New at farm hosting, no pet policy

[Stacy309]

Hi there.  We just finished setting up our listing and we are concerned about the pet policy.  According to AirBNB we are not allowed to refuse guests with service animals.  Is there an exemption for farms?  For the protection of my animals (tiny baby goats whose number one predator/biggest threat is domesticated dogs), as well as the safety of guests animals (we have horses that with one kick can kill anything, and livestock guardian dogs that are trained to basically kill any animal that comes near their livestock).  To me it seems like a huge liability and so our listing says no pets allowed in multiple areas.  Anyone have any experience with this? 

Does this information from AirBNB cover me? 

Health or safety concerns

If your listing includes a shared space and an assistance animal would create a health or safety hazard to you or others (EX: allergies or potential issues with other animals), you don’t have to host the guests with the assistance animal. Please share this information on your listing to avoid any potential disappointment and be clear and polite when communicating with guests about this.

[Anonymous]

@Stacy309 They are a bit vague about what exactly constitutes a "shared space," but if the farm grounds are part of the listed space, or guess must pass through them to enter the home, they should qualify.

In practice, though, Airbnb gives guests broad latitude to call any untrained pet a "service animal" and take it with without prior notice to a home with a no-pet policy. What this means for you is that self-check-in is not a good option - you have to meet the guests on arrival and keep an eye out to make sure they're not smuggling in any dogs, and also be prepared to turn them away if they are. In doing so, you would likely forfeit the payout for the booking, risk a retaliatory review, and might have to go through customer-support hell to prove you have legitimate cause to refuse emotional support pitbulls and keep your listing from getting suspended.

Hopefully it won't come to that, though. As long as you don't use Instant Book, you can have this discussion at each request and accept only guests who earn your confidence that they'll obey the necessary rules of your farm. 

[Stacy309]

@Anonymous Thank you, this was very helpful.  I get that they have to treat very lightly on discrimination, but I don't like how they can force people to allow animals that could potentially kill their livestock.  I updated my listing to say I will meet them at check in to give them the key code (that was a great idea).  I do have instant book turned on right now, but I was considering turning it off anyway.  I do have a message that says absolutely no pets/animals allowed and do not continue with this booking if you do not agree with this rule.  

[Anonymous]

@Stacy309 with a unique listing like yours, I think it's worth the time to go even further than just a quick meet and greet at check-in. Your target guests are there for a unique experience, not just a place to sleep, so they'll really appreciate getting shown around the grounds and introduced to the animals. This goes a long way toward making them feel welcome in the outdoor areas, but it also reminds them that they've been invited to a special, personal place that they're expected to treat with care and respect. Without that personal touch from the host, many guests tend to think of their Airbnb just as some other thing they ordered off the internet like some cheap crap from Amazon.

That correspondence before non-instant bookings is the best chance to make sure you get guests who appreciate what's special about your place. Your first few reviews are crucial for the listing's success, so you want to make sure the guests are the right fit for what you offer. 

[Robert5781]

We have a similar concern with "Assistance Animals".  We have chickens and goats that are in our back yard pasture who are guarded by a working livestock guardian dog (Great Pyrenees).  Our listing states that we have a no-pets policy because our LGD is likely to perceive any other dog as a predator.  I've had a couple reservation requests where the prospective guest identifies that they have an assistance animal.  Each time I've explained that I can't guarantee the safety of their pet, they have cancelled their reservations.