collecting security deposit from a guest for pet damage

[Joseph552]

My last rental had a dog that peed all over everything. It cost around $800 to have items professionally cleaned and replace what couldn't be.  I had what I thought was a $500 security deposit but AirBnB won't cover anything for pet damage.  What is the purpose of a Security Deposit if AirBnB doesn't collect the deposit before the rental.  They can't call it a deposit if they don't collect the funds.  

There has to be a way to hold guest responsible for pet damage or no one would ever allow pets.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Joseph552very good question and I would also like to know the answer.

We know airbnb doesn't cover any pet damage, so the only solution is to collect deposit from a guest directly or through resolution center and then to refund them the same way after check out.

But, is it against Airbnb TOS ? If so then it's catch 22 ...

We also have a dog and we want to be pet friendly accomodation but if we can't take pet security deposit then it is risky.

[John1080]

@Joseph552, you're right it isn't a deposit at all, which is something that needs to change to give us hosts peace of mind. 

This is the exact reason why we do not allow pets in our property. I feel it's just too big a risk to take, especially given that we cannot collect when something goes wrong. 

[Pete28]

What is more interesting is if you had been forced to allow an emotional support dog etc and it did the damage. 

Given lack of coverage from Airbnb, why would anyone allow animals ?

[Kelly149]

Specifically bc ABB TOS prohibit payment on pet claims I do not allow any animals for abb guests

[Alexandre152]

Just had the exact same bitter experience. 
it is despicable Airbnb refuses to use the security deposit to cover damages caused by pets. 

There is apparently a way to hold a special security deposit for pets. But it Is offered to hotels ! 
By insisting you might get that option to: 

Just had exactly the same experience. 
It is despicable to be treated this way when we acted in good faith and secured a security deposit for that purpose.  

Apparently hotels that advertise on Airbnb are privileged with an additional option we don’t have as regular hosts.

Here is the explanation from Airbnb UK:

“If you are seeing large numbers of bookings with pets and want to accommodate them, a solution could be that you collect an "offline" deposit for these pet bookings. (Usually it's only for hotels businesses but I'm happy to "enable" your account to do so given the situation described). 

Please let me know if that something that could work for you.

Kind regards

Alice

Alice de Saint-Pierre

Market Coordinator UKIE, Airbnb