Should Your Airbnb Be Pet Friendly?

Deciding whether or not your rental property should be pet friendly depends on a lot of factors- let’s discuss them.

In 2026, more people than ever are traveling with their pets- APPA’s 2024 survey found that 78% of pet owners travel with their pet. Some properties will attract guests bringing pets more than others. From the properties we manage in Upstate South Carolina, a significant number of our guests bring their dogs (or cats!) with them. Is it worth allowing pets at your home? Here are some considerations.

Why Do People Rent Your Home? You need to consider your location and demographic. If you have a vacation property, it is more likely families with pets will want to reserve with you. These would be properties like cabins, acreage, lake houses, and destination cities. If you are generally hosting working professionals Monday-Friday, they may be less inclined to have their pup tag along.

What Could Go Wrong? Accepting pets into your rental isn’t without risks. Even the best trained pets can have accidents in new places- pottying on carpet, chewing your baseboards, and scratching your hardwood. If you are renting through platforms like Airbnb or VRBO, you have protections in place. AirCover and VRBO’s security deposit can protect you in case of damage or excessive cleaning. We have had a great relationship with both of these platforms- the key is to know the difference between general wear & tear, and excessive damage. Document, document, document! Photograph everything, and save any receipts or invoices for repairs.

Can I Restrict What Kind of Pets, Size, and Quantity? The short answer is yes, you can. It’s your property- you have control over what you allow. The long answer is that it is not that simple. Some homeowners want to restrict pets by breed, size, or quantity- for example, only allowing one small dog. The issue with this is that many times guests may not read your full description- they see “Pet Friendly” and get excited to reserve your home. Your restrictions are entirely unenforceable unless you plan to monitor guests and enforce your rules, risking a bad guest experience and a bad review. If the majority of your bookings come from third party platforms, this can be an issue. We often recommend either not allowing pets at all, or embracing your home as pet friendly. What you CAN do is outline your pet rules and pet fees.

• Our pet fees typically range from $40/stay to $200/stay. This depends on the nightly rate, the extra cleaning required, and how pet friendly the home is- and how much we want to encourage pets at the property.
• We ask that guests do not allow pets on furniture or bedding without incurring a cleaning fee. Whether or not this is followed doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that guests are hopefully more mindful of pet hair and stains on bedding or furniture. If I have to launder sheets four times to get hair out? There might be an additional charge for that. If I can’t tell pets were on the couch? I don’t mind.
• We want guests to clean up pet waste in the yard. This is pretty straight forward and we rarely ever have an issue with this.
• Guests should keep their pet leashed or confined when outside the home. This is mostly for liability and also for our neighbors; we want to ensure no loose dogs are charging anyone!

We have grown to appreciate that the majority of guests who include their pet on the reservation are respectful, courteous, and happy to cover any damages their pet incurs.

Not every property ought to be pet friendly- but if you decide to allow pets at your property, it can be a strategic business decision that assists in maximizing your investment.

If you decide to take the plunge and be pet friendly, here are some things you can offer at your home:

Necessities: A good vacuum, washable couch covers, doggy towels at the door, enzyme cleaners, lint rollers.

Nice to Have: Doggy waste bags, a fenced in yard, a baby gate, large wire, foldable dog crate (you’d be shocked how many people appreciate this!), dedicated outdoor waste bin.

Questions about making your property pet friendly? Reach out to us and we’d be happy to help you with the process.