I bill them via the resolution centre and ensure it’s settled before arrival. 

I include this wording in my listing

and thus far (touch wood) nothing has slipped through. 

We love pooches and behaved dogs under 25 kilos are very welcome at a charge of £10 per dog per night and a maximum of 2 dogs.

Please bring their beds and refrain from allowing them on the beds and sofas. Remember to mention canine guests when booking or enquiring so we can approve the request and add them to your stay.

[Lorna170]

@Mark4070   It is the fault of the way that people are searching on AirBnB and other platforms.  The programmer's expectation is for the guest to input the number of persons when starting their search -- then ONLY if they open the guest dropdown is there a pet entry, BUT directly under the pet checkbox it says, "bringing a service animal?" so perhaps the pet owner thinks that the entry is ONLY for service animals, not their pet.   

Follow Sarah's advice regarding the wording in your listing -- I also note that all pets must be registered at booking in my house rules.  To "catch" those guests who "forget" to include their pets, my response email acknowledges that their rental is for X adults and NO PETS.  That usually gets their attention.

[Mark4070]

Thank you all for the feedback. I've updated my listing with your advice and will also incorporate @Lorna170 's lesson into my response email.