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Well, you definitely nailed the big ones! Can’t argue except….
I wish I could dodge the ESA bullet but it’s law here where I live for all rentals, short or long. I HATE it and have had lots of damage to my LTR, which they do have to pay for, but still. CORRECTION: LTR has to take pets due to the FHA in the US; STR is forced by AirBnb’s policies & not allowed to charge either (see link below)
I don’t allow infants free & state in my listing. Here’s info on AirBnB about it… Traveling with children - Airbnb Help Center. Important except is: “ While infants (children under 2 years old) don’t often incur any extra costs, some Hosts count children as guests, which can add an additional guest fee to the reservation.”
Where do you live that has a regulation that you must accept Emotional Support Animals in an STR? Very very curious please. If you dont want to publicize it, then please PM me. Thank you.
@georgygirlofairbnb, you appear to be right & me wrong. I’ll fix my post so no one is mislead by it. It’s due to the FHA that I must allow them in my LTR (w/ some restrictions allowed but not many).
As you started, I have to allow them via AirBnB because of their Discrimination Policy. How are you able to charge for ESO’s w/o getting into issues with Air since it’s not allowed?
I’ve had one person bring an animal in 2 years and I didn’t find out until after the fact. The guest refused to pay penalties and so Air paid 100% due me but only after 3 weeks of fighting with them and then they acted like they were doing me a favor .
No, the fair housing act only requires that you accept TRAINED ASSISTANCE ANIMALS. It does not require you to accept bogus “emotional support” animals. If you live on the premises and it has 4 or fewer units, you are exempt.
I’m in Texas. And with appropriate documentation from a licensed therapist I have to accept up to my HOA limit. It’s a condo. I don’t live on-site and it’s managed by a PM. There are addendums for the animals so they understand they can be removed if they have behavioral issues, potty training issues, etc but I cannot charge pet rent or pet deposit because they aren’t considered pets. If by a miracle every real estate agent & PM I’ve had is wrong, I’ll rejoice!
And an excerpt:
“ What Is an Assistance Animal?
An assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. An assistance animal is not a pet.”
Well I wish this were true but I do have to accept them with appropriate documentation. And even with docs I believe a huge percentage are bogus. It’s a racket now…$99 buys you a letter. Ridiculous.
And THANK YOU to everyone for trying to help me. I appreciate the passionate responses and course correction where I had the wrong info
@aelilya There is a difference between what your HOA rules actually are, and what you tell Airbnb. Same thing for your insurance policy.
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You can always set your policies mostly as YOU WANT, and write “as required by insurance” or “required by HOA rules”. It is none of Air’s business what those are and they can not ask for copies of any of that.
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It is your property and your business - run it your way.
Mostly. That’s the issue & why I feel @georgygirlofairbnb ‘s list above. I’m going to do research to see what else other hosts do beyond Air/Vrbo. I only have one place so not sure if other efforts are worth the time/money (but again, not yet educated). I’m fortunate that most stays are great so I don’t have to deal with the downside of Air policies often, especially since raising prices, but when I do…ugh!
Yeah, you are stuck with them. There are a couple of exemptions, the 2 scenarios I asked about earlier, but you don’t qualify. Do you accept pets? If the HOA allows pets, you may be better off accepting pets, I recommend dogs. Nothing against cats but one marking and you’re done.
Where you’re at, most people have a dog. So you would fill a vacancy sooner and people would be honest from the start about their dogs if you advertised as dog friendly. Then you would have the choice of which dog you want living in your condo. You could pick the dog that comes with multiple references from past landlords and then you could charge the extra deposit and fees/rent. There are lots of great tenants with really great dogs who will take perfect care of your condo, but they are not the ones with the emotional support certificate, because the good ones don’t need one. Just an idea, not sure if the HOA allows pets, but you might run this past them if not.
I do but limited to one under 30 lbs. They had one, 60 lb, non-shedding. Nice pup & didn’t upset me. It was the 2nd one they acquired after moving in (yeah, had legit ES docs for the 2nd person on the lease) that was the issue - did a lot of damage - AND I believe others they let stay over (not allowed). I fined them once for it but it’s hard to catch that if you don’t live on-site. Good pet owners are no issue…it’s identifying them that’s hard. I have a 5 lb Chorkie who is the bees knees
I never quite understand this. What does the dog’s weight have to do with it? In my experience, small dog owners are much more likely to let their dogs sleep on the bed and furniture and think everything Fluffy does is cute.
I agree. And please forgive me @aelilya, this is not personal and your dog is super-cute and he is likely an exception because you sound like a really good dog mom. And I do in fact like all dogs.
However, as a host and a landlord, I have considered making a “dogs must be over 25lbs” rule. Only little dogs have barked and whined and disturbed the building. Only little dogs stink up the place by going potty inside, not accidents but “wee-pads” (they sound cute but they aren’t). I don’t have an official house rule against wee-pads but I have to pre-approve dogs and I ask about wee-pads if the dog is small and decline anyone who admits to them. Only little dogs stand in the window sill and on the tables. And only guests with little dogs think they are exempt from the leash in the hallway rule. Only little dogs seem to get to travel without actually being trained. Overall, dogs have been very best guests, but if I only got the little ones, especially the teacups, I would not be allowing dogs anymore.
Little dog teeth do a lot less damage when they chew. Little dog claws scratching at doors are much more likely to to just mar the finish or do nothing as opposed to big dog claws that not only remove paint but gouge the wood. Little dogs do seem more likely to pee and poop indoors but the volume much less per incident. Little dogs shed less hair so the vacuuming and removal at clean up time is easier.
That said, I prefer big dogs over little dogs on balance for reasons @JJD stated.
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