As a Host I have a Pet Allergy

[Marcella185]

Hi Everyone,

I currently rent out my primary residence on Airbnb when I am traveling out of town. I have a strict no pet policy (as I am severely allergic) and have the no pet policy listed on my rental; however, I received an inquiry from a potential guest who states they have a small service dog and asking if that is ok. 

I politely informed the guest that unfortunately the home has a strict no pet policy as I am allergic…and also mentioned the same when I declined the inquiry / reservation. Shortly thereafter, the Airbnb Support sent me an email basically stating I am being issued a warning and if I decline again for a service dog, further action will be taken. 

Again, this is my primary residence. I have no pets listed on my listing. How is it that I am being reprimanded when I have a serious health condition? Does this not matter? Do hosts have zero protection? I have 5 stars, 100% response rate, and should be a super host come October. I am BEYOND accommodating to my guests but I shouldn’t have to risk my health to accommodate theirs. This doesn’t seem at all fair. Any advice? 

[Gillian166]

It's not fair, and the law is against you, putting your health at risk. 
What did the guest say when you said you are allergic?

[Anonymous]

@Marcella185   Airbnb is constantly changing its policy on assistance animals (literally, several times per year) so you have to frequently re-check this link to see where you stand: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1869/accessibility-policy

The language in the policy used to say that hosts could be exempt if they shared living space with the guests, but now they've switched to a more vague statement:

"A Host may qualify for an exemption in certain circumstances — for instance, if the service animal directly threatens their health or safety."

Whether they consider an allergy to residual dander to be a health and safety threat is unclear. But actually, what you should be really concerned about is this part:

"Guests are allowed to be accompanied by service animals during a stay or Experience and are not required to disclose the presence of a service animal before booking. "

So anyone who books your home on Airbnb can just show up with their pets without warning, call them "service animals," and there's nothing you can do about it. If there's any chance that this could be a serious health risk to you, RUN, DON'T WALK away from AIrbnb. They're not going to spot your medical fees if an allergy attack lands you in the hospital because of their stupid policy.

[Gwen386]

@Marcella185 I think it became a problem when you declined the inquiry prompting you to give a reason. For the future, just remember that an inquiry and a request are totally different. In an inquiry you just respond to the question. Do NOT click decline. Once you respond to the guest, that’s all that is required. 

Now the request is different. You could respond and state your severe allergies to pet and ask the person if they would withdraw their request. They may or they may not. If no, then you can ask what specific task the animal will be doing and say that the dog must be with the host 24/7 and always on a leash when outside of the apt. If it’s really not a service animal, they may withdraw the request. 

As @Anonymous say, your health should outweigh your renting out your property to someone with a service animal due to your severe allergies.