Guest asking to bring a ESA - can I ask these questions? are their any that seem unfair or discriminatory?

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Cari3
Level 10
Vancouver, WA

Guest asking to bring a ESA - can I ask these questions? are their any that seem unfair or discriminatory?

I have a guest inquiring about a 2 month stay with an ESA dog .  We have no animals and a no pet policy.  Sadly our one experience with a pet was absolutely awful. It was not a support dog, just a French bulldog smuggled in by guests.  They left it locked up inside while they went off and It peed (invisible to the human eye) all over the carpets and not only the carpet but as they allowed it onto the soft furnishings, everything it had slept on smelt for weeks no matter how many times or what I tried to clean it.  Guests who followed complained  (I couldn't blame them).  Plus,  as it was on heat it left blood spots all over the couch and the bed.  I also have friends, a couple, who each have ESA dogs who are incredibly poorly behaved.  So I'm not sure that ESA pets have the same training as other assistance animals which is of a concern to me.  

 

Is it acceptable to impose conditions and ask these kinds of questions: 

 

 that this dog

 

-never be allowed to sleep or lie on the furniture/bed without it being covered with a waterproof protective bedding?

 

-not be able to roam freely outside?  That it's restricted to the inside of the listing and on a leash at all other times?   (Here are my concerns.  Our listing is not fenced off  and we have 3 airbnb’s that share our back garden, one right over the way from this listing.   Guests book knowing I don’t have, or accept pets, so I would want to be sure that this assistance dog wouldn’t ever be able to wander into another guest space - who knows they could be scared of dogs)

 

-have a non-barky nature. We have raccoons, possums and cats that wonder into our yard at night - and a barking dog would most likely disturb our other guests) 

 

- wouldn't ever left on their own while the guest went out?  

 

Thanks for taking time to share your wisdom!  

1 Best Answer

Emilia, I really appreciate this link.  It's just so strange that it didn't come up when I searched for info on hosting ESA animals.... instead what I now see is outdated came up.  So this has been really helpful.

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7 Replies 7
Helen3
Top Contributor
Bristol, United Kingdom

As it says in Airbnb's policy on assistance animals you can ask a) what tasks their emotional support animal helps with? B) remind them as an emotional support animal it must be with the owner at all times and therefore cannot be left at the listing by themselves .

 

if the garden is shared with other guests you can  ask the guest to confirm the animal is kept on a lead while using it.

 

 

Thanks so much Helen.

Kate867
Level 10
Canterbury, United Kingdom

@Cari3  Airbnb have updated their terms and conditions with regards to Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals.  You cannot refuse to accept or charge a fee for a Service Animal, but as Helen pointed out, you can ask certain questions and the animal should not be left alone.  However, apart from a few areas in the USA, you can now refuse to accept Emotional Support Animals and you can charge a fee for them if you do decide to allow them.  You can set any house rules with regards to ESA’s if this makes you more comfortable.

This is awesome thank you.  

Emilia, I really appreciate this link.  It's just so strange that it didn't come up when I searched for info on hosting ESA animals.... instead what I now see is outdated came up.  So this has been really helpful.

Oh we just had our first guest and they snuck in cats in spite of our No Pet Policy.  Left litter and feces for us to clean up.  They also unplugged our HotSpot to make sure our Ring Cameras were disabled.  We reported it all to airbnb and it was a process, but they are reimbursing us some cleaning costs.  Then the guy has the nerve to message us to say ESAs are allowed and do not have to be disclosed, and is now threatening to leave a bad review.  Additionally his is claiming to be active duty military, yet his profile pic in a uniform does not match the rank he claims to be (I am from a military family).  These people seems to be frauds all the way around.  No more same day booking for me, an I will be rejecting some.