Airbnb pet policy

[Daniel9153]

          Just curious if I'm the only one that is perplexed and bothered by Airbnb's pet policy.  In particular how someone can avoid paying for the pet fee by simply claiming they have an emotional support "Animal."  No proof needed, which would be easy to submit let alone forge.  A "Service animal" I understand, which is also defined as a dog according to Airbnb. Airbnb defines an "Emotional Support Animal" as any type of animal.  I interpret this rule to mean anyone can claim any animal as an emotional support animal and not even disclose it to you the property owner, and not have to pay for it either.  It should be up to the homeowner to determine if they want a pet in their house or not. Also, it should be up to the owner of the house to determine what type of pets are allowed in their house, not to mention the cleaning fee the owner will have to pay out of their own pocket. I can go on and on about this, but I encourage everyone to read Airbnb's pet policy and tell me what they think.  

          In closing I also encourage everyone to read VRBO's pet policy, you will find it reasonable and friendly to the individuals that are the principle reason short-term rental companies like Airbnb and VRBO are in business.

[Sarah977]

@Daniel9153  Are you the only one? Hahaha. Use the search engine on this forum- there must be 40 threads with hundreds or even a thousand posts on the absurdity of guests claiming their ill-trained pet is an ESA and Airbnb making it easy and  free for them to do so.

[Emilie]

Hi @Daniel9153, 

I wanted to let you know that our policy had been updated to honour your concerns, giving you more control over pet fees. You can find more information here. 

Thanks again for all your feedback!

Emilie