STR - pets vs no pets

[Marc Shin]

Hello - i'm trying to decide whether to allow pets or to not allow pets in my STR. I see the benefit of allowing pets is that it allows you to open up your property to a much wider pool of guests and possibly also increased rates. But the downside that I see is that allowing pets will cause more damage and potentially increased costs due to the damage caused by pets. What are your all thoughts on this?

[Lauren Kormylo]

I started allowing dogs a year ago at my beach property, and this past year 55% of my guests had dogs. It has very much increased my occupancy. It helps that not many large houses in my area accept them.  

I charge a $150 pet fee, of which $30 goes to my cleaner for the additional cleaning.  I did have some damage - someone closed their dog in the powder room while they were away.  The dog bit into the blinds, broke the TP holder off the wall, and scratched up the door and frame. After that, I got a large dog crate and set it up in the master walk-in closet.  I also added a pet blanket for the master bed, because dogs' nails were snagging the stitching on quilts.  Other that those things, I haven't had any other damage. Being dog friendly has definitely been a positive for me.