Guests ignoring pet fees

[Alex9644]

Hi I am having an issue and need some advice. I love being pet friendly but lately I have had a lot of guests ignore paying my pet fee and bring pets anyway as well as disregard my number one rule of not letting them potty on the artificial turf (there is 3 acres of land for them to do their business on). I am getting sick of having to ask people for the pet fee after the fact and am afraid of it affecting my rating. Example… I have a 1 pet maximum unless approved and the last guest tried to sneak 4 larger dogs in. Has anyone else come across this issue and have you found a good way to resolve it beside not allowing pets?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Alex9644 the best way is probably to send them a 'thank you for booking' email where you also ask if they are bringing pets/ESAs and, if so, how many. 

Even going to not allowing pets will not stop people claiming their goat is an ESA!

[Frances3408]

@Alex9644. I had a pet fee initially and yes, no one paid and it was clear they were sneaking them in (perhaps thinking as I described the listing as pet friendly I was of course expecting pets). Then Airbnb complicated it with ESA rules, so I got rid of it and increased my cleaning fee. I then went from 50/50 guests with pets to 95/5 with pets. Guests now like to tell me  lot about their fur babies at the initial booking, before I even ask. They seem to be more honest when you dont have an extra fee and very grateful you can accommodate them.

Regarding the artificial turf of course it looks like the perfect place for city dogs to poo- you can thank those dog beds with artificial turf on top for the confusion. Not sure what your artificial turf area size is but could you try putting an outdoor mat on top and a few pot plants? I have an outdoor dog poo compost. I think its been used once. They seem to prefer to use the doggie bags provided. 😉

This is just my 2 cents. Do what suits you but dont be afraid to change it up a bit. Good luck.

[Lorna170]

@Alex9644  Whenever a guest books and the pet fee is not selected, I send a detailed message that clearly states that they are booked for arrival on [date], departing on [date], X number of guests and NO PETS.  This generally results in the guest letting me know that they are bringing Fido, and then I charge the pet fee via the Resolution Center.  

Once they inform me that they are bringing a pet, I send them my Pet Addendum which states my expectations as to picking up after the pet, etc.  I ask them to verify that they have read the addendum and agree to the terms.  Usually the pet owner is more than happy to do this, EXCEPT when the guest decides that Fido is a service animal or ESA, in which case I send them the ESA Pet Addendum which is longer and even more detailed.  

It would be so much better if AirBnB did not have the language on the website stating that service animals do not need to be declared at booking.  That is BS.  Owners have the right to know that the guest is bringing an animal.

[Alexandra199]

Hi Alex, I am a strictly no pets host but I have found in the past that any request to pay extra for something ultimately results in the guest trying their utmost to get out of it eg. pet fee, extra guest supplement, additional fee for using the BBQ etc as a result I have ditched all the extra fees and just have a fixed price (slightly higher to cover these things). You can then have very clear house rules regarding pets and any breach of those result in a bad review/you making a charge extra for cleaning. It will at least save you having to have the unpalatable 'chasing money emails' before the guest has even arrived. Good luck x