What you need to know about hosting pets

Many guests are traveling with their entire families, which often means bringing along their pets. In fact, traveling with pets is so popular that it’s one of the top amenities guests search for. 

We know that hosting pets isn’t always possible. But if you’re able to make your space pet-friendly, you can choose to add a pet fee to your nightly price.

You can use the pet fee to cover the cleaning you’d expect to do after hosting four-legged guests, such as vacuuming fur off the furniture and wiping nose or paw prints off sliding glass doors.

The fee is included as part of your nightly price, spread out equally over the course of a guest’s stay. At checkout, it’s also included in the total price, not charged as a separate fee.

Been hosting pets for a while? Adding a pet fee to your nightly price means you no longer need to request one separately through our Resolution Center after you accept a booking—or chase guests who are slow to pay it.

Many pets are accustomed to traveling with their owners and don’t require much additional hospitality.

However, if you allow pets in your space, it may be helpful to supply:

• Bowls for food and water
• Pet-friendly furniture covers
• Plenty of designated towels to wipe off paws at the door
• Scratching post and litter box (the cardboard kind will do)
• Extra cleaning supplies

Guests traveling with pets may want to know what to expect in your space, such as whether you have a fenced-in yard or a private patio. Be sure to include any pet-friendly features and amenities in your listing details.

Other things you can do to make your listing pet-friendly:

• Update your house rules to tell guests how many pets you allow per stay. You can also clarify things like what types of pets you accept, whether it’s OK to leave a pet unattended in your space, where a pet isn’t allowed on the property, when a pet needs to be leashed, and where to properly dispose of pet waste.
• Update your guidebook to include recommendations for local dog parks, veterinarians, and pet supply stores. Consider suggesting pet-sitting services and kennels, too.

Cleaning fees and pet fees are meant to cover expected costs. But no matter how well-trained or well-behaved a guest’s pet may be, accidents sometimes happen.

For unexpected costs like scratched upholstery or stains caused by pets, there’s Host damage protection, a part of AirCover for Hosts. Be sure to document any damage with photos and request reimbursement through our Resolution Center.

It’s important to understand that service animals are not considered pets. A service animal is one that’s individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with disabilities.

You must allow a service animal to accompany its owner (unless you are granted an exemption), and you can’t charge a pet fee for one. You can charge a pet fee for an emotional support animal, except in places where applicable laws may not allow it, such as California and New York.

Learn more about service animals

Host damage protection isn’t an insurance policy. It doesn’t protect Hosts who offer stays in Japan, where Japan Host Insurance applies or Hosts who offer stays through Airbnb Travel LLC. For Hosts who offered stays in mainland China, the China Host Protection Plan applies. Keep in mind that there are other terms, conditions, and exclusions.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.