PMs and Pet Fees

PMs and Pet Fees

MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

Very small sample size, end of summer into shoulder season however notable as all but 1 guest have brought dogs and not one has checked the pet box which can be elusive as they have all mentioned dogs just didn't add the fee. Prior to this the pet fees collected were averaging 20% of bookings which didn't make sense. Obviusly $25 isn't moving anyone's needle but it adds up especially over the course of the season and to the host @$125 per stay. No one has given push back, I approve their booking, note I will be adding pet fee and done so not overly cumbersome.

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Collin HaysBusiness Member
Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6d

If your house is pet friendly, assume everyone is bringing a pet and build extra into your rate, if the market will support it. Most people are dishonest. They aren't checking a box that costs them an extra $125.

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  • Mike GrudzienPro Member
    Lender · Eugene, OR · Member since 2019 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6d

    I read this twice and I still don't get what you're trying to say?

  • Collin HaysBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6d

    If your house is pet friendly, assume everyone is bringing a pet and build extra into your rate, if the market will support it. Most people are dishonest. They aren't checking a box that costs them an extra $125.

  • Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6d

    I've started really checking for the pet fee and the number of guests before I approve a booking. I've had quite a few just put one person down, and they're really a family of 6 or 9. My cleaner needs to know how many towels etc to leave out. I haven't had anyone that I know of bring a dog without checking the box, but then I don't usually look at my cameras. Is your pet fee $25 or $125?

    I think guests start searching without putting in the number of guests or pets, and then forget about that when they request to book. I don't know why it would be different for you this year though, unless the platforms have changed something and made the boxes harder to see.

    Strangely, I've had 2 groups this summer who've left without locking the front door. That's the first time guests have done that. Thank goodness I can check on the lock app after they leave. But one person left the main wooden door (with the lock) wide open, and just had the glass storm door closed. My cleaner arrived that afternoon and thought someone was still in there. I couldn't tell that on my Ring doorbell because it doesn't video the door itself.

  • MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6d

    Sorry if I was unclear. I was trying to say that in my experience guests are not adding pets when attempting to book. Since taking over myself in addition to raising my nightly rate I feel like I am also getting the pet fee that was not being picked up by PM. My pet fee is $150. I calculated as $25 of that as going to PM.

    TLDR: My former PM wasn't diligent about ensuring guests bringing dogs were paying the fee.

    • Collin HaysBusiness Member
      Property Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
      6d

      Yeah, and honestly, it would be just as hard for the PM to keep track of as you.

    • MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      6d

      The good news is that it hasn't been cumbersome because they message me about their dog with the request to book they just don't add the fee.

  • Property Manager · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 373 posts · 157 votes
    5d

    If they're telling you about the dog in the first message, that seems like an easy catch. I'd have whoever handles inquiries check the reservation against the message before replying, then pass the pet info to the cleaner too. Otherwise the fee and the extra turnover work can both fall through the cracks.

  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5d

    We put in the listing and guest agreement undeclared pets are charged $500, many people disclose it after booking and pay our $175 fee.

    • MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      5d

      Brilliant, sir. I bet they manage to find the pet button in this case.

    • Member since 2022 · 79 posts · 44 votes
      4d

      @Andrew Steffens how often have you had to impose the $500 undeclared pet fee? And has it impacted your reviews? I live in such fear of retaliatory guest reviews that I always chicken out when it comes to enforcing policies like this.

    • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
      Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
      4d

      Rarely, and if it does happen Airbnb has been decent of repealing the review if you can show retaliation.

  • Member since 2022 · 79 posts · 44 votes
    4d

    This summer, I had a lot of issues with this, as well as with the guest headcount not being accurately indicated at booking. My max occupancy is 6, but I started having a lot of guests book for 3 but show up with 5, stuff like this. Anyway, I've just started adding something along these lines to my "thanks for booking" email: I have you all set for XX guests and XX pets - if those numbers aren't correct, please modify your booking as soon as possible. It's kind of a pain because I need to manually edit each message to reflect their people and pet headcount, but it has managed to fix a few "missed pets"

  • Member since 2026 · 15 posts · 4 votes
    1d

    One thing worth doing now that you're self-managing: pull your old PM's owner statements for the last several months and line them up against the booking platform's payout reports, reservation by reservation.

    If cleaner notes, guest messages or reviews show a dog on a stay but no pet fee appears on the statement, that's a specific list you can take back to the PM instead of a general complaint.

    Going forward, having your cleaner note any pet evidence on each turnover gives you a paper trail to request the fee afterward, as long as your platform's policy allows it.

    • MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
      1d

      Unfortunately no access to them.

  • Member since 2026 · 37 posts · 12 votes
    1d

    This is one of those leaks that only shows up when someone is actually reading the messages. Guests usually do tell you about the dog, just in the chat rather than in the booking details, so the check has to happen before you approve, not after. What works for us is a simple habit: whoever answers the inquiry reads the message against the reservation first, then confirms the pet and the fee back to the guest before accepting, so the charge is part of the booking instead of a surprise added later. We also flag the stay for the cleaner, because a dog changes the turnover even when the guest is tidy. Small thing, but it is the difference between finding out at payout time and knowing before anyone arrives.

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