What's a fair amount to charge for an STR pet fee?

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Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y

we charge $150 per pet for up to 7 nights and $10 a night for each additional night. This is also negotiable based on factors like size length of stay etc.

[email protected]813-563-0877
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
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  • Andrew Street
    Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 292 votes
    1y

    Honestly, $25 per pet per stay is fair for a basic cleaning buffer, especially if your place doesn’t require heavy cleanup after pets. A lot of hosts go that route to keep it guest-friendly. If you find you’re spending more time or money on extra cleaning, you can always adjust later.

    0Reply
  • Tyler Divin
    Property Manager · Chattanooga, TN · Member since 2018 · 178 posts · 134 votes
    1y

    We typically charge $50 per dog per stay.  It goes beyond cleaning in my mind.  Our turnover/cleaning team rarely asks for additional cleaning fees for pets; it's just part of the turnover.  We view the pet fee as compensation for the extra wear and tear on the home.  

    1Reply
  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    we charge $150 per pet for up to 7 nights and $10 a night for each additional night. This is also negotiable based on factors like size length of stay etc.

    [email protected]813-563-0877
    Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
    1Reply
  • Lisa Graesser
    Rental Property Investor · The Villages, FL · Member since 2017 · 341 posts · 398 votes
    1y

    I charge $15/night, max 2 dogs. %discount with length of stay. Cleaners charge me an extra $25 and if excessive hair to clean then charge $50

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  • Joseph Sauer
    Member since 2021 · 46 posts · 57 votes
    1y

    We compared our pet fee to local overnight dog sitters and motels to make sure it’s fair. Around our STR, the average overnight dog-sitting rate is about $45/night, so we charge $25 per pet, per night. Some people say that’s high, but we’re truly dog-friendly.

    A lot of listings claim to be dog-friendly, but really just want to show up in searches while asking guests to keep their pets crated the whole time. We’re different. We allow dogs on the furniture and even provide dog blankets to help protect against stains or damage. We also keep dog bowls for food and water, extra blankets, leashes, and waste bags on hand so guests don’t have to pack as much. Of course, not every guest uses them, so we have to factor in extra cleaning. Our cleaner is well-supplied to keep the property fresh, and we’ve never had complaints.

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  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    I charge $100 pet fee that covers up to 2 pets.

    0Reply
  • John UnderwoodPro Member
    Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
    1y

    Our 6 bedroom cabin in Pigeon Forge has a $200 pet fee. People pay it without question.

    0Reply
  • Mike Kirby
    Rental Property Investor · New Braunfels, TX · Member since 2021 · 289 posts · 256 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Marc Shin:

    What's a fair amount to charge for a one time pet fee for an STR stay? Is $25-$50 per stay fair?

    We charged $75 for pets the first two years. In June this year we had a lab puppy that they let get on the beds, the couches, there was hair on the bedroom bedside tables, hair on the tables and lamp tables in the living room. It was disgusting. We found hair the next 3 cleanings. I raised the pet fee to $100 and we keep getting bookings with pets. It cost around $50 a day to kennel a pet so I think $100 is fair for a 2 or 3 day visit.
    1Reply
  • Marc Shin
    OP
    Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes
    1y

    @Mike Kirby may i ask what type of STR you have? is it large or small? vacation rental? $100.00 seems like a lot, but the way you described it makes sense to me..

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    • Mike Kirby
      Rental Property Investor · New Braunfels, TX · Member since 2021 · 289 posts · 256 votes
      1y
      Quote from @Marc Shin:

      @Mike Kirby may i ask what type of STR you have? is it large or small? vacation rental? $100.00 seems like a lot, but the way you described it makes sense to me..

      Ooops, guess I can’t post a link to our cabin🤷‍♂️. It’s a small cabin, 580 sq ft but it has 200 linear ft of river frontage with a 1.2 acre yard. It’s very dog friendly. 50% of our guests bring pets. 
      0Reply
  • Jules Aton
    MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    $150 flat fee and the housekeeper gets bonus for pet rentals. As a pet owner I have paid this without blinking. Is it expensive? Yup especially because my dogs haven't ever damaged anything and we cover the furniture when we are guests but I will pay whatever it takes to bring them with us. 

    1Reply
  • Marc Shin
    OP
    Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes
    1y

    @Jules Aton you're in the DC area?   I'm in the Nova area!

    0Reply
  • Marc Shin
    OP
    Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes
    1y

    @Jules Aton are there any good places to invest in STR's in the Balto/DC area? I heard Baltimore only allows owner occupied STRs..

    0Reply
    • Jules Aton
      MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Marc Shin:

      @Jules Aton are there any good places to invest in STR's in the Balto/DC area? I heard Baltimore only allows owner occupied STRs..


      I think Annapolis and DE beaches are probably the best bet in this area. 

      0Reply
  • Lauren Kormylo
    Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    1y

    I charge $150 a visit, for 1 or 2 dogs, no cats.  My cleaner asked for and gets $30 of that for the extra work.  

    Last year I had a dog that someone locked in the powder room while they were out.  The dog jumped up on the toilet and bit into the window blinds, jumped on the toilet paper holder breaking it off the wall, and scratched up the paint on the door and frame trying to get out.  I had to fix all that before the next guest checked in.

    This year when I was getting the house ready for the season, I found a dog had peed twice on the living room area rug, which is an outdoor type rug and thin and liquid goes right through.  The pee had gone through to the hardwood floor, and the guests had tried half-heartedly to clean it up, leaving some paper towels underneath it.  The cleaners missed it because the colors in the carpet disguised it.  It didn't discolor the floor because of the finish, but I had a helluva time getting the smell out of the wood, finally with multiple peroxide treatments.  I had to replace the rug, it wasn't worth my time trying to clean.  

    I'm telling you all of this because the pet fee is not just for cleaning, you may eventually get damage of some kind. The pet fee goes toward that so you won't have to use Aircover or try to get it from the guest. I now have a large dog crate set up in the master bedroom for those who want to use it, and pet blankets for beds so the dog's nails don't snag stitching on my quilts, which was a problem too. Those pet blankets get washed each time they're used. So up your fee, $25-50 is way too low. FYI, there's an STR next door to me that charges $250 per visit, and they stay booked too.

    1Reply
    • Jules Aton
      MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:

      I charge $150 a visit, for 1 or 2 dogs, no cats.  My cleaner asked for and gets $30 of that for the extra work.  

      Last year I had a dog that someone locked in the powder room while they were out.  The dog jumped up on the toilet and bit into the window blinds, jumped on the toilet paper holder breaking it off the wall, and scratched up the paint on the door and frame trying to get out.  I had to fix all that before the next guest checked in.

      This year when I was getting the house ready for the season, I found a dog had peed twice on the living room area rug, which is an outdoor type rug and thin and liquid goes right through.  The pee had gone through to the hardwood floor, and the guests had tried half-heartedly to clean it up, leaving some paper towels underneath it.  The cleaners missed it because the colors in the carpet disguised it.  It didn't discolor the floor because of the finish, but I had a helluva time getting the smell out of the wood, finally with multiple peroxide treatments.  I had to replace the rug, it wasn't worth my time trying to clean.  

      I'm telling you all of this because the pet fee is not just for cleaning, you may eventually get damage of some kind. The pet fee goes toward that so you won't have to use Aircover or try to get it from the guest. I now have a large dog crate set up in the master bedroom for those who want to use it, and pet blankets for beds so the dog's nails don't snag stitching on my quilts, which was a problem too. Those pet blankets get washed each time they're used. So up your fee, $25-50 is way too low. FYI, there's an STR next door to me that charges $250 per visit, and they stay booked too.

      The plusses and minuses of the camouflaging rugs! At home I often don't notice anything until I have stepped in it, ha. 

      0Reply
    • Lauren Kormylo
      Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Jules Aton:
      Quote from @Lauren Kormylo:

      I charge $150 a visit, for 1 or 2 dogs, no cats.  My cleaner asked for and gets $30 of that for the extra work.  

      Last year I had a dog that someone locked in the powder room while they were out.  The dog jumped up on the toilet and bit into the window blinds, jumped on the toilet paper holder breaking it off the wall, and scratched up the paint on the door and frame trying to get out.  I had to fix all that before the next guest checked in.

      This year when I was getting the house ready for the season, I found a dog had peed twice on the living room area rug, which is an outdoor type rug and thin and liquid goes right through.  The pee had gone through to the hardwood floor, and the guests had tried half-heartedly to clean it up, leaving some paper towels underneath it.  The cleaners missed it because the colors in the carpet disguised it.  It didn't discolor the floor because of the finish, but I had a helluva time getting the smell out of the wood, finally with multiple peroxide treatments.  I had to replace the rug, it wasn't worth my time trying to clean.  

      I'm telling you all of this because the pet fee is not just for cleaning, you may eventually get damage of some kind. The pet fee goes toward that so you won't have to use Aircover or try to get it from the guest. I now have a large dog crate set up in the master bedroom for those who want to use it, and pet blankets for beds so the dog's nails don't snag stitching on my quilts, which was a problem too. Those pet blankets get washed each time they're used. So up your fee, $25-50 is way too low. FYI, there's an STR next door to me that charges $250 per visit, and they stay booked too.

      The plusses and minuses of the camouflaging rugs! At home I often don't notice anything until I have stepped in it, ha. 


      Yup!
      0Reply
  • V.G JasonPro Member
    Investor · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    1y

    Being pet friendly is a requirement.

    This really depends on area-- we charge anywhere from $25/night to $200 flat fee(up to 5 days). Most of ours is always 2 dogs max, and a 50lb weight limit but there are exceptions and we work something out. I make sure everyone of our properties is prepared for pets and allows them.

    0Reply
  • Marc Shin
    OP
    Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes
    1y

    @John Underwood have you ever had really bad property damage due to pets? that's my real concern with hosting pets.. i'm still a newbie STR host :)

    0Reply
    • John UnderwoodPro Member
      Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Marc Shin:

      @John Underwood have you ever had really bad property damage due to pets? that's my real concern with hosting pets.. i'm still a newbie STR host :)

      I have never had any pet damage.
      1Reply
  • Rosston Smith
    Investor · Warner Robins, GA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 490 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Marc Shin:

    What's a fair amount to charge for a one time pet fee for an STR stay? Is $25-$50 per stay fair?


    $60 per pet short term stays (below 30 days)

    $120/mo per pet for over 30days 
    0Reply
  • Michael BaumPro Member
    Olympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    1y

    We charge $50 per dog up to 2. No cats. 

    So far, no real issues. We have a small Bissel Mean Green Machine and people have busted it out for messes as I have noticed. No one ever reports it.

    Only one small pee mess on the living room rug. They tried to get it out, but didn't manage to get it done. I just pulled the rug and swapped it with the spare I have. Took the soiled one home and hit it fully with the big carpet cleaner and ready for the next swap!

    0Reply
  • Jeremy Jareckyj
    Real Estate Agent · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2020 · 490 posts · 205 votes
    1y

    Id say it is property dependent . $25 / night is a good pay with maybe a cut off after a certain number of days?

    0Reply
  • Karina Busch
    Member since 2024 · 48 posts · 23 votes
    1y

    Personally I also think this depends a bit on where your rental is, your nightly rate, cleaning fee etc. If you have a small rental that rents for $125/night, guests are unlikely to be ok with a $150 pet fee, especially if they are just staying one night. I have one property that we do $25/night pet fee, and one that we do $100/stay.

    1Reply
  • Marc Shin
    OP
    Member since 2024 · 179 posts · 76 votes
    1y

    @John Underwood where in the ABB listing do i state that only 1 pet is allowed per stay?  is that in the "house rules" section?

    0Reply
    • John UnderwoodPro Member
      Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
      1y
      Quote from @Marc Shin:

      @John Underwood where in the ABB listing do i state that only 1 pet is allowed per stay?  is that in the "house rules" section?


       I would put it in house rules and again at top of property description so it can't be missed.

      0Reply
  • John LitzPro Member
    Reno NV · Member since 2022 · 74 posts · 56 votes
    1y

    I charge $100 per dog. I list in house rules to keep dogs off beds and furniture but they never do. They also rarely clean up the dog crap in the yard that has to be handled and the furniture ends up with lots of hair and extra cleaning to return it to the same excellent condition for the next guest. I love the dogs but they do take quite a bit of extra time and labor. 

    0Reply
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