Pet Cleaning Fees on Airbnb: How to Charge Fairly
You can charge a pet fee on Airbnb to cover the extra cleaning after a guest brings a pet, set as a flat fee per booking, per night, per pet or per pet per night, and it cannot be more than your nightly base rate. The fairest way to price it is to measure how much extra time and supplies a pet stay adds to your turnover, then charge enough to cover that and no more.
I allow pets in some of my listings and I have cleaned up after plenty of them. Most pet stays are easy. A few leave fur woven into every rug and paw prints on the patio door. A good pet fee pays for the typical extra work without making responsible pet owners feel punished.
How Airbnb pet fees work
Here is what Airbnb's help center says about pet fees (Airbnb help: pet fees):
- Fee structure. You can choose a flat fee per booking, a flat fee per night, a flat fee per pet, or a flat fee per pet per night.
- Limit. Your pet fee cannot be more than your nightly base rate.
- Where to set it. In your calendar, select the listing, then Pricing and Fees, and edit the pet fee section.
- Purpose. Airbnb frames the pet fee as covering expected cleaning costs after pet stays. Unexpected damage goes through AirCover instead.
- Service animals. Airbnb states that "service animals always stay for free," though hosts can request payment through AirCover if a service animal causes damage.
Airbnb's fee rules also note that in some places hosts cannot charge pet or animal hair cleaning fees to guests with assistance animals, including emotional support animals (Airbnb help). Check the current policy for your location before you rely on a fee for any animal. For the full list of what you can and cannot charge, see Airbnb cleaning fee rules.
What a pet stay adds to your turnover
Before you pick a number, list what actually changes when a pet stays. In my experience, these are the tasks that grow:
| Extra task | Why it takes time |
|---|---|
| Hair removal from upholstery and rugs | Pet hair clings and needs a rubber brush or pet vacuum |
| Hair on bedding and throws | Pets often end up on beds even when rules say no |
| Floors and baseboards | Paw prints, drool and tracked in dirt |
| Glass doors and low windows | Nose prints at pet height |
| Odor check | Sniff test on fabrics, rugs and entry mats |
| Yard or patio cleanup | Waste pickup and checking for digging |
| Extra laundry | Throws, blankets and any pet covers you provide |
| Allergen care | Future guests may have allergies, so a thorough clean matters |
That last point is the one hosts forget. Your next guest might be allergic, and they will not know a dog stayed before them. A pet turnover has to be complete, which is why it takes longer. My guide on how to stop hair complaints in your Airbnb covers the tools that help most.
How to calculate a fair pet fee
Use your own numbers. Here is a simple method.
- Time a few pet turnovers and a few regular ones. Ask your cleaner to log start and finish times. The difference is your extra pet time.
- Multiply by your cleaner's hourly rate or the extra amount you pay per pet turnover.
- Add supplies and laundry. Lint rollers, extra vacuum bags or filters, enzyme cleaner and any extra linens washed.
- Decide on the structure. A per booking fee suits most listings because the extra cleaning happens once at checkout. A per night fee can make sense for long stays where hair and wear build up.
- Check it against the limit. Airbnb caps the pet fee at your nightly base rate.
Worked example (illustration only)
These figures are made up to show the math.
A host times five regular turnovers and three pet turnovers at a two bedroom cottage. Pet turnovers take about 50 extra minutes on average. The host's cleaner is paid an example rate of $30 an hour.
- Extra labor: 50 minutes ≈ 0.83 hours × $30 ≈ $25
- Extra supplies and laundry: about $8 in this example
- Extra cost per pet stay: about $33
The host sets a per booking pet fee of $35 to cover the typical extra work. For stays longer than a week, the host notices the extra time grows, so they consider a per pet per night structure for long stays instead.
Tell guests what the fee covers
A pet fee lands better when guests understand it. In your listing and house rules, spell out:
- How many pets you allow and any size or type limits
- Where pets can and cannot go (beds, sofas, pool area)
- What guests should do before checkout (pick up waste, bring pet bedding with them)
- That the fee covers extra cleaning so the next guest, who may have allergies, gets a fresh home
Keep checkout asks light. Airbnb says guests expect an easy checkout without cleaning tasks (Airbnb Resource Center). Picking up after a dog in the yard is reasonable. Vacuuming the sofa is not. See Airbnb checkout tasks for more on where that line sits.
When the pet fee is not enough
The pet fee covers expected cleaning. It is not a damage deposit. If a pet chews a chair leg, scratches a door or leaves a stain that needs professional treatment, that is a damage issue.
Airbnb asks hosts to file a damage reimbursement request within 14 days of the guest's checkout, supported by photos or videos, estimates or receipts (Airbnb help: damage protection). The hardest part is usually proving the item was fine before this guest. That is where a photo record of every turnover matters.
Clyn helps here. Your cleaner photographs each room in the Clyn app after every turnover, the AI checks the photos against your standard, and every turnover is saved with a date. If a pet guest leaves a scratched door, you already have a dated photo showing it was fine at the last checkout. For the full claim process, see how to prove guest damage on Airbnb.
Tips for hosting pets without extra headaches
- Use washable throws and sofa covers so hair comes off in the laundry.
- Choose hard floors or low pile rugs in pet friendly listings where you can.
- Keep a pet hair tool in the owner's closet, such as a rubber broom or a pet vacuum attachment.
- Add a pet section to your cleaner checklist so pet turnovers get the same extra steps every time.
- Photograph soft furnishings after pet stays to catch hair your cleaner may miss in low light.
FAQ
Can I charge a pet fee for an emotional support animal on Airbnb?
Airbnb says service animals always stay for free and notes that in some places hosts cannot charge pet or animal hair cleaning fees for assistance animals, including emotional support animals. Check the current policy for your location before charging.
Should my Airbnb pet fee be per night or per stay?
A per stay fee fits most listings because the extra cleaning happens once at checkout. Consider per night or per pet per night if long stays leave noticeably more work.
Is there a maximum pet fee on Airbnb?
Yes. Airbnb says your pet fee cannot be more than your nightly base rate.
If you want every turnover checked before check in, you can try Clyn free on one property at clyn.com.