Pets / service animals.

[Stephanie766]

This is out of hand. I am a pet / animal free airbnb but more and more people are bringing their pets stating they are service / assistance pets which is not true!  This is so scary.  I share the yard with my small children and the dogs are not safe. Furthermore me and my children clean the guesthouse ourselves and I have two severe asthmatics. It is listed on my account that I cannot accept animals due to health ans safety concerns, and now I have been yelled at and turned into airbnb for discrimination. Airbnb has sent me a warning. The airbnb support that I talked to said they would have someone call me as he was not trained to help here, but I have not hear from anyone to help me.  Ive only received the warning email due to the potential guest who was angry and turned me in.  How are we supported as hosts on this issue?  I feel this is getting out of hand and I am tagged as discriminating even though I’ve kindly stated my safety and Health reasons.  Ive been an airbnb host for 3 years and it’s never been this bad - guests bringing their pets regardless. Help.  

[Emiel1]

@Stephanie766 

Your houserules mention:

"We cannot accept animals including assistance animals due to serious health and safety concerns for both us and your pet - approved by Airbnb."

I was wondering: How is this  "approved by Airbnb" ?

[Helen3]

Hello @Stephanie766 

I'm not sure why this is happening to you I haven't had anyone try to do this in six years of your hosting. How do you vet your guests before accepting their bookings?

You can't write that it is approved by Airbnb that you don't take service animals. This is incorrect. Their policy states that if you are a HOMESHARE home you can refuse service dog because of health conditions such as asthma/if you have a dog in your home.  

What you can do is confirm in your house rules that if someone brings a service dog they need to 

A. confirm which tasks it helps its owner with

B they need to confirm that as it is a service animal it will be with its owner at all times and cannot be left alone in the property.

C. that service animals are not allowed to access the shared yard and it is shared by your family and your children are severe asthmatic (I am presuming you mean dogs trigger their asthma)

If you don't have CCTV have this installed so you can see who is using your property.

Best of luck

[Tori2]

Our laws in the USA are differrent.

But my dog would go crazy if there's another dog in the home. I don't know how to say that...

[Sarah977]

@Tori2  I don't quite understand. I see you have 2 listings, one a private room, and one the lower level of your home.

For the private listing, you can absolutely not accept any animals, even service animals, because it is shared space. Just say your dog does not tolerate other dogs in the home.

For your whole suite listing, you say you accept pets.

[Tori2]

I just got off with support - so I sorted it.

That's exactly the issue!

Thank you!!!

[Sarah977]

@Tori2  I still don't get it. Your private room listing still says you accept dogs. If your dogs won't tolerate other dogs in your home, why are you accepting them? 

And all that lengthy business about what breeds you'll acept and which you won't? Forget that. "Oh yes, he's a pit bull cross, but he acts nothing like a pit bull".  Just say you don't accept guest pets.

[Gary1059]

I agree this is an issue being created by Airbnb mixed policies.  On one hand they tell Guests to check with Host on pets prior to booking, then under service animals it states even without notice Hosts must accept.  We just had a Guest who brought a large "service animal" unannounced, left in house alone at times, and we only found out when neighbor advised us of a large dog staying at premises.  Our policy clearly states non-shedding, small dogs with prior approval. 

The Guest responded with the Airbnb policy that they did not have to inform and they have done this several times in past without a problem.  We would not have even known except for neighbor who knew our policy for renting.  We understand the need people have for special service dogs but there should be required clear communications.

 In my opinion Hosts should have the ability to say yes or no.   Airbnb says they do not consider service animals (dogs or small horse) as pets since they perform work or tasks for people with disabilities.  Airbnb evidently considers them like butler or maids that walk like animals, shed like animals, excrete like animals, bark like animals, etc..  So whether considered as pets or not they have all the same maintenance issues as animals for Hosts.

Guest is technically correct and stretching communications required to the limits, so we are going to contact Airbnb on confusion they are creating. 

[Debra300]

@Gary1059,

In the US, it is federal law that a person isn't required to provide prenotification of a service animal.  In the Airbnb service animal policy, the animal cannot be left alone in the rental without prior approval.  Since your guest didn't tell you about the dog, obviously they didn't ask for permission to leave it alone.  I would have gone to property to take pictures of the animal there without the guest.  Then contacted Airbnb to cancel the reservation, because the guest was in violation of the Airbnb Service Animal Policy.

[Sybe]

Very good point @Debra300 ! @Gary1059 keep in mind as well the difference the Accessibility Policy makes between a Service Animal (a dog or miniature horse individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities) and an Emotional Support Animal (An animal that provides companionship, relieves loneliness, or helps with depression, anxiety, or certain phobias but is not required to have special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities).

You're allowed to ask your guest whether they require the service animal because of a disability, and what tasks the service animal has been trained to perform. The latter could help give an indication whether the guest brought a service animal or an emotional support animal.

[Gary1059]

Debra & Sybe, thank you for you insights.  I am aware of those points but that is really not the issue.  The issue is Airbnb not asking for disclosure and leaving the Hosts in the dark if the Guest is not forthright about bringing an animal during stay or even if the animal is truly licensed as a service/therapy animal.  

See community conversations under "service animals vs. pets

Sarah from Arizona explains issue in good detail.