Why I Take Issue With Airbnb's Policies Around 'Emotional Support' Animals...

[Rebecca181]

I have an issue with Airbnb's policy declaring that an emotional support animal is to be treated the same as an ADA-protected animal, because as a licensed psychotherapist, I am aware that many people are able to easily convince a licensed mental health professional that they 'need' their pet to be documented / authorized as an 'emotional support animal' but the true intent is that they wish to travel anywhere with the animal and not be challenged on it. I know this first hand, as I am a licensed therapist. I have refused more than once such requests (even from a few friends and acquaintances who were not clients!) because they were not justified and it would be unethical for me to agree to such a request - but some therapists are not so diligent. Also, it is my understanding that the ADA does not recognize or protect under the law 'emotional support animals' . Here are the two 'policies' (Airbnb policy and ADA federal law):

Airbnb's Policies: "Emotional Support Animal: Airbnb defines assistance animals to include Emotional Support Animals. These are animals that are used as part of medical treatment and/or therapy to assist with an individual’s daily functional tasks, but are not limited to a specific type of animal and are not required to be trained to assist an individual in a particular task. These animals are sometimes referred to as comfort animals or therapy animals."

And this is from the ADA: 

"If you're an individual with an emotional or psychological disability- emotional support animals can be an excellent companion. While emotional support animalsare used as part of some medical treatment plans, they are not considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).Nov 11, 2016"

 I therefore am concerned that Airbnb has it's own policy around this and has included emotional support animals in it's anti-discrimatory categories, even though the ADA does not. It would seem to put the host in an unfair position. I have seen some cavalier responses on other forums to hosts asking about this issue, such as, "So if the animal destroys something just take photos and collect money for it from the guest and kick them out", etc. Well, if you are booked pretty much full-time year-round like we are, with same day turnover, finding that a guest's supposed "support" animal has destroyed something in your rental a few hours before the next guest checks in, or having a guest checking in who understood your property to be a pet-free zone and they chose it in part for this reason due to allergies, etc, can put undue hardship on both the host and the guest that follows the support animal's 'visit'. I'd be curious to hear people's thoughts on this. It irks me, frankly, that Airbnb is seemingly not aligning it's policies with ADA definitions and laws. Your thoughts? By the way, please do not assume I do not enjoy animals. I in fact originally had my Cottage listed as pet-friendly, but my two large dogs and the guest dogs engaged in barking and territorial behavior despite a wall separating them and despite all dogs being relatively well behaved. The guest dogs tend to mark their 'new' territory in such cases, so this was an issue as well. As a therapist, I specialize in animal assisted therapy (horses and dogs). So this is not about my not wanting animals on my property. It is about hosts being put in an unfair position unnecessarily, given federal laws do not recognize emotional support animals as a protected animal but Airbnb does, as well as the fact that in some cases the 'emotional support' animal title and privilege is being misused / abused by both clients and licensed mental health professionals at times. Therapists whose incomes depend on accommodating their clients sometimes have trouble saying "No - that would not be ethical", particularly when they are new to the field and trying to build a clientele. There is also the matter of our not being allowed to have guests sign animal addendums or waivers, nor can we collect extra fees. In my dog addendum guests had to agree to de-flea dogs before visiting the Cottage and to pay for de-fleaing if I had to fumigate after their stay - which also would result in possible loss of income for me if guests following could not be accommodated by me.

[Rebecca181]

@Fred13 HA! Declaring that one's animal is an emotional support animal is a very popular and common thing to do in San Francisco (I used to live there and have many therapist friends still practicing there). Is San Francisco still the headquarters for Airbnb? That would explain a lot, if S.F. based executives themselves enjoy traveling with their dogs. In Oregon where I live now, ANY animal can enter a business if it is an emotional support animal. The owner of our local bar is really upset about it. I told her to buy a bigger bar-stool for my horse...

[Matthew285]

@Rebecca181, that's terrific!

I had been worried about finding a place to eat out with my emotional support Killer Whale. Now I know where I can go!

[Rebecca181]

@Matthew0, well, my Cottage / Airbnb is just 300 feet from the beach, so after you and your whale pour back a few beers, feel free to crash and splash over here!

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

@Rebecca181,  

We recently had an instant book for 2 people with an "emotional support cat".  Well, I'm allergic to cats, but I was willing to try to understand this.  So I asked a lot of questions.....

Me: "You'll be here for 4 days while moving out of another location, where will the cat be?"

Them: "We will leave them at your place while we are moving things from this apartment to storage."

Me: "Won't you need the emotional support animal in case there is an issue with the move out?"

Them: "No.  Just having the cat secured at your place will be enough."

Me: "Well, the cat will need to be crated while you are away from our home and dismantling your apartment.  Will you be providing a crate or should I plan to have one for you?"

Them: "No, the cat will need to be free during the day, he cannot be cooped up all day." 

Me: "If he is a support animal, he needs to either be with the person he is supporting or he should be able to crate up when not in service.  This is the basis for support animal companionship.  If the cat cannot be crated and you do not need them to be in service where the owner is located, they can go to a kennel while you are away from our home.  Would you like us to provide you with a few placees that we think will be able to assist you?" 

Them: cancelled. "We don't think this is a good fit."    

Me: (to myself) of course it's not because you are a liar and a bad pet owner who won't spend the money to put your animal in a safe environment with caregivers.  Cheapskates. 

This Airbnb decision is almost as bad as allowing for 5 infants under the age of 2 to stay for free.  That's the first most ridiculous decision regarding guests and the Support Animal situation is the second.  So glad that we are home-sharers so we can say "no" to so much more than private-space renters.  

[Rebecca181]

@Alice-and-Jeff0 - I appreciated this gripping story you told so well - And this is exactly why I created the original post. Here's my biggest concern: Based on Airbnb's policy that an Emotional Support Animal is to be treated in the same manner as an ADA-protected animal assistant, even us home-sharers would appear to be violating Airbnb's policies if we deny a guest because of an Emotional Support Animal. In fact, we are not only unable to deny hosting the guest and animal(s), we are not able to charge an extra fee (deposit for damages, fleas, etc), nor can we ask the guest to submit documentation to us to verify the animal is certified as a support animal. Nor can we ask the guest to sign a waiver, such as "I understand that there are two large dogs on the property (owner's dogs) and that there is no fenced area and that the listing is not recommended for pets and therefore assume all risk when bringing my dog", or, "I understand that I will be subject to charges should my support animal destroy or damage anything in or around the property", etc, etc, etc. Not to mention that we seemingly cannot even ask what KIND of 'animal' the guest is bringing - I do not believe that Airbnb has even defined 'animal', so I guess I can bring my horse if I want to and the owner just has to deal with it. Good grief! Any thoughts on this? Because I am thinking of putting my concern on "Host Voices" and asking other hosts to help me kick this up to The Powers That Be at Airbnb for review and (re)consideration. It is clear to me many hosts are uncomfortable with this policy, which does not align with ADA's own laws around animal assistants. Your thoughts?

[Don-and-Sandy0]

I was surprised to read that a guest does not even need to inform or ask the host if they can bring Fido,  a rabbit that chews wires, a territory marking cat, or apparently any other pet. We have all, unfortunately, hosted dishonest guests, and without prior approval or even the need to produce proof of documentation, guests will be bringing their pets rather than paying for a kennel. Besides the risk to home, which stresses hosts because many of us do not have time for repairs,  to disinfect smells, or take extra cleaning time for hair removal between guests, and we try so hard to have things perfect for incoming guests, think of the safety issues! Covid 19 has cost all of us as we do our best to keep guests safe by renting sheets, doing extra cleaning, covering couches and chairs, etc., but according to this policy, we are to allow any pet in our house without requiring shots to be updated or even that the pet be house trained. Insurance companies restrict coverage with certain breeds and one lawsuit would be devastating. I had one guest verify that there had been no pets at our cottage, since her son has severe reactions. What if a guest had brought one without informing me?This policy could literally kill someone. Please, Airbnb, support your hard working hosts who are trying to protect their guests and property!

[Rene-and-Zac0]

I had an iguana belt once. It felt amazingly soft. It’d still hurt to get spanked with though so watch out! Lol 

[Rebecca181]

Dang, this is a fun group, where have you all been my entire life???

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Fred13 of course you can't refuse to host aliens, it is in ABB Non discrimination policy : D

Airbnb hosts may not

• Decline a guest based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status.

[Lawrene0]

Planet of origin is tricky, @Branka-and-Silvia0. I hate to say this, but I have been having trouble with Earthlings lately. I'm hoping it is just a language thing. 

[Rebecca181]

And that includes ILLEGAL aliens, too. (And Sting, who is a 'legal alien', of course.)

[Fred13]

Hahaha. I knew all I need it to do was to plant the seed, and you all with such creative minds would finish the tree. :>)

[Matthew285]

@Fred13, your listing might be the only one actually capable of hosting an emotional support Killer Whale.

[Fred13]

   Speaking off, I live on the mainland and those big brute iguanas like 'Rango' are all over the place, so I get the bright idea to put a small one in the island, for guests to 'enjoy' seeing - what a mess!

   This lady went hysterical when she saw him and we had to chase him all over the trees to capture him and bring him back.

[Rebecca181]

@Fred0, sorry, but I absolutely have to draw the line at hosting trees. Not that I have anything against trees. It's just that I find some of them to be kinda sappy and it bugs me.