Why can I not refuse guests with service animals?

[Vivian860]

I am at a loss...AirBnB says we HAVE to accept service dogs. This is not ok with my homeowners insurance or my attorney. As a host I have to consider all this:

- Other guests with allergies

- Service animal potty in/on furniture

- Scratching up wood floor

- Tearing up furniture or fabric decor

- Barking (I have other guests in the same building)

- Dog not being on a leash

- Picking up after animal and where do they discard that

- Dog attacking my dog, guests, etc. whos insurance will cover that attack?

- Renting a fabric cleaner to remove pet allergens 

This is simply unacceptable and AirBnB must side with hosts and not guests. I have a house rule that excludes pets; this should undoubtedly include service animals. There are plenty of other hosts that are fine with accepting animals but the hosts that do not should not be required to accept them just because hey are deemed 'service' animal. 

I think AirBnB should give hosts that do not accept service animals or any animal the option of holding an extra down payment of our choice; incase damages are done and cleaning, show proof of guest's homeowners/tenant insurance policy that has coverage for their pet, no continual barking or they must leave and must be leashed at all times when on the premises. 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Vivian860 whilst I agree with many of your points the fact is that Airbnb can, within the law, make any rules they like. If you don't like the rules then you don't list on their site - It's that simple I am afraid.

[Kristin108]

@Mike-And-Jane0

I have to say I strongly disagree with your above statement! 

I know from experience that rules can be changed and exceptions made...

And as much as I would love to delist my properties from Airbnb, they bring me over 100K a year... So it's not really an option as I need the income.

But I will NEVER allow any kind of animal on my property as it would be a hazard! And luckily my property is exempt due to the fact I have a farm with horses and other livestock. 

[Alyssa465]

Discrimination at its finest. They have laws for this sort of thing for a reason. 🙂

[Kristin108]

Not discrimination, just life experience.  And as a person who has been discriminated against my whole life, I find it ironic that you assume I am being discriminatory.

I live alone on my property and have my own rescue dog. She lives on my farm, protects me and has free range of most of the place...

Although friendly, and well behaved, she can be aggressive towards other dogs. And I would never want to take the chance that she would harm someone else's beloved animal.

I also would be concerned that my horses could possibly kick a strange dog... Not intentionally to harm it, but young horses can be unpredictable. And unless dogs have been around horses a lot, they can sometimes be very afraid of something so large!

In addition, as my property is very rural, there are also wild animals that could potentially harm a dog. So hence my statement that it would be hazardous for the guest's animal....

With multiple listings on a large property with shared spaces, I strive to insure  everyone is safe and comfortable. As I also live on site, it is my home and haven, I am glad that I have the option to live how I want to live...

[Alice-and-Jeff0]

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/1869/what-is-an-assistance-animal  

If you are an in-home host, you do not have to do this if there are concerns, like allergies or aggressive animals that might harm a service animal.  If you are renting an entire unit, by law in the US, you have to take all service animals regardless of what Airbnb says.  Problem is that Airbnb has lumped emotional support animals into the "service" category (yes, legit trained emotional support animals exist, but it's too easy to get a certificate for your pet that claims them as such). A trained service dog will NOT behave badly but a pet masquerading as an emotional support animal might.

[Dee61]

I came on to the forum to figure out what to do. Just had my first "service animal". 

And while she didn't bark, she peed on our walkway, the unit is COVERED in hair and sand and even the bed. Every surface is covered, every chair, couch, carpet, and pillow.

I WOULD respectfully request that the service animal is still an animal and at a minimum, allow for a box check that allows for appropriate cleaning. We can not "flip" our unit. I have had to block off and will lose a week of last minute weekend bookings (something I get regularly) due to this service animal.

[Jack-And-Kristy0]

Jack-And-Kristy0.      First experience with a service animal. Arrived to clean and found a pile of feces on the carpet. Complained to guest who said it was her service animal. She had not told us that she was bringing a service animal. Couldn’t tell if the mess left behind was from an animal or human. It has been an upsetting experience. We are trying to get money from her to have the carpet cleaned. Not happy.

[Cindy1559]

I am so sorry you experienced this, but in reality a true service animal will not behave this way! My son has a service dog (that was picked at birth an professionally trained by a Service Dog company) that was trained for his epilepsy, to fetch things he can not pick up, to help my son up if he falls, and to stay with him if he is disoriented (he had an AVM rupture, which is kind of like a stroke, which caused right side weakness, hand posturing, headaches, migraines, dizziness, and of course epilepsy). He would NEVER use the restroom in the house and he pretty much goes on command. He would also NEVER tear up furniture or anything else, nor would he ever attack another animal, or even bark. Unfortunately, he is an animal and he does have hair, but we do our best to keep him groomed every 6 weeks to help with shedding (and nail trimming) and we are very respectful and clean up as much hair as we can. Is it possible to clean it all? Probably not, but we do our best and most true service dog owners are that respectful! I don’t necessarily agree with the law that doesn’t allow business owners to ask for proof of the animal being a service animal because that allows for so many dishonest people  to claim their animal is a service animal (My son’s dog is a registered service dog and has a card that we put in a clear card holder and Velcro it to his service vest). I also don’t agree with emotional support animals being in the same category because getting that “certification” is too easy and any animal that provides a service for someone that has anxiety or ptsd can be trained as a service dog, not emotional support.

[Sarah977]

While I agree that hosts should not be forced to accept any animals, even if they are really service animals, if it is a real service animal, they are highly trained and do not relieve themselves indoors, fight with other dogs, bark unless commanded to, chew things up, nor are they allowed to be left alone in the unit.

The main problem is that people claim their dog is a service dog or ESA when it isn't, just so they can bring Fido with them everywhere.

They are, however, still dogs and will shed and leave allergens.

@Vivian860

[BenkaandKeith0]

@Vivian860 Who marked this thread as resolved? The very same problem is still around, making many hosts upset, miserable and desperate daily 😞 UNTIL AIRBNB DOES NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM ON A SYSTEMATIC LEVEL, nothing is done, except the issue is being ignored. Simply Google search still pulls up disturbing Airbnb reality. Reads like a nightmare. The Airbnb's message to those who are asking if they have to disclose pets is: "You don't have to disclose the presence of an assistance animal before booking, although we always encourage transparent communication to ensure a smooth experience for all." Sickening, dear Airbnb, and colleagues hosts, isn't it?

[Misty66]

We are dealing with this exact issue at the moment. It's upsetting and stressful, knowing that we're dealing with dishonest guests who lodge complaints to make us look like were discriminating against disabled people.

[Kristin108]

Hi @BenkaandKeith0 

Thank you for your post!

Let's all join forces and remind hosts to SEND FEEDBACK!

As Airbnb no longer has a customer service department... Our ONLY recourse as hosts is to complain via the feedback link. If they get enough complaints, they will have to pay attention!

[Robin1126]

Agreed this post is NOT resolved. I just had a service dog leave fleas. I just got a bad review because the guests afterwards got bit pretty bad!

[Janis103]

FYI , a pure breed poodle is hypo allergenic, non shedding.  So they will not leave allergens or in their case hair not fur.