Pet fee - how much do you charge?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

Was just thinking about my pet fee and was wondering what everyone else charges? 

[Gerri7]

I shared it in this thread - pls let me know if you don't see it.

One other thought I had ... some of your guests have mentioned that other hosts charge much less than you do - and some don't even charge at all. My response is that most guests (the good ones, anyway) understand that they get what they pay for. I don't think I'd want to take my own dogs to a property unless the owner expects to be compensated and unless there is some sort of screening process, no matter how minimal. If a host doesn't charge pet fees, then he/she will probably have a lot more dogs at the property over time. (Guest thinks "Wow - it's free for dogs - may as well take our coonhound pack." LOL)   A careful, reasonable, fair policy is always better than a free-for-all.  And in my experience, guests who are willing to sign my form have already told me who they are and what they'll be like as guests. We have met so many wonderful dog-owners and dogs over the years. 🙂

[Susie236]

I would like a copy of your dog agreement - it's not in your thread - can you send it to me at ** without the dashes?

**[E-mail address removed due to safety reasons - Community Center Guidelines]

[Susie236]

Never mind - I didn't go far enough - thank you!

[Samuel947]

Hi Gerri, thanks for the details and sharing your ideas. One question: what if a guest instant books before accepting your pet agreement? Or maybe you don't do instant booking?

Thank

Sam

[Gerri7]

Hi Sam,

We do accept instant bookings for guests with prior positive host reviews. I mention in our listings that we charge per night, per dog, subject to conditions outlined in our dog agreement.

When an instant booking comes in, I send a customized email to the guest immediately, explaining that I'm limited as to what I can specify in the 'pets allowed' section, and I share a copy of our Pet Agreement for them to complete and return. If all is ok, I explain that airbnb will contact them with a request for payment of dog fees. I also explain that if they have any concerns or aren't willing to follow our policies for any reason, or object to the fees, I will issue a full refund of what they have paid toward their stay. I apologize for the inconvenience and any confusion.

It is a frustrating, inefficient, awkward process, and it ticks me off every time I have to do it this way. Airbnb really dropped the ball on this and I wish they would fix it. It's just a matter of programming within their system.

The good news is that not one guest has cancelled because of this backwards approach. They're generally thrilled to be able to bring their dog/s and our nightly fees are less than what they'd have to pay to board them.

Hope this helps. 

Gerri

[Lauren3607]

This may be a silly question - where do you send the dog agreement for the guest to sign prior? Do you ask for their emails to send? I know airbnb has their emails, but I don't think they are provided unless I am mistaken..

[Gerri7]

Not a silly question at all. If an instant booking comes in and the guests indicate they're bringing pets, I message them to say 'thanks again for booking' and attach a copy of our Dog Agreement. It's awkward and unprofessional that they can't see it until after they book.

I also tell them in the message that if they have any objections to the terms and conditions, or to the per-night fees, they can cancel and receive a refund of any amounts they've already paid.

When they send the signed dog agreement, I bill them through the Airbnb Resolution center.

As much as I hate having to handle it this way, I will tell you that guests have always been fine with it. They're so happy to be able to bring their dogs (2 max) that a little inconvenience doesn't seem to upset them. 

Hope this helps - there is just no easy way.

Gerri

[Mirko198]

Hello Gerri7

Airborne allows guest to be charged per stay which cannot be more then base price. base price is per day lets say 100/day  x 30 days =3000 and fro dog  would be 100 fro 30 days. I tried to enter 600 but did not allow me. do you use this charge per stay allowed by airbnb?

thank you

[Gerri7]

No. I bill separately through the resolution center. It's the only option that gives us any flexibility.

[Mirko198]

...one more question: would you be willing to send copy of your Do Agreement that you send to your guests, please?

**[Contact details removed - Community Center Guidelines] - Please note that it is not allowed to advertise or share contact details on the Community Center.

[Gerri7]

There's a copy of the Dog Agreement content in this post. Hopefully you'll be able to see it if you scroll through the messages. 🙂

[Vivian1237]

Where did you source you dog agreement? I would love to see it. And how do you charge the $250

[Samuel947]

I feel that Airbnb is intentionally keeping the pet policy restrictive. They can easily give hosts the option of hosting pets by the count and per night or fixed fees. Plus add options for refundable deposit.  If they need help with design/coding, I can assist because the issue is ridiculous. But I am sure programming is not the problem. This flexibility for pets is way overdue. 

[Gerri7]

Well said, and I think you're right. Sometimes they forget that the host is the true customer. Nothing to rent = no income. 

[Ptown0]

The problem with the billing and then refunding through the resolution center is both they and you get charged Airbnb fees, twice, which seems ridiculous and unreasonable for dealing with the pet security deposit. I know they say they provide Aircover insurance but putting down a simple security deposit usually makes people think twice about brining an unruly dog - because it’s their money, not some huge corporation, that’s going to pay for damages.  But it would allow for a smaller security deposit request - in your case $250 seems reasonable and would cover any additional cleaning or small issues like a peed on rug.