Pets in Short Term Rentals

Many people turn to STRs as an alternative to hotels because of the privacy, access to kitchens and laundry facilities, or ability to conveniently accommodate a large group. Another main reason is that many hotels don’t allow pets. When deciding whether to allow pets at your STR or not, consider that pets are a major reason why people stay at a STR in the first place.

There are many property types that would not be conducive to pets merely by the physical aspects of the property. Many apartment buildings don’t allow pets and their rules would supersede any desire to host pets. Some properties don’t have any outdoor space for dogs to relieve themselves, and a lack of outdoor space wouldn’t lend a property to being pet friendly. Even properties that do have an outdoor space, but don’t have a fence could prove inhospitable to pets. Certain cities even ban certain species of animals, unfortunately. These are all very preliminary aspects to evaluate when considering hosting pets.

In my experience, hosts that don’t allow pets generally justify the decision by saying that pets cause damage to the property and require extra cleaning. While I agree that they add to the cleaning of a property, I don’t necessarily agree that they cause extra damage. Certainly, there are poorly trained animals that do cause damage, but I would argue that you will see far more damage caused by children or inebriated adults over the lifetime of a STR. In the few years that we’ve operated our STRs, we’ve seen far more people urinate on something in the property than animals. We’ve had to replace most of the blinds with curtains due to damage done by dogs, but this was a minimal cost compared to the increased bookings we secured by allowing pets. On the flip side, we’ve had to replace a rug due to damage done by a toddler. To be perfectly honest, there are certain items that will need to be replaced more frequently than others, and allowing pets will increase that frequency or the number of items. You will need to determine if the added risk of allowing pets can be offset by either an increased nightly rate or higher occupancy rate. In our area, we noticed a lot of rentals do not allow pets, so by allowing pets in our STR, we could provide an amenity not commonly available. By having an amenity that many of our competitors didn’t, we were able to increase occupancy, especially during the off-season.

To mitigate the risk of damage due to pets, we provide a pet basket at each property. In the basket are a couch cover, a couple of dark towels, food & water bowls, dog waste bags, and a frisbee. By providing these items, guests are more likely to pick up after their pets and protect the furniture. Just keep in mind that despite your best efforts, there will be items damaged in the house and don’t take it personally.

In our house rules, we state that we don’t limit size or breed, but we do have a maximum of 3 pets allowed on the property. We also require all pets to be up to date on all shots, vaccines, and flea & tick treatments. We also have a very high tick population in our area, so we let guests know to check for ticks. We do not require guests to sign any extra waivers, keep pets kenneled when out of the house, or submit extra deposits and vet records, but these are all options available to you if you want to minimize risk. We’ve found that those measures don’t really do anything but make more work for the honest guests. We’ve seen a trend where guests who have a dog that barks a lot or is destructive are the guests who don’t inform us that they are bringing a pet. They see we are pet friendly and try to get out of paying the cleaning fee, but ultimately these guests end up being some of our worst. While the pet cleaning fee does go towards the extra cleaning required to remove all the pet hair from the house, it also helps deter bad actors.

We, like many other hosts, charge an extra cleaning fee when guests bring pets. Some hosts factor it into their nightly rate, but we pass the extra fee to the cleaners, so we keep it as a separate line item for our visibility. There is a strong argument to not having it at a separate fee. Guests have become increasingly frustrated with “hidden fees” recently. There are studies that have shown, people are much more likely to book if all of your fees are rolled into the nightly rate and there aren’t surprise fees at checkout.

When discussing pets allowed at STR, many assume dogs. Dogs are the most common pet to be brought along to STR, but we’ve had people want to bring cats, rabbits, and small reptiles. You’ll want to decide if you’re willing to host animals other than dogs when considering allowing pets in your STR.

If, even after all the potential benefits and strategies to minimize damage, you decide not to host pets, don’t let people make you feel bad about the decision. It is your property and you have every right to not allow pets. Be firm but polite when people try to get you to make an exception for their pet. That being said, you do legally have to allow support animals. It is easier than ever to get an animal classified as a support animal and there is no way to restrict them. So, develop a strategy for how you will handle support animals, say a pet basket that lives in a storage area until needed, because if you have a STR, you will eventually host pets.

Allowing pets in your STR can be a great draw to many guests and can even give you an advantage over your competitors. Supplying certain amenities such as extra towels, couch covers, & toys, and implementing house rules to limit quantity of pets can help you to mitigate the risk of pets. Many families greatly enjoy bringing their furry family members with them on vacation. We love being able to accommodate pets for the whole family to enjoy their time at our properties.