House Rules

[Faisal134]

How best to deal with people not following house rules. For example, bring in pets when the property listing explicitly states strict no pet policy.no

[Paula]

Hello @Faisal134, thanks for reaching out to the host community for advice.

A few hosts have discussed this topic before, please check the threads linked here.

I’m also tagging a few hosts to see if they’d like to share their perspectives: @Greystone0 @Nash-Cottages-LLC0 @Nandini11 and @Christine615 

Regards,

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Paula Thanks for the tag. 

@Faisal134 Yes, please do read the links that @Paula sent. Your specific issue might be there. 

I copied/pasted this first paragraph of advice from @Lorna170, a host who may no longer be on the platform:  If the guest is currently in residence, you can contact her and let her know that she has brought an unauthorized pet -- use that wording because she will probably claim that the dog is a Service Animal or an ESA.  An unauthorized pet is a pet that was brought without your knowledge and consent.  You can ask for payment via the Resolution Center for the cleaning necessary after an unauthorized animal.  You will be risking a bad review, so decide if this is worthwhile.

As an FYI, we try to head off any issues by sending a message when guests book stating that we are a no pets/parties/smoking/vaping property. Then, the day before, we reiterate this same statement. We also have a table stand in our Airbnb with the message. I'm sure for some guests, these reminders are too much. For guests who are contemplating smoking or hosting a party or bringing their pet, they can't say that we didn't communicate it. 

Most importantly, be sure to follow the laws where you are regarding asking people about their pets. For example, in the US, there are questions, as a host you can legally ask. You can search on the ADA.gov for information. In my specific US State, it is against the law to lie about a service animal and the offender must serve a mandatory 100 of community service and could be fined and even jailed. Again, check your jurisdiction for more information. 

I should've started with a big I'm sorry this is happening to you. Hang in there. Guests vary as much as hosts and you'll host some really awesome people. 

Judy

[Lucy26]

There has to be a way of not being at risk for a bad review and letting other host know that the guest brought an unauthorized pet. I just had my first guest pop a surprise on me with his unauthorized pet and it feels like he is asking for forgiveness instead of asking if I take pets when my listing clearly states I do not. This is on him it should not be on me! The only way I see to add to his review is after I give him a good review and it comes back with his review and ask me to publicly respond.   Your thoughts? 

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Lucy26 I agree that this case of asking forgiveness is absolutely inconsiderate.

Again, please consider doing a quick search on this platform to see how other hosts have handled similar situations. From what I recall, some hosts keep their initial public reviews simple and factual—for example, noting that the guest did not follow all house rules, which resulted in extra cleaning (if applicable), and stating that they would not host the guest again. That’s one approach you could take.

I’ve also read claims where hosts mentioned the specific rule that was broken (bringing a pet), and the guest was then able to have the review removed by claiming the animal was a service animal. I'm not sure if those claims are true but something to keep in mind. 

Sorry you are dealing with this situation. 

Judy