Pets -- should I allow them or not?

[Deborah0]

A common question that has come up in the host community, is whether or not to allow guests to bring pets, and if so, how to make rules about that.  If you don't allow pets to be brought to your house, can you share why you made that decision?  If you do allow guests to bring pets, can you share what steps you have taken to try to avoid problems with guests' pets? For instance, do you allow dogs but not cats, or cats but not dogs?  IF you allow pets, what will you do if a problem with the guest's pet arises, such as it pees/poops on your floor , or tears at your furniture, or barks a lot?  Does your having a pet yourself, influence your decision about whether to allow guests to bring pets? 

If you have allowed pets, what experiences have you had with guest's pets?  

[Mike404]

Recently a guest's dog damaged the trim around the front door. It was apparent the dog was trying to get out of the house (an unfamiliar environment) as the owner left the dog unattended for 8 hours.

Airbnb refused to reimburse me under their host guarantee. They also refused to allow me to collect for the damages from my deposit.

Airbnb cited that their host guarantee does not cover pet damage.

Has anyone else had this experience?

[Kenneth12]

Yep,  and it's why I no longer can be pet friendly.

If you can't take the deposit for pet damage,   what can you do-- unless ABB is going to allow a substantive pet fee?

[Keely21]

Our rental is in a community that is dog-friendly and is also a very LGBT welcoming town. Because of this we decided to be dog-friendly and have found that we stand out in the listings on Airbnb, VRBO, etc. We decided early on that our audience is not families, but couples, and people with pets. Many LGBT couples and singles are more apt to be pet owners and we wanted to be a place for them to travel with their furbabies. This was a deliberate decision and it has made it easier than trying to be everything to everyone. I guess all I'm trying to say is that it really depends on your audience, and local vibe. The fact that we have a fenced in yard and extremely tolerant neighbors helps too. It's an individual decision, but you can always change your stance if it doesn't work out. ☺️

[Martin333]

There are people who will only book a place if they can bring whatever pet

There are people who will not book a place if  it allows pets 

So I see it as neither win nor lose. It is just distinctive.

We decided to not allow pets and thus are not competing in the "bring a pet" market segment, rather concentrate on clean anti-allergic no pet segment.

Keeping rural places with or without pets clean is a challenge anyway.

[Kevin1322]

we have three greyhounds. This can make some pets vulnerable, as greyhounds (not to put too fine a point on it) regards many small animals as prey.

So we ask in our listing for people with other pets to enquire first. It has worked out fine so far.

Obviously -leaving aside the cleaning up and the paperwork- there would be a lot of explaining and apologising involved if a guest's very loved pet was harmed.

The only rule is that their pet sleeps downstairs with our pets, so that the next guests don't get pet hairs in their room.

We love dogs, I love meeting new dogs. Dog people are lovely. We make a deal of having dogs in our listing. But we understand that other people don't feel this way. So  I think if you just make your pet policy clear, and ask people to enquire first you can't really go wrong.

[Sarah977]

@Kevin1322  Friend of mine says any full-grown dog small enough to fit in a carrier case and under your seat in a plane isn't really a dog, but a form of rodent. Sounds like greyhounds have the same idea ;-))😄

[Kenneth12]

Started as a pet-friendly host (heck,  we kept rescue animals).

The last straw was the college kid with a small lab he promised to keep kennelled.    Peed all over,  took us weeks to get rid of the smell--  and either that kid or another guest that weekend took a classic iMac out the door,   too.

95% of pet owners are fine and responsible,  the other 5% spoil it.   

[Jenna233]

As Airbnb users, we look for pet friendly places, so when we originally listed our property, we listed as pet friendly. This weekend, however, was our first attempt at hosting guests with pets. I indicated in the listing that a kennel could be set up and the dogs must be kennelled whenever left alone and that any pets must be house and kennel/crate trained.

Our guests are still here...they brought two 7 month old lab puppies. They have taken over my fenced tennis court (which was neither mentioned in our listing, photographed, or included in the guest areas) with travel chairs and have let the dogs run around in the tennis court. I have no idea what to say to them, so I just haven't said anything, but I am not looking forward to seeing what my carriage house looks like tomorrow when they check out! On top of that, we let our dog out and they'd left their dogs in the tennis court and all dogs went nuts barking at each other. 

For the time being, I've decided to take 'pet-friendly' off of my listing because it's been so chaotic. I'm fearing for my own two cats and my dog. Yikes!

[Brian1728]

I was wondering - has anyone had issues with fleas or other pests being brought in by pets?

Is this something I should mention specifically in a pet policy, like "dog should be current with flea prevention treatment"?

[Sarah977]

@Brian1728  I took a look at your listing and it's good that you have tile and wood floors if you are going to accept pets. But I'd advise that you get or have a slipcover made for the light-colored couch. Even without pets, it seems like it would get dirty and show stains easily. It's good to have a slipcover you can easily remove and throw in the wash for upholstered furniture. It would also prevent fleas or ticks from a pet from getting down into the cushions and couch fabric.

[Suzanne302]

@Brian1728 About 50% of my guests bring dogs and I've not once had an issue with fleas. That's not to say it won't happen, but not yet! I would absolutely put in your rules flea prevention is required.

I have a pretty detailed list of "dog rules", require pre-approval, and charge a $25 pet fee. (I rent a room in my home but it should be more if you have a whole house rental.) I think having all those requirements makes sure most of the people who bring their pets are pretty responsible. The harder you make it for someone, the more they need to want it. I've only had an issue with two doggy guests, and those were very minor issues. Again, living in the home probably makes a difference too. People tend to be more responsible when they are in the same house with the host.

[Ute42]

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@Brian1728

Like @Suzanne302  I allow dogs in my listing bc I love dogs. Only once in 2 decades did it happen that a dog brought fleas to my place. I removed them and this was it.

I would not recommand to put the information "dog should be current with flea prevention treatment". This could promote the idea in all of Your potential guests that there may be fleas in Your place.

Also, there may be guests who are even excited to find fleas in Your house. Because this gives them the opportunity to request a 100% refund for their stay. If there aren't any fleas they'd have to look for something else.

[Stephanie]

@Ute42 this is dog loving is a very important learning for me! Welcome to the CC dog-lovers group!

[Ute42]

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@Stephanie 

I can only tell You that guests with dogs are an excellent clientel and a very good business.

If You do google adwords using the keywords "vacation rental - secluded location - fenced" You get truckloads of inquiries.

[James1102]

We market our house as a luxury beach stay and require the house to be spotless when someone checks in.  It's never spotless when they leave.  No matter what we do, the cleaning service always knows when pets have been there.  As I'm sure anyone with any kind of a pet allergy would quickly find out as well.  There's just no avoiding it. No matter how much we love Fido.  They are destructive especially when they're left alone in a strange house.  I've rented to college kids (never again) and pet owners .  The high dollar damage has always been pets.  I've thrown away more sheets and bed coverings because pet owners cant keep their pets off the beds and it's nearly impossible to completely remove pet fur from sheets.