Service animals & pet fees

[Margaret1384]

Good morning,

I'm beginning my third month of hosting and appreciate the education I'm receiving here from contributors.  My house has a no pet policy but I understand that I must accept guests with service animals.  If a guest says they have a service animal when requesting a booking - which I understand they're not required to do - is it acceptable to add a pet cleaning fee? I've had one such experience so required two extra cleaning days.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Margaret1384 Simple answer is no. You cannot add a pet fee primarily because a service animal is not a pet. 

[Margaret1384]

Thank you - much appreciated!

[Helen3]

If you to to the Airbnb Help website it's a really good resource for understanding Airbnb's policies including it's service animal policy which includes questions you can ask guests who tell you they have a service animal, @Margaret1384 

[Margaret1384]

Thank you so much!

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Margaret1384 

Good advice from @Helen3 and @Mike-And-Jane0 . As was mentioned you may NOT charge any fee for a guest bringing a service animal and it's a good idea to thoroughly  read through Airbnb's policy on Service Animals and ESAs (Emotional Support Animals). Be very careful when dealing with guests who say they are bringing a service animal and do NOT violate any of Airbnb's requirements. Guests are NOT required to even tell you they are bringing a service animal; they can just show up and tell you their dog is a service animal. Most responsible owners will always inform a Host they are bringing a service animal and legitimate service animals provide vital assistance to their owners and are generally well trained and behaved. 

If the guest tells you after booking they are bringing a service animal, you CAN follow Airbnb's policies which allow the host to state the following (should you decide this is your policy). Be sure to document this in a message to the guest (right after booking if possible if they tell you they are bringing a service animal) and include the Airbnb Help Article Link for the guest:

Airbnb's Policies Regarding Service Animals & ESAs

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3052

Hosts can have the following retrictions with service animals:

- The service animal may not be left alone in/around the property

- The service animal must be on a leash when outside

- Owners are required to pick up all pet waste

ESAs (Emotional Support Animals)

ESAs are not considered service animals. Per Airbnb policy, you are not required  to accept an ESA (Emotional Support Animal) if you don't wish to (except in NY or CA currently). NY & CA do require hosts to accept ESAs. Each state has different requirements regarding ESAs, but currently only NY & CA require Hosts to accept them to my knowledge. You can charge a pet fee for an ESA. Hosts that normally accept pets and charge a pet fee sometimes waive the pet fee for an ESA, but that is up to you.

CAUTIONS:

Never refer to a service animal as a "pet" in any communication; they are not pets

Never use discriminatory language in any communication; written or verbal

[Margaret1384]

I greatly appreciate your thorough response - even answered a question I hadn't thought to ask yet...thank you!

[Joan2709]

@Margaret1384 

Forgot to mention...

Looks like your property is in Kentucky, but for ESAs in NY or CA, I believe Hosts are not only required to not accept ESAs, but I believe they are not allowed to charge a fee. 

[Joan2709]

....oops, meant *required to accept ESAs and can't charge a pet fee in NY & CA. 

[Margaret1384]

@Joan2709 - morning...and thank you...again!

[Anna9871]

it's clear about a "pet fee", but if the listing is a pet-free, and guests came with ESA, can you charge a sanitary cleaning fee which is mentioned in the house rules?

[Helen3]

In most countries /areas you don't have to accept an ESA pet at all if you have a pet free home @Anna9871 

Please see earlier advice from  @Joan2709b and Airbnb's service animal and ESA policies 

[Anna9871]

I was asking specifically about CA. Not charging a pet fee, because the house is a pet-free and don’t allow pets, so the listing doesn’t have a pet fee in the system, but house rules have “no pets - bringing a pet of any kind - termination of the stay + sanitary cleaning fee”. Dogs (even it’s a SA or ESA) are shedding anyway. This is what I’m asking. Are hosts allowed to charge additional deep cleaning fee?

[Joan2709]

@Anna9871 

Here is an excerpt from Airbnb's Accessibility Policy for Service Animals & ESAs. I would read through it carefully to prevent any future issues. The short answer is you cannot charge a fee for an ESA in NY or CA (currently). You can charge a fee for ESAs in other states in the US. I would disclose in your House Rules what the ESA fee will be:

Accessibility Policies

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1869

Emotional Support Animal: An animal that provides companionship, relieves loneliness, or helps with depression, anxiety, or certain phobias but is not required to have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities

• What we allow:
  • Unless the reservation is a stay in New York or California (USA) or another location where applicable law prohibits it:
    • Hosts may charge pet fees for a guest who is traveling with an emotional support animal
    • Hosts are allowed to decline the presence of emotional support animals from a stay or Experience

[Joan2709]

@Anna9871 

If you are in CA, then as you mentioned, you can't charge a fee for an ESA. You could try sending a resolution claim for excessive damage (as you would with any guest who leaves the propety in a state that requires addl cleaning), but you would need to document it very carefully (photos). I would not refer to the ESA as a pet in the communications with Airbnb or guest, nor refer to the additional cleaning resolution request as "pet damage." Just say something like "repair scratches on furniture, addl cleaning costs to remove dog hair from furniture, bedding and urine and/or animal feces stains on carpets."

Get details on pet fees, reimbursement for pet damage, and service animals

https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/what-you-need-to-know-about-hosting-pets-463