Lack of Transparency by guest about having a Service Dog

[Micca0]

Hello Fellow Host,

Its my first time here and I'm so happy I found all of you. I've read a few of the past post but wanted some assistance as AIRBNB has yet to return my call about the matter and its been 3 days now.

Here is the run down... 

So as a Super Host I truly try to make my properties a home away from home. It's a pleasure to go above and beyond to accommodate each and every guest.  Feel free to read some of my review to see how guest feel about me and my property.

My home is listed as a full house and we DO NOT ALLOW PETS. Main reason is my severe allergies that are so bad I take precription meds. Being I'm the main person cleaning it would be nearly impossible to do due to pet allegiant.

On May 17, 2021 a booking request comes in. I don't have it set to auto book because I'm listed on other sites as well and like to make sure I don't get double booked. It's also a great way to make sure I have an opportunity to chat with guest first to confirm details about the requested stay.  This particular guest was requesting a stay of 4 nights for 5 people. Part of my standard process is to reply with these 3 questions: 1.) Please confirm the total number in your party will be..., 2.) How many vehicles will you have on site?, 3.) Do you have pets traveling with you?. This guest confirmed there will only be 5 of them and 2 vehicles. 

I accepted the booking and reached out 24 hours before the check in on June 11, 2021 to see if they had any special request or questions I could answer. The wife rudely rushed me off the phone and said she didn't understand why I would be calling them when no other host has ever called to welcome them before. I apologize that no other host had ever called her and asked her to please let me know when they would be checking in on the next day. As she hung up she said we'll get back to you on the portal.

Fast forward to the day of check in. No return calls or response to me on the portal. I messaged 2 more times to see if they had any info on what time they planned to arrive. After no response and it was nearing the 4pm check in time on my listing I decided to simply give the couple instruction for entry and even sent a welcome video tour of the home  to the cell phone on file and access info on the portal.  Still nothing, no response from them until...  

I must add that I'm a very transparent person so my listing states we do Have a Ring Door Bell at entry and exterior of the home. It also states we may use it to verify if a guest has checked in. 

My thoughts are they missed the info on my listing about the Rind Door Bell and arrived to check in and saw the my Ring Door Bell Sign at the front door entry because here is the exact message I received from them about 8:30pm on the AIRBNB portal. 

Guest:

Hi Micca. We made it to the house!!! Looks so nice. Recieved your message and texts with videos. Thanks so much.

Out of courtesy, I also like to let our host know that my wife has a service dog. AirBnB is aware and it is noted on our account. We are looking forward to our stay here in Cypress.

My issue with this is I asked weeks before if he would be traveling with any pets. I called 24 hours before check in and spoke with his wife the owner of the service animal and no one said a word to me before they showed up with the animal.  I'm sure the plan was to just bring the animal inside the home and not tell me anything because they saw my home was a NO PET house. The Ring Door Bell made them come up with an excuse. Thats my take on what happened.  

I know people with service animals and they would first make contact and let the owners know they have a service animal. They usually only stay in places that are pet friendly and not a home that says not pets. They would never be so rude as to bring them into a home that clearly states no pets. This guest even accepted the house rules that show no pets. 

So of course I was very disappointed in the guest and expressed it in my response. Being very professional about it. Here is his response to my concerns.

Guest:

I understand. However it is important you know that this dog is not a pet. It is a service animal and protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please see Airbnb policy below:

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1869/what-is-an-assistance-animal

The interesting part is he believed he was paying me a courtesy by telling me after he brought the dog into my home.  This is just so unbelievable sad on so many levels. Unfortunately  AIRBNB leans more on the guest side than the host. I read info int he link and the only thing they do is suggest transparency. It should be required that guest state at booking that they will have a service animal on site. That was at least the host could be prepared. I would have had my carpet cleaner booked, left dog waste bags so they could clean up behind the animal and so on. 

So what I'm requesting of this awesome community is feedback on how to review him so other host can be warned. I also send out a list of check out requirements to all my guest and want you option on how my #1 item on the list look. I'm open to suggestions. I'm sending the first 3 items of my request so you can get a feel for what it would normally look like without an animal living in the home. Items marked #2 & #3 would normally be my #1 & 2 on a list with no animal. Also, not I'm using the lingo pet/animal/service because so no matter how he wants to refer to it I'm covered. Thanks in advance. 

Things to do before check out:

1.) Please be a responsible service animal/dog/pet owner and clean all dog waste, hair, and dander from the interior and exterior of the property before departing. 

2.) Load the dishwasher of all used items and start it before departing. We will put them away.

3.) Return any items you have moved or used to the original check in location before check out. EX: If you used a bike, games, toys, high chair, toddler bed or moved a lamp or chair.  Please put them back where they originated. 

Thanks in advance everyone and have an amazing week.

[Micca0]

@Kia272 @Thank you for taking the time to prepare such a well expressed response. I appreciate the feedback.

 Every guest presents a new learning experience is what I’m finding over these last 4+ years of hosting. 

I've learned a valuable lesson with this one. Also, my home is total a home away from home and there are so many things that gets misplaced. it’s full loaded. Sometimes it’s takes me 2 past bookings to locate items. Lol

So I learned to ask guest to put things back where the moved them from. it won’t be perfectly placed but beats me spending hours located them. Example if you take a bike that was hanging from the garage ceiling down to ride it take a little effort to hang it back up. It usually goes over well so I’ve not removed it taht request. 

This was my first guest that didn’t care for the welcome call over all my guest so maybe I can do a welcome message on Airbnb initially. It just seems so impersonal. Before Covid I greeted all my guest and at check in and gave them a full tour of the home. They all loved it. It also gave me time to connect which I feel helps with reviews. 

You should read some of my reviews. 

Well thanks again appreciate you and Blessings to you. 

[Kia272]

@Micca0  I did read some of your reviews. You seem to be an amazing host who goes above and beyond. I don't think you are charging enough for what you offer, but that's your decision. 

I do want to note another thing that you might want to consider: I too USED to greet guests and give them a short welcome tour BEFORE Covid. I no longer do that. I can't speak for everyone, but I think peoples' boundaries have changed, and I would never put guests in the position of having me in the cabin with them- even masked- during Covid. I think the appeal of having a stand-alone whole property was that nobody had to come in contact with me or other humans, unless they wanted too. I let them know that I was only a message away, and we also could meet outside if necessary. I think people appreciated that, and everything has gone smoothly even without the "welcome" tour. 

What you consider to be a warm welcome, may have been considered an uncomfortable situation, and they may not have felt comfortable asking you to not show them around. 

I noticed that you were hosting throughout the pandemic, and in Texas no less. Quite a hot-spot for a while. 

I'm suggesting to you- kindly, I hope- that you reconsider these several things-phone calls, welcome tours-  through the eyes of your guests. Obviously, you'll make the decision that you feel is best, but sometimes a different perspective can help in reconsidering things like this.  

Best, Kia

[Sarah977]

@Micca0  While some others here have said they feel the welcome phone call is intrusive, the fact that this is what you have done for 5 years, and have plenty of great, appreciative reviews, tells me there is nothing wrong with you doing this- it was just this particular guest who was upset by it. 

As a home share host, I totally understand the personal interaction and I do think that guests will be more respectful when there is obviously a real person they relate to at some point, somehow, rather than just faceless check-in with off-site host.

I have observed a strange phenomenon with phoning these days. Many people, especially millennial age, like my 38 year old daughter, and younger ones, never answer their phones at all- they really only text, whatsapp, or use social.media to connect. When I asked my 19 year old granddaughter about that, she said that she gets so many robocalls and telemarketers, that she won't answer unless the phone number is already in her contacts list. 

So maybe it's better to send your welcome message on Airbnb, or text it, as there seem to be people who resent an unexpected call. But personally, I don't think you did anything wrong in that regard.

On the one hand, we have hosts complaining that guests in their entire home listings don't respect the home, but on the other hand, advising that hosts remain some faceless entity, maintaining a professional distance, which I feel is part of the problem of guests showing little respect.

[Alexandra199]

Oh wow, I feel your pain. I had exactly this happen to me. The dog was not a service dog, no training, no papers, no harness etc. It was left alone at the property against the rules I gave the guests when i heard they were bring a dog. Dog urinated on carpets and furnishings £700 worth of damage which i had to claim via airbnb. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you review this guest. You dont have to mention the dog but you could give very low stars for communication and house rules. That way hosts with instant book on can avoid having to take a booking from this person. I'm sorry but i have no sympathy at all for this guest. They blatantly ignored your rules regarding pets and were clearly devious in not mentioning they had a dog. Any reasonable person with an assistance dog (different from an emotional support animal) would have happily told you about it. The fact they said noting speak volumes.

[Alexandra316]

@Micca0 You can add me to the list of people who wouldn't want a phonecall from a host unless something was really wrong. @Sarah977 is correct: millennials generally don't use their phones for phonecalls. Personally, I would prefer that communication be kept in text. I would likely never mention it in a review or say anything about it to a host because hey, we're all different, but I wouldn't like it. 

Did you have your notes regarding animals in your rules before this happened? Your verbiage may deter people from booking, but it's not really enforcable. Also, you make mention of the security deposit in a couple places: there is no security deposit, but an amount a guest could theoretically be charged in the event of damage. Again, it may deter some people who don't know how Airbnb works, but the chances of you collecting $400 for someone bringing a pet is low unless you can get the guest to agree to pay, or you can show receipts to that effect (and even then, it has a good chance of being denied). The chances of you collecting an arbitrary fee from someone bringing a service animal is pretty much zero. I think the rules come across as kind of aggressive and may have the effect of deterring good guests. I would go with an approach of explaining that you have a serious animal allergy and the property has to remain animal-free for that reason and leave it at that. In particular, the statement that ït's not difficult to find an animal-friendly place isn't all that cool. One, people with service animals aren't required to do that, and two, it's not actually that easy to find animal-friendly properties. 

Personally, I don't think it would be an issue to mention the dog in the review as long as it's mentioned in a completely neutral way. You could say something like:

"X, his wife and her dog stayed with us for X nights. Communication could have been improved, and more cleaning than usual was required after checkout" (if that's the case). Give reduced stars accordinly. I definitely wouldn't wade into the service dog issue at all, but I can't see an issue with mentioning that a dog was present. Mentioning it in a benign way may at least trigger another host to ask the question if they also have a serious animal allergy, and I wouldn't see a reason for Airbnb pulling a review like that. I agree that the guest's behaviour sounds rude: their response to your call seems really hostile and not responding regarding check-in time  is disrespectful, and that has nothing to do with bringing the dog. 

[Kim916]

I feel your pain as I also had an experience similar to yours. A couple was driving in the for a long holiday weekend. While driving,  their first host cancelled requiring them to make last minute accommodations (same day). They reached out to me and I accepted their inquiry only because it was Thanksgiving weekend and they wrote a compelling note.  I am also a host that calls and texts guests and I used to greet them prior to COVID to ensure check-in was a breeze and to put names with faces. The demographics of my guests tend to be older, retired adults that are not easily put off by phone calls/texts and somewhat prefer it.

During the meet and greet is when I discovered the couple had a pit bull a.k.a an emotional support animal. I was shocked they didn't mention it but they knew AIRBNB's policy very well. They politely told me to take it up with AIRBNB. I did and mentioned that a family member residing on the same property has an allergy. AIRBNB confirmed for me what you have now found out as well, we would need to learn to live peacefully for the duration of their stay. Another interesting fact is the dog was left alone one night while the couple was out.

The biggest difference in my situation is that our listing is an annex and not a stand alone property so we were able to get the allergy noted on our account and refuse animals in the future.  It is such a yucky feeling to start off a visit/home stay this way. The couple was very nice and we really liked each other but there was a momentary feeling of being had.

AIRBNB's approach to this policy has always been a head scratcher for me. I remember reading about some hosts that had their own pets and had to accommodate surprise service animals, talk about an uncomfortable situation.  This could all be potentially dangerous. 

I am not trying to give pit bulls a bad name but they are known to be a more aggressive breed of dog, especially if a threat is detected. This could potentially be a huge problem if hosts have pets or in our situation need to enter the property in the case of an emergency. On one occasion we had to enter the casita in the middle of the night to assist guests with a fire alarm caused by a fire not being properly extinguished in the fireplace. The outcome could have been not good if there was a dog in the casita, especially a pit bull. I also wondered about how this would be protected under our insurance since it seems like insurance companies try to avoid covering pit bulls.  Once again, I am not trying to give pit bulls a bad reputation nor am I trashing them, it was just a fact that I thought should be considered in my instance.

I left a review sans the emotional support animal. They were well within AIRBNB's policy which is very loosely written and only recommend guests to be transparent. I was also made very aware that this was not a hill I wanted to die on. I hope you can find a way to avoid this situation in the future and avoid having your property flagged as discriminatory. On the bright side, once in 5 years is not too bad but I hope it is the only one for the duration of your hosting career. Happy hosting and we see you even when it feels AIRBNB doesn't. Take care and be well. 

[Sarah977]

@Kim916  I am a dog owner myself and I quite agree with you about pit bulls. I'm so sick of hearing how someone's pit bull is just a sweetheart who wouldn't hurt a fly. It isn't a matter of giving the breed a bad name- they are bred for fighting- it is in their DNA, it isn't the dog's fault, nor is the owner able to do anything about that. Just as many types of herding dogs do not need to be taught to herd, it's just a natural instinct, it is a natural instinct of a pit bull, if it is triggered by something, to attack and not let go- their jaws are like iron.

You read of these tragic cases where grandpa's pit bull, that he's had for years, suddenly rips the face of his grandchild. I don't know why anyone would want one as a pet and the only people who should have them are skilled dog trainers who understand how to handle them and aren't in denial about how dangerous they can be.

My dog, who is a husky type, weighs 70 pounds, is an alpha female and quite territorial, was attacked by a pit bull, while just minding her own business down by the river next to my house, and although she managed to get away without serious injury, she had a tooth hole in her side, and a chunk of flesh ripped off her leg in 30 seconds.

[Summer64]

I think this is another time that I'm thankful I live in my listing-it is harder for anyone to pull this kind of stuff knowing I live there. I think that some probably see I live on site and move on to another listing.

I have rules specifically about service animals. I'm guessing they (hopefully) discourage people from trying to bring an animal to my home. Rules on my listing:

Assistance Animals: They are allowed, however you will need to communicate up front that one is coming as I also have an animal in the house that is not a fan of other animals. They are not allowed loose in my home except when in the room with door shut. You must take the assistance animal with you whenever you leave my home. The animal is not allowed on bed or furniture and you must pick up all waist. I have gaps in the fence-so you'll need to supervisor your animal outside and I'm not responsible if the animal gets out of the yard. Any damage or mess needs to be reported immediately and you will be charged for replacement/clean up.

According to AirBnB policy, a host may ask:

1. Whether the assistance animal is required because of a disability

2. What work or task the animal has been trained to perform

By booking with me, you are agreeing to these rules.