Airbnb is an online platform that allows people to rent out homes, apartments, and rooms for short-term stays. The platform connects hosts who have space to offer with guests looking for accommodations, often as an alternative to traditional hotels.
When searching for a place to stay on the Airbnb website or app, guests have the option to include the number of adults, children, infants, and pets. If you’re bringing a pet with you, Airbnb will show you only pet-friendly options, but what about stays with service animals? After all, they aren’t considered the same as pets. Hotels, for example, must allow service animals, but is it the same with Airbnbs?
In this article, we will take a close look at Airbnb service animal policy to get you ready for your next stay. Read on to learn all about the service animal policy of Airbnb.
What Is the Airbnb Service Animal Policy?
Service animals, as well as emotional support animals (ESAs), which we will also cover below, fall under Airbnb’s Accessibility Policy. It provides a description for service animals, as per the Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal law that governs assistance animals, and goes over the policies regarding service animals.
In short, Airbnb service animal policy allows service animals to stay with their owners, whether the host’s place is pet-friendly or not. An Airbnb host cannot refuse a reservation because of a service animal, charge the guest additional fees that are charged for pets, or treat guests differently than they would another guest because of a service animal.
Airbnb is very strict about their service animal policy, so in case the host doesn’t comply, they risk losing access to the platform. There can also be possible legal consequences if the guest acts on it, as service animals have clear legal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Airbnb Service Animal Policy vs. ESA Policy
While the above summarizes the Airbnb service animal policy, note that it is different from the company’s ESA policy. On short-term stays like Airbnbs, emotional support animals don’t have legal protections. The Fair Housing Act, the federal law that requires landlords to accommodate emotional support animals, doesn’t apply to short-term stays.
Therefore, the Airbnb emotional support animal policy allows hosts to reject emotional support animals. However, just like pets, they can allow them, but the guest will need to include their emotional support animal as a pet when requesting to book the Airbnb.
As for extra charges for emotional support animals, hosts can require guests to pay pet fees or charge extra for cleaning, whereas these aren’t possible for service animals. Overall, Airbnb’s ESA policy is pretty much the same as their policy on pets.
However, there are many hosts who make an exception for emotional support animals and treat them the same as service animals. If you can provide them with proof that your animal is an emotional support animal, such as showing them an ESA certificate from a reputable ESA organization or your letter from a mental health professional, they may waive the extra pet fees or allow you to book an otherwise no-pet Airbnb.
What About Airbnb Experiences?
Airbnb also offers experiences in addition to home stays. While the Airbnb service animal policy regarding experiences also extends to Airbnb Experiences, the context is a little different from home stays. In general, Airbnb expects all the hosts to accommodate guests with service animals wherever possible, even if animals aren’t normally allowed during the activity.
However, there are situations where accommodating the service animal during an Experience may not be feasible, like instances where the animal’s presence would cause a clear safety risk. The same applies to environments that are not appropriate for a service animal, like experiences related to diving or mountaineering, where a service animal cannot accompany the handler to perform trained tasks.
Overall, Airbnb’s policy provides equal access for guests with service animals, but there can be limitations. Because bringing a service animal would require preparation on the host’s end either way, it is best to inform them beforehand. This allows the host to ensure the experience can accommodate the animal safely, and in the case that it can’t, will save the guest’s time.
Getting Ready With Your Service Animal for an Airbnb
We’ve covered Airbnb service animal policy for home stays and experiences above, as well as the differences in policy regarding emotional support animals. In short, Airbnb hosts cannot treat service animals as pets and generally must allow them. The same applies to Airbnb Experiences, but given that an activity or the environment may not be appropriate for an animal, hosts can deny service animals.
If you come across a host who denies a stay or an Experience due to a service animal unlawfully, contact Airbnb support to resolve the issue. You can also file a complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act if you’d like to take legal action.
