Why and How to Make Your Vacation Rental Property Pet-Friendly

As stated by the American Pet Products Association, approximately 70% of households in the USA and nearly 50% of families in the UK have at least one pet. These fluffy buddies are seriously adored by their parents and make full-fledged family members. It is common for guardians to feel stressed and guilty if they have to leave their doggies and kitties at home with a sitter or at kennels when traveling to another region.

Most people would love to bring their treasured pets along on holidays, but rental managers and hosts are extremely reluctant to allow animals in. If you run an Airbnb business and have not yet made it pet-friendly, you want to rethink your position, because pet-proofing your short-term rental paves the way to bigger money!

Pet-friendly rental accommodations/serviced apartments drive up to 30% more clients than animal-averse properties as inferred from the FIREPAW study. This research also shows that pet owners don’t mind paying a more expensive damage deposit to blandish the property host, so they let the animals check-in, too.

The full checklist of supplies for Airbnb hosts read here.

Why Make Your Airbnb Property Pet-Welcome?

While the number of pet owners is ever-increasing, finding a pet-friendly short-stay rental can turn into a big headache for travelers who want to spend the vacation with their dogs and cats. If you have made up your mind to let pets stay in your Airbnb unit, you can gain a serious edge over competitors who never allow animals to enroll with renters.

Letting pets inside your vacation rental will appeal to a larger audience, which can significantly boost the earning capacity of your property, especially during the low season. Even when the season is off, child-free couples, empty-nesters, and retirees tend to travel more compared to middle-aged families with children, full-time work, and tons of social commitments. And such guests love to take their little furry guys with them on vacation.

By offering a pet-friendly Airbnb home, you help animals and their owners never get separated from each other while traveling. Moreover, pet guardians are eager to provide larger damage deposits and pay higher rates per night for you to let their Fido quarter in too. The market of pet-friendly rentals is growing, and you have the brilliant opportunity to capitalize on the needs of pet owners.

Another reason for accepting animals on vacation rentals is that it allows you to target a specific business niche. Finding a pet-friendly short-stay home can be fiendishly difficult. And when pet owners finally come across a vacation rental that allows four-legged guests, they can be very grateful.

They will eagerly drop a positive review and grant you those cherished five stars. The more good reviews you receive, the more reliable you appear in the eyes of potential guests. Your ranking position on the platform where you list gets higher, too.

Things To Consider Before Making Your Vacation Rental Pet-Friendly

While holding a course for pet friendliness can make your bookings skyrocket, there are a handful of considerations you want to pay attention to before you commit.

Your neighbors may be unhappy

Many dogs love to bark and whine, so your neighbors may complain of noise if your guests bring along their boisterous tykes. As a property manager, you cannot predict if the pets, staying in your Airbnb home, will be well-trained and good-tempered. Prepare yourself to tackle issues with upset neighbors and handle noise complaints if the tenant dogs go on a loud side.

Ruined everything

Allowing ill-behaved pets in may result in unpleasant discoveries after the check-out: destroyed furniture, scratched floors, and pesky smells in every nook of your rental. Surely, you can prevent some damages by having sturdy finishes for your floors or covering your furniture with blankets. But good preventive measures may ultimately cost you a small fortune to arrange. The risk of property damage can make accommodating pets in your rental home not profitable, especially if your nightly rates are moderate.

Elevated expenses

Surely, you can set higher rates for your pet-friendly Airbnb home to counteract possible financial risks. But at the same time, your own expenditures on keeping the property lovely may soar too. Expect to splurge on:

professional cleaning: your housekeeper may charge a higher bill to spruce up your rental abode after pets;
laundry: some animals may leave hard-to-remove stains simply everywhere;
insurance: homeowner’s insurance policies tend to be more expensive for pet-friendly rentals than for ordinary ones;
pet-friendly amenities: true animal-friendly hosts need to purchase special treats, toys, dishes, and toilet accessories for their guests’ fuzzballs.

Tips To Pet-Proof Your Vacation Rental

Define house rules

Your house rules of stay should describe your policy regarding pets down to the last detail. For example, areas inside/outside your property where animals can or cannot stay. You also want to provide instructions on where to wash the pets in your home and how to clear up after them. Some guests may be under the illusion that they don’t have to clear up excrements after their pets! Make it clear for tenants whether they are allowed (or not) to leave the animal unattended in your property. Try to be utterly detailed when describing the accommodation rules for pets (and their guardians).

Make sure, your tenants are notified of the rules before they check in. You can use advanced Airbnb management software that will automatically send Rules of Stay to your clients, saving you from the necessity to do so manually. A good practice is to put the rules into a frame and hang it at the entrance of your property. Another way to ensure the observance of your rules is to provide the right equipment at the right time, so your guests will have no excuses.

Enforce your flooring

Those restless paws may leave ugly marks on your floors. Consider installing scratch-resistant and stain-proof covering for flooring, so the underfoot surface will surely withstand the trial of sharp-clawed use. Tried-and-true options include vinyl, cork, bamboo, and hardwood flooring materials. Placing rugs all around will also provide an additional layer of protection, while improving the aesthetics and comfort of your space.

Set boundaries

Another smart method to pet-proof your Airbnb property is to install boundaries wherever possible, especially in rooms where you hold valuable items, expensive electronics, or domestic chemistry (cleaners, sprays, detergents, and other similar miscellanies). Devices like baby gates will keep the precious or dangerous items out of animals’ reach and clearly define where pets can and cannot go.

Use cheap but cheerful curtains

Blinds, shutters, and curtains are lucrative targets for pups and pussies alike. While you cannot go without window covers because of privacy concerns, opt for cheaper yet lovely curtains that you can easily afford to replace in case they are damaged.

Free your floor

Try to keep your rental home’s floor minimally occupied with household stuff, decorations, and all sorts of electronic cables. The floor is where most pets spend their time on, so your best bet is to remove all vital things and fragile items out of pets’ reach. Just in case.

Defense your furniture

Be ready that most pets are allowed on sofas and beds. To protect the expensive upholstery, consider providing dog covers for sitting furniture. It is better to use pet-friendly fabrics for such covers, for instance, velvet, canvas, or linen. Opt for loose covers as they are easy to wash (or get disposed of, if things go bad).

Obtain pet supplies

Despite being loving and caring, many pet owners often forget to bring the necessary gear to look after their little darlings. In your best interests is to equip your rental with all the items a guardian may need to take care of their four-legged friend. This includes bowls for food and water, separate towels for pets, poop bags, sofa covers, shampoo, treats, etc. If you lease out a house, it is also great to have a special area and house outside where owners can easily wash down their pets’ paws after a walk.

Shower them with toys and distractions

To avoid mess and anarchy, try to place plenty of toys and things-to-do in your pet-friendly Airbnb. By doing so, you will save your furniture from being chewed or torn by an anxious or bored dog. Some nifty ideas include special toys for cats and dogs, claw sharpeners, dog chews, and treat bones.

Let them know about available pets outdoors

If your customers are arriving from a different region, they need to know where they can walk and relax with their pets. A kind gesture of hospitality would be providing your guests with information about local parks, beaches, and areas of recreation where dogs can play, nearby pet stores, pet-sitting services, local veterinary clinics, and taxi companies that transfer passengers with animals.

Have a higher damage deposit plus a pet fee

As it has already been told, vacationers are willing to pay more for pet-welcome Airbnb lodging. Cats and dogs may bring more harm and chaos than regular guests, but responsible pet guardians fully understand your concerns and are ready to cover your expenses.

Set up a separate security deposit that only applies to clients with animals. Some owners are not shy to include “pet fees” in their pricing to cover the incurred expenses like toys, food, towels, and supplies for animals.

How to Advertise Your Pet-Friendly Airbnb

Now that you know how to pet-proof your short-stay rental home as well as what benefits and risks to expect, let’s speak about how you can update your listing on a booking platform like Airbnb to make a statement.

Edit your Listing

Your guests want to know that you finally have turned on a pet-friendly side and made your Airbnb comfortable for our furry friends. Activate the “Pets Allowed” feature in your listing settings to make your property visible for travelers with animals.

Add a new description and photos

You need to update your listing’s description to include pet policies, so users see with half an eye what is allowed and what isn’t. For example, you might allow cats but prohibit dogs, or you might set a limit on the maximum number of dogs a guest can bring at once, the welcome/unwelcome breeds, etc.

By including this information in your Airbnb description, you help your guests to save time, while also preventing possible misunderstandings and complaints. A “pet-friendly” badge also raises your ranking in the platform’s search results.

In addition, you can upload photos with pets that are having fun while staying in your vacation home. By doing so, you will prove that your rental is a haven of joy for fluffy ones. Be sure to mention “Pets allowed” in the title of your listing.

Turning your regular rental property into a pet-welcome one is extremely easy on Airbnb!

Discover how to take good Airbnb photos.

Takeaways

The first thing to do when turning your regular rental into a pet-OK one is to establish strict rules for guests and a clear rental agreement that defines the consequences and responsibilities for the various scenarios.

Then you want to inform your clientele about your Pet Stay rules and terms.

The final action is to make your short-stay rental truly pet-friendly, ensuring both humans and animals thoroughly enjoy their stay at your Airbnb.

Making Your Airbnb Unit Pet-Friendly: Is It Worth the Effort?

Why Make Your Airbnb Property Pet-Welcome?