Surcharges- Pet fees- AIRBNB

We have a problem with AIRBNB guests not claiming pets. We then send a payment request to the guests with pictures showing proof that pets where there. Some will admit they had a pet and accept the charge, but some will not. We then have to pay our cleaners out of pocket. Is there a way I can set up the surcharge to automatically apply to every AIRBNB reservation regardless if they claim the pet(s) or not? If they truly didn't bring a pet we would then send them the fee back. Should I just create a deposit and do it that way? 

Hi Curtlyn,

There is no way currently to have a pet fee apply to every booking regardless of guest selections for pet counts. However you could change the typing to one of the other Airbnb accepted fees such as a management fee. These would generally apply automatically regardless of pet selection.

No matter which way you go with this, you'll likely always have potential guests trying to pull a fast one, it may be better to work on your deposit to offer yourself protection in cases where guests aren't as easy to work with.

Hi Curtlyn, 

I host 14 pet friendly units. I definitely understand this issue!  Between telling me they don’t have pets or telling me that her dog as a service animal… Drives me crazy what people will go through to save a few bucks!  

It is stated in our listings that we charge pet fees after booking, and charge them based on weight of the pet.   Also states that “ as an integrated partner with Airbnb,” we require outside communication as well as a rental agreement.  (Then make sure those are stated in house rules or in a paragraph within description.) 

It our initial email to the guests normal email we send a confirmation and link to rental agreement, which is a template we created on owner rez.  Basically says :   Thank you for choosing this location for your upcoming stay… we need a normal email address to communicate via our internal system…blah blah blah….  

This reservation is for two adults and one child and zero pets.   If the reservation has zero pets included, we would not expect to see a pet in this property at any time.  Undocumented pets will incur a $300 fine as is stated on your rental agreement.  If the reservation is incorrect and you are indeed bringing a pet, please reply with the breed and total weight so an accurate fee can be added.    

The fact that all of these are stated in house rules will help deter many dishonest people.  

Between the threatened fine and requiring a rental agreement, we haven’t had an issue since.  

Thank you so much for your reply! I spent all day yesterday looking over forums for ideas on how to fix this issue. I am going to try this and see if it helps!