Their new policy is that, unless you are in an area that requires you to accept emotional support animals, you may deny the emotional support animal.
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i wouldnt charge for aESQ either, but I have actually had to question a service animal, I typically ask even that 2 allowed questions, as we had a ill behaved âservice animalâ it busted out a screen trying to attack me while I watered the plants, it chewed up a pillow WHILE THE GUEST WERE GONE⌠isnt the entire point of a service animal that it goes with the disabled individual? the dog was not socialized enough to be in public. it spent the entire stay barking like a maniac at the fence and my dogs, I actually had to tell the guest that the dog could not be outside alone due to it irrational behavior with my dog through the fence. I charged this guest $35 or a brand new decorative pillow, $80 for screen repair, and $79 for a hole in the comforter, it appears that the dog either chewed or scratched. I also reported the guest and said âservice Dogâ to AirbnbâŚ
Our place is in Michigan. They escalated my complaint t to legal and they basically said too bad so sad you have to let the guest bring the ESA. I then told the guest I would cancel her reservation due to her age so she didnât bring the dog. 10 girls, wine tasting and bar hopping 2 days and leaving the dog all day in my home is a NO for me and I own 4 dogs! I would never leave my dogs alone that long.
I believe they were still flip-flopping on the policy on Feb 28th. It seems to be settled now. You can deny the animal or accept it and charge a pet fee for it ;with the exception of a few places)
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Sorry, no, once again, the federal law, the ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act), does not apply to most STRs because they do not fit the federal definition of being a public accommodation.
However, some states have more inclusive definitions of what a public accommodation is, like NY and CA, so in those states, service animals must be allowed by state law (but not federal law).
But it doesnât really matter because Airbnb says service dogs must be allowed and everyone should allow service dogs anyway.
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Ok - I had a girl reserve our condo in December2021 for high season (May-August2022). She JUST sent me an ESA letter from her counselor this week (late April2022) for her cat. I am allergic to cats. Our listing says no pets 2x. (Iâve obviously amended it again this week). She has been forceful over text and email about how she WILL be arriving in May and she is allowed to rent from me. I contacted airbnb and spoke with a man who said that my allergies take precedent over her ESA and I am not obliged to rent to her if I donât want to. He said he would call her and try to get her to cancel so that I donât have a cancellation on my listing. I canât reach him other than brief emails saying âworking on it.â I tried to start a new case and the new person told me he would have first airbnb guy contact me. I sort of think airbnb is trying to avoid me to limit their liability if they tell me I donât have to rent. I really want them to just allow my listing to open back up and not give me a negative review. I simply canât have a cat in the condo. I think in NY and CA you have to rent regardless? But I am i Florida.
Where in the listing do they allow us to restrict on age? I would like to do that because this younger group knows no bounds with what they are âallowed.â
Thatâs BS. Contact Airbnb again and tell them you need them to do a neutral cancellation with no penalties to you because the guest is insisting on breaking your no pets rule and being aggressive and rude about it.
You do not have to accept ESAs at all anymore. Look up the new policy and quote it to the Airbnb rep.
Thank you! I will let you know what happens.
There used to be a place to do it, but no longer.
Airbnbâs nondiscrimination policy says:
- Airbnb hosts may not:
- Impose any different terms or conditions or decline a reservation based on the guestâs age or familial status, where prohibited by law.
So, for example, in Massachusetts itâs illegal to discriminate based on age. Here you cannot restrict a renter to a minimum age, say, of 25.
So, first you need to check your local laws.
Just a slight edit here. She has a no animal rule because even if this were a service dog she could deny it based on her allergy.
According to Airbnb, you canât deny service animals unless there are shared spaces with the host. Entire homes cannot specify no service animals.
But ESAs are now deniable even in entire home listings.
So, if the Host is allergic to pet dander (and cleans the house) or their cleaner is, that is not sufficient to deny an animal? Or if the Host sometimes lives in the property when it is not rented.
See this from What is Airbnb's Service Animal Policy? - The Airbnb Ride
The most common example of a service animal posing a health or safety threat is if the host or hostâs family has allergies to animals. However, Airbnb will not simply accept a claim that you suffer from allergies. Instead, theyâll ask for medical proof. In addition, even proven allergies may not be enough to keep you from having to host a service animal.
In most cases, Airbnb will still require you to host the animal unless it will be staying in a shared living space where you will be exposed to it. If the service animal or emotional support animal is staying on a completely separate property from where you live, thereâs a good chance Airbnb will hold you to the requirement.
Sample Verbiage to Dissuade Guests from bringing Animals to your Listing
Some hosts have shared examples of text to include in your listing description in order to avoid having to host service or emotional support dogs due to allergies. The examples below come from the Airbnb staff. Suggested verbiage includes:
- No animals of any kind are permitted on the property. Due to the hostâs family being allergic to animal hair and dander, the listing is strictly allergy-free. There are no exceptions to this rule, as any animal on the property poses a severe health hazard to the hostâs family. If an animal is brought onto the property, you will not be permitted to check in. In addition, your reservation will be canceled and a cleaning fee will be imposed.
- In regard to service animals: We are aware of the value of service animals as well as the Airbnb service animal policy. However, this property is my familyâs primary living space when not hosting guests, and members of the family suffer from pet allergies. Because of this, we can only allow animals that donât shed or have dander to guarantee the familyâs health.
According to multiple hosts, Airbnb will support you if you have included this type of disclaimer in your listingâs description. As always, take this with a grain of salt. Airbnb is known for siding with guests the majority of the time on many hot ticket issues.
One thing i would edit is âanimals that donât shed or have dander.â You will get (inaccurate) arguments about doodles, etc.
Maybe change it to âBecause of this, no mammals or birds can be accommodated.â I guess you might get the occasional turtle in that case.
Iâm not sure where that quote is from. ALL dogs and cats have dander. This is your point.
âAnimals without fur, like reptiles, amphibians and fish, do not shed dander so they have less of a chance of triggering an allergic reaction. But any mammal, like cats and dogs, as well as guinea pigs, rabbits, and hamsters, etc. shed dead skin cells called dander which is most likely to trigger an allergy.â
I read somewhere that people who have cat allergies are usually allergic not to the fur or dander, but to the cat saliva. And because they constantly lick themselves, itâs all over their fur.
Yes, Iâve read that too.
You can put it in your house rules.
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I told the Airbnb rep on the phone that I would need to stop Airbnb-ing because of my sonâs severe allergies if the guest booked. Finally, it seemed to get them to moving to encourage the guest to find another place.
Sheesh!
Itâs really hard because we live in California where we must host people with ESAs. One guy didnât tell us he was bringing a dog and then I hear barking and he left the dog all day by itself and it Peed on our big silk and wool rug. I washed it with shampoo and the hose and Iâm still still trying to get the urine smell out of it so I think Iâll have to have it dry cleaned and then Iâll send my receipt in after I request money from this guest. I know he will deny the request so then it has to go to Airbnb.
Generally we have lots of fun and great guests and itâs been wonderful for our lives.
,Feeling grateful 
you could try vinegar to remove wee smell, also you can buy a pet urine enzyme spray. it sorta works, personally think vinegar is just as good, easier, cheaper, safer. a silk and woollen rug might need some more careful treatment.