[Poll] Do you allow pets, and would you consider allowing them in the future?

[Quincy]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to do a poll on whether you allow/accept pets. Would you consider allowing them in the future, following the news that was recently shared?

I know that some members of this community have mentioned that they have (multiple) pets, and over time we've seen lovely photo's of them on our "Meet the pets" topic! 

It would be very interesting to hear your thoughts about this subject, whether you have a pet or not 🙂

Alternatively, if you have any other reasons why you allow or do not allow pets, please comment below in the thread telling us more about your choice and why.

Thank you,

Quincy

[Christine615]

@QuincyThey've had no problems with Host Guarantee so far and he seems pleased.

[Quincy]

That's great to hear at least @Christine615!

[Ann783]

I am a cat and dog mom but we don't allow pets at our listing. Pets are usually ok... pet owners... not so much.

[Quincy]

Hi @Ann783, cat owner here 🙋‍ Have you accepted guests with pets in the past? 

[Ann783]

Hi @Quincy . When our home was first built, we allowed a new owner in our development to rent our cottage.  We charged well below market… because she was a neighbor-to-be. We spent a lot of time asking her to remove dog excrement from our property. I am a responsible pet owner… but many people are not. It's unfortunate. I  think our property would be lovely for dogs as it is all fenced. BTW, I  don't think cats travel well… at least mine doesn't!

[Quincy]

It's not great for the people who are responsible pet owners. I have to agree, travelling with a cat seems quite difficult. I've never tried it, and most likely won't (unless I'd be moving to another country that is) 😃 @Ann783!

[Linda108]

I have friends with dogs and cats and find that most of them have poorly trained animals, so the reality is I do not allow my friends' pets either.  My dog is a greyhound, senior, very well trained (started with race track training) and yet she has had accidents when under the stress of travel.  

[Quincy]

Hi @Linda108, both our family dogs went through various (basic) training when they were still under 1-year-old, and also had some further follow-up training when they were a bit older. Accidents can always happen, unfortunately 😞

[Sarah977]

@Quincy  Nope, don't allow pets. I've had dogs of my own most of my life, but like Linda, I find that most dog owners do not train their pets, allow them to sleep on the bed (Airbnb encourages this- their Pet Friendly heading on the home page is a photo of a dog on a white duvet- who thought that was a good idea?), and the furniture, think a dog using a "pee pad" is the same thing as housetrained, and other unacceptable behaviors.

As I understand the new pet fee rules, it wouldn't encourage me to accept pets at all. As I understand it, instead of the pet fee being a fee for the booking, it will be applied on a per day basis. 

So if the host charges a $30 pet fee, and a guest should book 6 days, but decide to shorten their stay after arrival to 2 days, the host would only get $10 of the pet fee, even though it could very likely take just as long to clean up after a dog has been there for 2 days as it would after 6 days.

Also Airbnb will now add service fees to the pet fee, which means both guests and hosts will be paying higher service fees. Which, pardon my cynicism, is why I think Airbnb has decided to add the pet fee, not because hosts have been asking for one for years.

So Airbnb has instituted the new feature in a way that is not really an improvement for hosts, as far as I can see.

[Linda3345]

I allow pets, with the requirement that people tell me about their pets ahead of time. I don't specify in the listing, but if someone asked to bring a snake, the answer would be no. Also, I would say no to a certain type of dog, because I have a sense of unease around that particular type.   I love most cats and dogs, and our place is set up well to accommodate them, so we welcome pets. I do ask people to have the dog crated if they need to leave it in the house alone. Most of the pet owners we have had so far have taken their pet with them everywhere. We have had very responsible pet owners. About half of our guests have brought pets.  I'm not sure that I will charge a Pet Fee even when it becomes a real option soon. I would rather have a Pet Deposit, that I could use if there were specific damage, but would refund otherwise. 

[Quincy]

Hi @Linda3345, thank you for sharing this here. It's great to hear that you've had responsible pet owners staying at your home 😊. 

[John5097]

My listing is a guest apartment that's right on the marsh with no fenced in area so higher potential-risk of dogs running off and getting lost. That's the main reason why I don't have a dog myself right now because not sure I could deal with my dog running off and never seeing them again. Also the mud would permanently stain bedding, and anytime host request compensation from damages they risk retaliatory review, so those were the reasons I decided not to allow pets. So far guest have been very respectful of my policy. Other listings similar to mine also don't allow pets. Its just a perfect one bedroom space for a couple. For me to consider pets there would need to be very good communication. So far Airbnb has been a great experience for me but the policy changes create more risk for host, and encourage guest to disregard host policy without any consequences. There are thousands of other listings that allow pets and it helps them stay booked and charge more. But because I also live here its important to be clear about boundaries and because its a small apartment I can't be everything to everyone. Also, in the promo video one of the Airbnb reps claims, pets very rarely cause damages, then why not have Airbnb pay out claims without involving the guest? How would Airbnb even know about the damages when host avoid filing a claim that would subject them to retaliatory review? I think it would be much better for guest to simply have the option to purchase real insurance when making the reservation. Although for me its working out because guest appreciate very clear policy. I need to rent this out for a few more years to break even on the cost of renovation and also built up a lot of positive reviews so just going to keep it like it is for the next year, and think I would benefit from a listing platform that has very clear policy, and think the industry could benefit from more regulations to help protect both guest and host from unnecessary risk and disingenuous policies.      

[Lorna170]

@Quincy  I have both properties that accept pets, and properties that do not allow pets.  The properties that accept pets are set up to be able to be cleaned of pet hair and dander easily, i.e., fewer fabrics, hardwood floors, furniture that is on raised legs, etc.  Pet owners are requested to clean up their pet debris, crate their pets if left in the property alone, to leash their pets when outside, and to discourage the pet from using the furniture.  Most pet owners are very responsible and will make an effort to follow those requests.  There are always those that leave the place looking like a hairy poo-poo convention, but they are few and far between.

I also have a property that is designated as pet-free and will never be offered to host pets.  This is a property that I use myself, and one that does not lend itself to my standard of a thorough pet-sanitizing cleaning. The decor, rugs and furnishings make it much more difficult to remove hair and dander.   While not truly allergic, I am sensitive to animal odors and do not want to spend any time in a property that to me, smells of wet dog.  

Bottom line, yes, I will rent certain properties to guests with animals and no, I will not rent this particular property to anyone proposing to bring an animal.  

[Quincy]

Hi @Lorna170, thank you so much for your detailed reply, and of course, it's great to hear about some of the responsible pet owners you've hosted! I was actually wondering whether you do the cleaning of your properties yourself, or if you have someone helping you out with this? 

[Lorna170]

Both.  I clean the "pet free" property primarily by myself (except when doing annual deep cleaning) and have a housekeeper who has worked with me for 16 years for other properties.  She is not allergic to animals and is paid for the extra cleaning hours required whenever the guest has brought an animal.    Example - regular cleaning fee $100.  Pet Fee is 50.00.  Housekeeper gets paid $150.00 for cleaning as it now includes animal yard waste pickup and disposal, washing of all throw pillows and slipcovers (1 1/2 hours of extra laundry time), shampooing rugs or replacing them if pet stains are found, wiping paw marks and nose imprints from windows, doors and walls, etc.  This host does not benefit one penny from the guest paid pet fee.