Hi!
Yes, this does happen occasionally and you’re right, Airbnb requires hosts to accept service dogs and emotional support animals in most situations, even if a listing says “no pets.”
For regular pets (non-service animals), guests are supposed to get host approval first. If someone brings a pet without notifying you, that’s considered a house-rules violation.
In that case you can:
• Document it take a quick photo or short note showing there was an undeclared pet.
• Message the guest politely through Airbnb so it’s recorded, e.g. “I noticed you brought a dog. Since pets aren’t listed as allowed, can you please confirm whether this is a service animal?”
• Contact Airbnb Support if it turns out to be an unapproved pet; they can step in, help manage cleaning fees or mediation, and log the incident.
Most of the time, a calm message resolves it quickly. Keeping communication on the platform protects you and helps Airbnb handle it fairly. 😊
