Pet fee - how much do you charge?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

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

[Tina112]

I charge $10. I think at hotels it's $15 or more

[Natarsha1]

is this per stay? or per night?

[Barbera0]

Hi Alice and Jeff

I don't charge any pet fee, even provide a litte jar of dog candy and a water bowl; I do however communicate beforehand that I assume that the dog will not be allowed on the bed. So far (4 dog visits) so good..

Regards     Barbera

[Karen-and-Will0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0: I don’t charge anything but under my house rules I reference an additional $150 pet deposit. I chose not to charge a fee because it always irritated me to pay extra for my dogs when we travel. I request well behaved and housebroken dogs in the listing. So far I’m happy to report all of the dogs who have stayed have been great and the yard has been left poop free. We dog proofed the house best we could and offer dog treats, bags, bowls, and extra leashes. I think allowing dogs may have helped book more guests in the off season too. Hope this info is helpful.

Karen
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14569076

[Karen-and-Will0]

@Alice-and-Jeff0:  What do you charge?  What is your policy related to pets?

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Karen-and-Will0 - sorry for the delay in response.  I'm not getting email notifications for threads I'm following. 

We typically charge $15-$25 depending on the type of dog (length of hair, age, do they sleep on the bed, etc.) and ask a ton of questions before hosting a pooch. How an owner responds tells us a lot about how they are going to handle their dog when they are staying with us. Our charge is way less than hotels nearby (from $10/night to flat $100/stay) and way less than a kennel charges ($42/night).  Since we require the pets to be crated when their humans are not in the home, we are prepared to charge a "crate fee" of $10 - but so far - we've convinced everyone we're not pet-sitters so they take them with on their adventures. 

As a former foster home and pet owner (currently pet free), we know the damage that a dog can do when they are stressed and travel is stressful.  We thought we were charging too little, but clearly by these responses, we are not.  We've had so many folks balk at paying us even that nomial fee when kenneling them is so much more expensive.  

Personally, I do not understand why people think their dogs should be free guests.  It's about as silly as why people think kids should be free. But that's probably just me! 

[Stephanie241]

We have a vacation home in a resort area which the guests use independently and we charge $35 per night because we don't want to be less than a kennel and therefore be the default place for the pet. 

It's important that our place is all ready to go, smelling great and looking pristine for the next set of guests so why would we encourage owners to bring their pets by being less than it costs to kennel their pup?  

We feel like it's nice to be able to accommodate an owner's pet on a case by case basis, but we don't want to become a place where guests always bring their dogs.  We also only accept small dogs -- less dander and less hair to shed.

Guests are required to fill-out a pet addendum which describes their pup and gives the rules of the house for the animal.

[Kyle-and-Sandra0]

Where do I get a copy of the pet addendum?

[Tracy668]

@Stephanie241 Do you mind sharing the pet addendum you use? 

many thanks!

[Lorie114]

@Stephanie241 I would like the pet addendum also if you wouldn't mind sharing. Please and thank you!

[Erika909]

Hi! Great answer and excellent points!

Where did you find the pet addendum? Do you send it for signature via AirBnb or to their Email directly?

[Christina227]

Hi Alice and Jeff,

I wanted to reply to your post because I also wonder how people can expect pets to stay for free. We have hosted dozens of animals (dogs, cats, birds...) We charge a flat $20/per pet per stay charge because there is usually a lot of clean up involved after an animal stays in the space. If people stay a shorter time or have a purse puppy that is with them all the time I sometimes waive the fee, or charge half the amount. We have had incredibly good luck with most pets (and their people) who stay here. There have been several annoying instances of people not cleaning up after their pets outside. We also have had people stay and leave their dog alone in the apartment for long stretches. We have had very little damage to the apartment-- once a puppy gnawed on a wooden chair leg, and once a dog wet on the welcome mat inside the front door, but considering how many animals we've hosted (and several which we would have gladly adopted!) we have had great luck hosting pets. 

I do find it uncomfortable and a little annoying to have to talk about the fee whenever anyone with a pet books, though, and wish there was a cleaner way to handle it through the booking process. Cheers! Christina 

[Jeff67]

I think the reason so many people are charging so little is you are seeing "rent a room" responses mixed in.  There is a huge difference between a "rent a room for 35 a night plus $10 cleaning" rental where cleaning basically means 10 minutes of straightening and a "rent the entire house for $150 a night plus $100 cleaning" listing in which a professional cleaner spends 4 hours between each guest taking an already straightened house to polish-perfect.

Believe me when I say that those hosts that charge $100 a stay for an average 4 night rental for cleaning don't consider it a profit center, especially if you include buying house and cleaning supplies, which is typically done by the owner or manager rather than professional cleaners.

[Sarah977]

@Jeff67  10 minutes of straightening? Maybe some 19 year old renting out a spare room might think that's all that's required, but I seriously doubt that most hosts do, whether they charge a cleaning fee or not. I do not charge a cleaning fee for my private room/bath and I spend an hour and a half cleaning that small space from top to bottom between each and every guest.