Airbnb Pet Fee: How to Price It, Plus Booking.com and Vrbo Setup

You've already decided to accept pets. If you're still weighing that, start with should I allow pets in my Airbnb? Now you need a number for your Airbnb pet fee, a structure for it, and the same charge set up correctly on every other platform you list on.

Your first action today: ask your cleaner how much longer a turnover takes after a pet stay, and what extra supplies or laundry it uses. That one answer drives everything below. A pet fee priced from a real cost is easier to defend, easier to keep consistent across platforms and less likely to look like a penalty.

How much should an Airbnb pet fee be?

Price your pet fee from the extra cleaning a pet stay actually causes, then gross it up for the platform's service fee so the amount you receive still covers that cost.

Airbnb is explicit about the purpose. Its pet fee article says pet fees "should only be used to cover the cost of the expected cleaning you'd do after hosting fuzzy guests," and that unexpected damage falls under AirCover instead. So the fee isn't a damage deposit or a risk premium. It's a cleaning charge with a specific cause.

Build it in three steps:

1. Extra cleaning cost = extra cleaner time per pet stay × the hourly rate you pay.
2. Add supplies and laundry that only pet stays use, such as lint rollers, enzyme cleaner or washing throws.
3. Gross up for platform fees = cost ÷ (1 − the platform's fee rate on that charge).

Airbnb's service fee article says the host fee under the split-fee structure is calculated on "the nightly price and any fees charged by the host," excluding taxes. The same article lists a single host-only fee of 15.5% for most hosts on that structure. Check a real payout breakdown to confirm which rate applies to your fees.

Here's a worked example with made-up inputs. Consider a hypothetical one-bedroom where the cleaner needs one extra hour after a dog stay:

At €40, the host fee takes €6.20 and you keep €33.80, just above the cost. Swap in your own numbers. If your cleaner charges by the job instead of the hour, use the difference between a normal and a pet-stay invoice.

One Airbnb limit to check before you save: the pet fee article says your pet fee "can't be more than your nightly base rate." Low-priced units with a per-booking fee may hit that ceiling.

Our recommendation: keep the pet fee separate from your regular cleaning fee so guests can see what they're paying for. The cleaning fee strategy guide covers how to set that base charge.

Should you charge the pet fee per stay, per night or per pet?

Charge per stay when extra cleaning is roughly the same for any stay length, per night when longer stays clearly create more work, and per pet when two animals genuinely double the cleanup.

Airbnb's additional fees article lists four options for the pet fee: "A flat fee per booking, per pet, per night, or per pet per night." The pet fee article adds that guests can say how many pets (0–5) they plan to bring, and that the fee is spread over the stay, shown as part of the nightly rate and in the checkout total.

Use this table to pick a structure:

Test a per-night or per-pet-per-night fee against a real long stay before you commit. A small nightly amount over a month can end up far above your actual extra cleaning cost, which contradicts the purpose Airbnb states for the fee. Run the total through the Airbnb fee calculator to see what you'd receive.

How do you add a pet fee on Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo?

Airbnb and Vrbo have a dedicated pet fee field, while Booking.com handles pet charges through a "pets welcome" value add attached to a rate plan with a higher price.

Airbnb. The pet fee article gives the desktop path: Calendar, select the listing, Pricing, Fees, Pet fee, then save. Choose the structure from the four options above.

Booking.com. Its guide to accommodating pets works differently:

1. Under the property's Internet, Parking & Pets policy, answer "Do you allow pets?" and "Are there any additional charges for pets?"
2. Create a "Pets welcome" value add, set the maximum number of pets (default one, up to five) and link it to one or more rate plans.
3. Charge for pets by raising that rate plan's price, as "a fixed amount or a percentage more expensive than another plan," or in the calendar.
4. Keep at least one rate plan without the value add, which Booking.com says helps meet assistance-animal requirements.

Because the pet charge sits inside the rate plan price, it's part of the booking amount Booking.com's commission article describes. Gross it up by your own commission percentage. If you use a channel manager or PMS for Booking.com rates, the guide says to map the new rate plan there before setting prices.

Vrbo. Its manage your fees article lists pets among the "standard fees," set in the Fees section of the Owner Dashboard, not in the property description. The pay-per-booking article says the 12% commission applies to rent plus host fees, so treat the pet fee like any other host fee when you gross it up.

Put the pet rules and what the fee covers in your house rules on every platform, too. The house rules guide has wording tips.

When can't you charge a pet fee?

You can't charge a pet fee for a service animal on Airbnb, and you can't add a fee after booking that wasn't shown to the guest when they booked. Emotional support animals depend on local law.

Airbnb's Accessibility Policy says hosts can't charge a guest with a Service Animal "additional fees related to the reservation, such as pet fees or cleaning fees." For Emotional Support Animals, hosts "may charge normal pet fees" unless local law requires accommodation, and the policy names California, New York, Quebec and Ontario. Airbnb's Nondiscrimination Policy repeats the ban on pet fees for guests with a Service Animal. If a service animal does cause damage, the pet fee article says you can still request payment through AirCover.

Booking.com's pets guide says that in many countries you "cannot charge extra or add conditions" for assistance animals. Vrbo's service animal policy says service animals aren't classified as pets and must be accommodated where service animal laws apply.

On late fees, Airbnb's article on hosts asking for more money prohibits "failing to disclose reservation fees at the time of booking" and taking fee payments off Airbnb. Vrbo says fee changes only apply to future bookings, and a charge on an existing reservation goes through a payment request. So if a guest arrives with an undeclared pet, contact the platform's support or use its payment request tools rather than asking for cash.

When this advice does not apply

• Where local law caps or bans fees: some places restrict charges tied to assistance animals or regulate short-term rental fees in general. Check your local rules before relying on this method.
• Damage beyond cleaning: a pet fee covers expected cleaning, not repairs. Use each platform's damage process for those.
• Hotel-style inventory on Booking.com: rate plan and value add behavior can differ by property type, so follow the options your extranet shows.

What to do next

1. Get your cleaner's extra time and supply cost for a pet stay, and write it down.
2. Apply the formula, grossing up by each platform's fee rate on host charges.
3. Pick a structure from the table, then test it against your longest typical stay.
4. Set the fee on Airbnb and Vrbo, and create a pets welcome rate plan on Booking.com while keeping one plan without it.
5. Add the service animal exception to your pet rules on every listing.

FAQ

What does an Airbnb pet fee cover?

According to Airbnb, the cost of the expected cleaning after a pet stay, such as removing fur from furniture. Unexpected damage is handled separately through AirCover, not through the pet fee.

Can you charge an Airbnb pet fee per night?

Yes. Airbnb offers per booking, per night, per pet, and per pet per night options. Whichever you pick, the fee can't be more than your nightly base rate.

Can a host charge a pet fee for an emotional support animal?

On Airbnb, generally yes, unless local law requires accommodation. Airbnb's Accessibility Policy names California, New York, Quebec and Ontario as places where it does.

Sources

• Airbnb Help Center, "Add a pet fee for home listings" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Airbnb Help Center, "Accessibility Policy" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Airbnb Help Center, "Airbnb service fees" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Booking.com for Partners, "Guide on accommodating pets at your property" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Vrbo Help, "Manage your fees" — Verified 2026-09-30