The Pet Fee Strategy: How to Price Pets in Vacation Rentals

If you decide to allow pets in your short-term rental (see Should You Allow Pets in Your Airbnb?), you are opening yourself up to a massive segment of travelers.

However, hosting pets requires additional cleaning, causes more wear-and-tear, and carries the risk of damage. To make a pet-friendly policy profitable, you must charge a dedicated Pet Fee.

Here is how to structure and price your pet fees strategically.

The Purpose of the Pet Fee

A pet fee serves two distinct purposes:

1. To cover the extra cleaning: Pet hair requires your cleaners to spend an extra 30-45 minutes vacuuming and lint-rolling furniture. You should pass a portion of the pet fee directly to your cleaners to compensate them for this time.
2. Pure Profit (Risk Premium): The remainder of the fee is pure profit for you. You are charging the guest a premium for the convenience of bringing their dog, and storing that cash to offset future wear-and-tear (like scratched floors).

(Note: A pet fee is NOT a damage deposit. If a dog destroys a $500 rug, you still charge the guest for the damage via the Resolution Center or claim it through AirCover. The pet fee is just the price of admission).

How Much Should You Charge?

Pet fees should scale based on the luxury level of the property and the length of the stay.

Strategy 1: The Flat Fee (Best for Short Stays)

This is the most common approach for weekenders.

• Standard Rentals: $50 to $75 per stay.
• Luxury/Large Rentals: $100 to $150 per stay.

Pros: It is simple to configure on Airbnb and Booking.com. Cons: If a guest stays for a month, a $50 flat fee is vastly underpriced for the amount of hair and dander accumulating over 30 days.

Strategy 2: The Nightly Pet Fee (Best for Mid-Term Rentals)

Instead of a flat fee, you charge a small amount per night (e.g., $15/night).

• A 2-night stay = $30 pet fee.
• A 10-night stay = $150 pet fee.

Pros: Perfectly scales with the wear-and-tear of a longer stay. Cons: Airbnb's native pricing settings don't handle nightly pet fees elegantly; you often have to calculate it manually or use a PMS to enforce it.

Strategy 3: The "Per Pet" Fee

If a guest brings three Golden Retrievers, the cleaning effort is triple that of one dog.

• $75 for the first dog.
• $50 for the second dog.

How to Configure Pet Fees on OTAs

• On Airbnb: You can add a flat Pet Fee in your pricing settings. Airbnb automatically rolls this fee into the total price the guest sees at checkout, and Airbnb does take their 15% commission out of this fee.
• On Booking.com: Booking.com does not collect pet fees upfront by default. You must state in your "Facilities & Services" that pets are allowed and that "Charges may apply." It is up to you to collect the fee directly via your PMS and Stripe integration.
• On Direct Booking Sites: When using a tool like BookBed, you can configure the pet fee as a mandatory add-on at checkout, ensuring you keep 100% of the revenue without giving a cut to the OTAs.

Service Animals (The Exception)

You cannot charge a pet fee for a legitimate Service Animal on Airbnb, Booking.com, or your own website.

Under the ADA (and Airbnb's nondiscrimination policy), a Service Animal is not a pet; it is medical equipment. Attempting to charge a pet fee for a guide dog will result in your Airbnb account being permanently banned.

(Note: Emotional Support Animals are handled differently depending on local jurisdiction and platform rules, but legitimate Service Animals are universally exempt from fees).

Further reading

• Should You Allow Pets in Your Airbnb?
• How to Manage Cleaning Fees
• Airbnb Pricing Strategies

Frequently asked questions

How does BookBed help vacation rental hosts? BookBed is a channel manager that syncs your Airbnb, Booking.com, and direct booking calendars every 60 seconds to prevent double bookings. It includes an embeddable booking widget for commission-free direct bookings, automated guest messaging, and auto-invoicing with VAT reports. Plans start at €9/month.

Is BookBed suitable for small hosts with 1–3 properties? Yes. BookBed's Starter plan is designed for hosts with up to 3 properties at €9/month. It includes two-way iCal sync, a booking widget, Stripe checkout, and email support — everything a small host needs to manage listings professionally.

Does BookBed charge commission on bookings? No. BookBed charges zero commission on all bookings, whether they come through OTAs or your direct booking widget. You pay a flat monthly subscription fee and keep 100% of your booking revenue.