What would be a suggested review/ rating for a guest who broke your number one rule no pets?

[Justin271]

My last guest just checked out and it’s become obvious that they brought a puppy with them and my biggest no no rule is “NO PETS” It wasn’t difficult to see that it was a dog from all tracks in the snow, poop left outside and urine spots but to also discover all my Pendleton blankets on the floor with a swath of dog hair as they made a dog bed and urine saturated sheep skin I had on my sofa. I’m hesitant to bring this up before they leave a review or to request a deposit for the damage but what would you do in this situation? I went above and beyond for these guys accommodating a super early check in (5 hours earlier) and their dog as well as them left the Casita a absolute mess.

[Anonymous]

@Justin271  You seem to say that you "accommodated" their dog; does this mean that you discovered the dog when they arrived and decided to allow it in spite of your rule? Or, rather, that you accommodated the pet against your will and only discovered it at the end of their stay?

I ask because when you make a voluntary exemption to a rule, you bear some responsibility for the consequences of doing so. But either way, bringing a puppy to a no-pets household and leaving behind a disgusting mess is 1-star behavior, and deserves to be called out in a concise, honest review.

It would be foolish to let your actions on this matter be influenced by fear of a bad review from these horrible guests. You have over 100 excellent reviews, and a stunning property that is basically critic-proof.  If you intend to make a claim for damages, you need to get it in before your next guests arrive (though it sounds as though the main concern is extra cleaning rather than irreparable property damage). Some people will recommend waiting until day 14 to review; I don't share this opinion, and I'd go ahead and get the review into the system as backup to any other actions that become necessary.

[Justin271]

Thank you @Anonymous  for your feedback. I had no idea they brought a dog until after they checked out and discovered Dog hair everywhere. It became more evident with all the tracks in the snow and feces in the yard. It definitely was more of a cleaning situation and the possibility I’ll need to retire a $200 sheep skin if I can’t have cleaned. 

[Alexandra316]

@Justin2711 star for cleanliness and following the rules, and be factual in your review. I would say something like:

"Unfortunately, I cannot recommend X as a guest. They broke our rules and the casita required significant extra cleaning inside and out after their departure. They were not respectful of our property, and I would not host them again."

[Ann489]

@Justin271       I am assuming you are an off-site host.  If I were you, I would definitely invest in either outdoor security cameras or at least a Ring doorbell to be able to monitor who comes and goes.   😉   in this particular case, it was pretty obvious that there was a dog on the premises, but it is always better to be able to back up your claim with some video footage. 

Alexandra gave a good example of an appropriate review, but I would make sure you specifically mention the dog to warn other, future hosts.   One star for cleanliness, observation of house rules and communication and a "thumbs down" so that they cannot instant book again.

[Alexandra316]

@Justin271 @Ann489 I wouldn't mention the dog, only because you have no concrete proof that the dog was there: you didn't see it and don't have pictures or video camera footage (I assume). It's obvious that it was, but if the guest calls Airbnb and says you're lying, it could be enough to get the review pulled.

[Ann489]

@Alexandra316   I do see what you are saying, but I am pretty sure that photos of the overwhelming "evidence" would suffice.  Personally, I would like to know what a potential guest has gotten a bad review for.   😉

[Justin271]

Hey @Ann489  thank you for your helpful feedback. I just moved into the main house up front but just happened to be out of town for the holidays during their stay. In hindsight I’m happy I wasn’t here to witness the dog in person as confronting a guest during their stay is not at all my cup of tea. I find that cameras are pretty creepy as a guest but on the exterior especially a door bell and disclosing that would be a good way to deter future guests wanting to bring in pets I suppose. Thank you

[Colleen253]

@Justin271  Do you have outdoor security cameras that would have recorded the dog, and did you take detailed photos, that show undeniable evidence of the dog and the urine/feces mess? If so, I would go ahead and try to claim for it. Review this  https://www.airbnb.ca/help/article/1869/what-is-an-assistance-animal  first though, in case the guest comes back and claims it was an emotional support animal. A lot of guests do this.  ABB lumps true service animals and ESA's in the same category, and anyone can claim their pet is an ESA. Since they don't have to disclose it, it makes a host's 'no pets' rule useless in effect.

Let them have it in the review, being mindful of the potential for ABB to remove the review depending on how you mention the dog, if guest claims ESA , 1 star cleanliness and rules, and 'do not recommend'. They've earned it, and other hosts need to be warned. You have nothing to worry about if they leave a nasty review for you, which they may. With your stellar good standing as a host, and a proper rebuttal to their review, they will only be shown up for the schmucks they are.

[Justin271]

Hi @Colleen253  thank you so much for the link as I never know how to make a claim and feel that the review system really puts hosts vulnerable spot when it comes to trying and resolving these issues like this directly with guests. I already had my suspicions when they checked out and my cleaner said she had no doubt that there was a dog from all the preset hair, feces and tracks left all over the snow so just to be feel that I could verify such a claim I decided to just check out my guests Instagram account and his wife’s and sure enough in their stories they are filming the dog inside the Casita and even geo tagging their location. That was all I needed to feel they clearly violated the rules. Thank you the service dog info though this is helpful in the future although I’m positive this couple don’t have those needs. I know the best thing would to try and communicate these issues with guests directly but my experience in the past hasn’t always proven that to be wise.

[Emilia42]

@Justin271 The thing is as that it doesn't matter if the couple doesn't have the need for an emotional support animal in your opinion. If this guest was savvy, all they have to do is tell Airbnb that their dog is a support animal and your review claiming they brought an undisclosed dog will be pulled. Let's just hope that aren't that smart or ruthless.

[Sheri33]

I am wondering if someone can help me with a similar question...I just had a guest leave today. They brought a dog. We rent our lake cabin and are off site, our cleaning lady found a water dish by the outside door and dog tracks in and out of our back door in the snow. I have guests sign a contract agreeing to our rules. Do I have recourse with the security deposit? For me it is an allergy issue and we get guests based on our no pet policy. In addition, one of our kids is allergic.  In addition, the guest specifically said to me in a message that he would leave the pets at home. Add to this...the house was a complete mess. Thoughts?

[Alexandra316]

@Sheri33 If you want to charge guests an extra cleaning fee due to the mess they left, your first step would be sending them a request for money through Airbnb using the Request money button. If they don't respond or decline, you can ask Airbnb to intervene and they will decide if the guest owes you money or not. However, you will need to prove that you incurred extra costs as a result of the stay if you need to involve Airbnb: you would need a receipt of some kind. Unfortunately, Airbnb doesn't allow you to keep the security deposit (which isn't a deposit at all) at your discretion.

[Lorna3]

Airbnb needs to get its act together with regard to guests with pets. 

First of all, let me state that I've had many good, responsible pet owners as guests, lovely people, lovely dogs, no problem.  However, I have also had guests with misbehaving dogs.

In one case, the guests asked to bring 2 large dogs.  Based on their description of the dogs and the situation (two large dogs, an infant and a toddler, plus the two adults) I shuddered at what the cleaning would be like afterward but nonetheless gave my reluctant agreement (it was a week-long booking). 

I let them know BEFORE they booked (using the Airbnb message system) that there would be an additional fee of $10/night/pet payable directly to me as Airbnb doesn't have any way to charge a pet fee, and I let them know before they booked what my pet policy entailed. 

I sent them the full details of my pet policy by email once they had made their Airbnb booking.  They reviewed it and agreed to pay the  $10/night/pet extra fee -- very reasonable compared to what hotels charge, which can be as much as $30/night extra.

Their dogs crapped all over and snarled and lunged at me with teeth bared every time I went over to my vacation rental cottage (on the same rural property as our home).  After they left they complained to Airbnb which informed me that I was in the wrong for charging them a pet fee outside of the Airbnb system!!

This is completely crazy.  Airbnb actually said I wasn't allowed to charge guests a pet fee because the transaction was done outside of their system (and therefore Airbnb wouldn't get its cut).   I threatened to pull my accommodation, a lovely vacation cottage and a very attractive offering, from Airbnb.  And I posted a negative review of this guest and didn't pull my punches.

All this to say: why doesn't Airbnb have a decent pet policy and a mechanism to charge a pet fee?

[Linda108]

@Lorna3  You can charge any fee using the request money option on the reservation.  That way it is through the system.  Air BNB does not charge a service fee. I have used it very successfully.

Security deposit, such as it is, is available for verifiable damage, not breaking rules.  If there is additional cost due to the rule breaking, submit a claim.  If it is just rule breaking, the review is the process to address.