Guest brought a dog to the property when rules state no pets/animals due to allergies.

[Russell-and-Jennifer0]

I just had a guest check-in for the next 4 nights. She has great reviews, and so far seems very pleasant. She also lists a small space herself on Air Bnb. Her space is not suitable for animals. 

I am aware that guests have to acknowledge my House Rules and agree to them before booking.

In my house rules, it clearly states no pets/animals due to allergies. We spend a lot of time at the house when it is not rented, and have a family member who has allergies.  I have been asked three so far since I have been renting (for a little less than a year) if the house is allergen-free. I confidently said yes because the house has been gutted, with all new furniture.  My Rules also state that the house is monitored by an external security system. 

This past week, I installed exterior cameras. And at 9:58 tonight, I saw a woman on video (who is one of the renter's guests) walking down the hill on my property toward the side entrance of the house walking a small dog. I am really annoyed about this. Now that house is no longer allergen-free. The dog will most likely sit on everything and have walked all over every wood floor and carpet, which the entire downstairs is carpet.  Clearly this woman brought her dog thinking I would never find out, and that it's perfectly fine to bring a dog when the rules say no.  Now everything will have to be disinfected, sanitized, cleansed due to dog fur & dander. Hopefully the dog doesn't have fleas.

I have worked very hard to make the house what it is today and for my Superhost Status.  I am extremely concerned about this situation. As of now, it's 11:23 pm and there is no sign of the woman or dog leaving the property. 3 outside cameras are installed to monitor coming & going, so I know everything is as it should be.  

What do I do? Wait and see what happens at the end of 4 days? Do a drive-by or stake-out and wait for her to emerge with the dog? Message her and say a neighbor, out of concern let me know that she saw a woman walking in with a dog, when she knows I don't allow for that? I charge a security fee of up to $800. Can I get reimbursed for having to deal with cleaning up after the dog was in the house? Ask the main guest to have the woman with the dog leave? How can I now say it is truly allergen-free?

[Russell-and-Jennifer0]

Thanks for this! I have it in my description, but not checked yet, as the cameras are so newly installed.

Will do.

[Russell-and-Jennifer0]

I checked that in my listing and adjusted it my house rules, but my question is that because they booked the house before the surveillance was installed, do I have to message them that they are now installed? 

Also, good point about the specific wording. I can now see why "external surveillance device" is more specific than "external security system".

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Russell-and-Jennifer0

check this out:

Terms of Service

https://www.airbnb.com/terms#sec11

11. Damage to Accommodations, Disputes between Members

11.1 As a Guest, you are responsible for leaving the Accommodation (including any personal or other property located at the Accommodation) in the condition it was in when you arrived. You are responsible for your own acts and omissions and are also responsible for the acts and omissions of any individuals whom you invite to, or otherwise provide access to, the Accommodation, 

---------------------------------

Host Guarantee

https://www.airbnb.com/terms/host_guarantee

III. Limitations and Exclusions

The Airbnb Host Guarantee pays Covered Losses only and does not pay for any of the following (“Excluded Losses”):

...

6. the following conditions

...

Vi, damage caused by insects, animals or vermin (including pets)

[Kelly149]

@Russell-and-Jennifer0   Keep in mind that this may not be as nefarious as it seems. Guest have to click a button agreeing to House Rules BUT they are able to do this without ever SEEING the House Rules. Totally ABB fault for pitting hosts/guests against one another by not making these things crystal clear. 

These kinds of rules need to be reiterated repeatedly. In the listing, in the house rules, in the house manual, in the things guests must acknowledge, in your post-booking messages, etc etc

[Russell-and-Jennifer0]

Great suggestions about re-listing all over the listing. Thanks!

[Linda108]

@Russell-and-Jennifer0   Your home is indeed immaculate and beautiful.  Your reviews reflect that your guests, to date, have appreciated your home and your hosting.  You have been great feedback from some very knowledgeable hosts about options of response.  You seem to be leaning towards a more passive response, which is a common new host response, especially kind hosts that have had mostly positive experiences. 

While this situation might not be the one you confront the guest, at sometime you will have to have a plan of action for confrontation.  I think the fear of negative reviews is overblown.  Yes you will get a negative review if a guest has any negative experiences whether they are at fault or not.  IMO a host should start the confrontation via the Air BNB messaging system if possible. For example,  "It has come to my attention [you are not required to disclose how] that a dog has been staying in the house which is against the specific no pets rule.  Please remedy this situation immediately as the health of my family members who also use this space is at stake.  Let me know what steps you have taken.  I truly appreciate your cooperation and look foward to facilitating an excellent experience for you and your party."

Keep us posted and good luck!

[Russell-and-Jennifer0]

Thanks @Linda108 ,

I appreciate your looking at my listing. 

A plan of action for confrontation is indeed what I may need, at some point. And thanks for pointing out that I will get a negative review if any part of the guest's experience was not 100%positive for them.

And I will use your words for when I  message guests if that's ok with you. 🙂

As of posting this situation, I feel like I have been given invaluable feedback from many. Thank you all!

[Christina-Of-Home-Love0]

I recently just had this experience as well- we do not have camera's but the guest clearly had a dog without paying a pet fee or getting pre-approval as stated in our house rules and policy. We also clearly state that if a guest brings a pet without permission they will get a automatic fine of $1000. The dog ruined a rug that we had to replace and we needed to get the carpets cleaned and the furniture cushions steamed cleaned as well - there were two stains on the couch. Tons of dog hair on the floors and the rugs smelled of urine. The guest seemed very nice and respectful up until we found the evidence of the dog. The guest lied and said they spilled some drinks on the carpet which it clearly was pet urine. Once I inquired about a dog she stopped communicating. 

I tried to collect the fee and ended up escalating it to airbnb. Overall I am very disappointed with how airbnb handled it- They did not uphold our fee and only required the guest to pay for the replacement rug.  This is Airbnb's response : 

After a thorough review, we have decided to uphold our original decision.

The cause of damage is not eligible for reimbursement by Airbnb. The Host Guarantee terms state that damages caused by pets are not covered.

You are free to pursue reimbursement from your guest directly. However, per this requirement, this case is not eligible for reimbursement. That said, we will follow up appropriately with Amy with regard to guest responsibilities.

This is beyond frustrating and disappointing and all hosts should be aware of this because Airbnb is not upholding the owners rules and house policies for the rental of their homes this is unacceptable. This means a guest can just break any homeowners rules of not allowing pets and get away with it and not be held responsible and there's no recourse for the home owners. 

This has given me great pause to even use Airbnb if they are not going to respect the owners rules. 

On VRBO platform at least they allow the owners to hold the security deposit and decide when to collect on their own. As you all know Airbnb holds all the security deposits thus making their own decisions and overriding the owners specific rules and rights .

Up until this experience I've loved working with Airbnb but i am now recommending to all my clients for legal reasons to switch to using the VRBO platform. 

[Emilia42]

@Christina-Of-Home-Love0, unfortunately .... on Airbnb "house rule" virtually mean nothing ... If a guest is in violation of your house rules and you ask them to leave, Airbnb will refund the guest for all unused night and sometime even give them a voucher to book somewhere else!

[Christina-Of-Home-Love0]

Thanks for the input definitely makes me re-think the platform when the rights of the owners are not being enforced....