Vrbo Service Animal Policy: FAQs Answered

When it comes to running a short-term rental business, hosts have the freedom to decide whether to make their rental pet friendly for all their guests. But, accommodating service animals is a different ball game. One that should be handled according to the Vrbo service animal policy.

Hosts need to be fully aware of Vrbo’s policy to stay informed about what their rights are. They’ll also know what is expected from them when hosting guests with disabilities that rely on a service dog.

Here are the most crucial frequently asked questions answered, so that you are not left guessing:

General FAQs About Vrbo’s Service Animal Policy

1. What is the Vrbo service animal policy — are service animals allowed?

Cutting right down to it, Vrbo requires their hosts to allow service animals when a guest requires it. This policy applies regardless of whether or not a host’s rental property is pet-friendly. This is because service animals are not categorized as pets.

Technically, Vrbo specifies that this policy is for hosts with properties located in the United States and U.S. Territories. But, Vrbo also emphasizes that they are an “inclusive marketplace built on a foundation of trust, safety, and respect”. This means they encourage all hosts to allow service animals at their vacation home irrespective of if it’s a pet-friendly accommodation.

2. How does Vrbo define a service animal?

Vrbo defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to perform tasks for individuals to assist with a disability.  

These tasks could be to:

• Assist a blind person, or partially blind person, with navigation tasks
• Alert hearing-impaired people to other individuals or sounds
• Assist with pulling a wheelchair
• Assist when a person has seizures
• Alert individuals if certain allergens are present
• Retrieve items for the disabled individual, like medicine or the telephone
• Provide physical support (like balance and stability support) to people who have mobility disabilities.

3. Are service dogs the only service animals allowed in Vrbo’s policy?

Only service dogs are allowed under Vrbo’s service animal policy. While some regions may include other animals as assistance animals, a service dog is the most widely accepted and, as such, is accommodated by the policy.

So, a vacation rental owner or property manager does not need to worry about trying to accommodate all different sorts of animals. They can expect guests with disabilities to only bring service dogs to their properties.

4. Does an emotional support animal qualify as a service animal?

An emotional support animal is not the same as a true service animal. The role of an emotional support animal is to provide calming support and comfort to an emotionally distressed pet owner. Emotional support animals do not have the duty of being specifically trained for particular disabilities like true service dogs are.

According to Wikipedia, “an animal that provides relief to individuals with “psychiatric disability through companionship.” Emotional support animals may be any type of pet (not just, e.g., dogs), and are not recognized as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

5. Do I have to allow emotional support animals in my rental property?

Because emotional support animals do not qualify as true service animals, a vacation homeowner or property manager is not forced to accommodate reservations with emotional support animals.

Vacation rental property owners will have to discuss these special requests with their guests to determine if they can make reasonable accommodations for emotional support animals. This may be a no-brainer if your short-term rental property is pet-friendly already. But it can also be determined on a case-by-case basis or can be stated in the house rules or pet policy.

6. May I request documentation to verify a service dog?

As a vacation rental owner or property manager, it is understandable that you would want to see some form of verification that a guest’s service dog is a trained assistance animal — especially if your vacation rental is not usually pet friendly.

However, service animal owners are not obligated to have any documentation for a service animal, or any items verifying their service dogs’ training or certification.

Though, a host is allowed to ask their potential guests reasonable questions to ensure they have enough information about the assistance animal. These questions include:

• Is the service dog necessary because of a disability?
• What tasks is the service dog trained to perform?

Service Animal Legal Requirements FAQs

7. Does Vrbo’s service animal policy take property laws into account?

It’s always a smart idea to know how policies on OTAs like Vrbo relate to official laws and regulations. This way, you can stay informed about your limitations and rights as a vacation rental owner. Here’s how Vrbo’s assistance animal policies correlate to disability and vacation rental regulations and laws:

• Local laws

Vrbo’s policy on service dogs does not take any specific local laws into account.  Regardless, Vrbo requires compliance with their policy in addition to the laws, HOA restrictions, or breed restrictions that might be in place at your vacation rental.

Of course, hosts need to do extra due diligence to ensure they do not violate any local laws that may apply to their property too.

• Americans with Disabilities Act 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that protects individuals with disabilities against discrimination. This law extends to service animals too.

The ADA requires any place of public accommodation to allow assistance animals. Technically, the act defines a place of public accommodation as an inn, hotel, or motel, or a lodging offering short-term rentals that operate similarly to a hotel. So, vacation rentals that operate differently from a hotel may be able to argue their way around these regulations.

However, Vrbo’s policy to accommodate service animals further strengthens the guidelines of this Act and gives hosts an incentive to follow it too.

• Fair Housing Act

Similar to the ADA, the Fair Housing Act is a federal law that aims to discourage discrimination against a person’s disability when it comes to the sale, rental, or financing of housing.

While this federal law echoes the ADA and Vrbo’s policy, it does not outright apply to vacation rental properties.

Vrbo Service Animal Hosting FAQs

8. May I charge a pet fee for service animals?

Vrbo makes it clear that assistance animals are not pets. Since this is the case, you are not allowed to charge a pet fee, pet cleaning fee, nor ask for a higher security deposit for a service animal.

You can, however, charge pet fees for emotional support animals, if you decide to accommodate them at your rental property. This pet fee will have to be discussed with guests who would like to bring emotional support animals with them so that they are aware of the extra fees.

Individuals with a service animal cannot be charged pet fees of any kind. Service animal laws protect

9. Do my guests have to disclose their service animals before booking?

Guests with disabilities are not legally required to inform you of their service animals. But it is a smart idea to encourage open communication with your guests so that you can make reasonable accommodations for them.

The best way to do this is to mention in your listings, house rules, or pet policy that guests are welcome to communicate all necessary information about their service animals before check-in so that you can make arrangements for them.

10. Am I able to decide whether or not my property is okay for a disabled guest?

While you are free to add information to your listing describing the suitability of your rental property for accommodating a person’s disability, the ultimate decision is up to the guests themselves if your place is suitable or not.

Often, when a guest who relies on a service dog decides to book your property, they don’t need much extra to be done. They will not expect hosts to make too much of a fuss for them and are most likely capable of taking care of their own needs.

11. May I restrict my guests’ service animals to specific areas in my rental property?

For the most part, service animals should be allowed to go wherever guests are allowed. The role of a service dog is to assist its owner with physical support in their daily tasks. Restricting where the service dog is allowed to be on your property will get in the way of them helping their owners.

However, there are exceptions. Vrbo allows hosts to exclude a service dog from swimming pools. If an area could be dangerous for service dogs in some way, this may also need to be communicated to your guests.

12. What if I can’t have service animals in my home for health reasons?

One of the major reasons why rental property owners may be uncomfortable with having service animals in their homes is because of pet allergies. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, about 3 in 10 Americans have allergic reactions to cats and dogs.

If you or your family members have severe allergies to animals that could cause health issues, and you use your vacation home for personal use at certain times in the year, it is reasonable to state on your listing that your property does not accommodate service animals for this reason.

13. What happens if a guest’s service animal damages my property?

Hosts should have peace of mind that service dogs are exceptionally well trained. They will not be running wild all through your home and damaging your property.

Though, if an assistance animal does happen to cause damage to your property, the process would be the same as if a guest were to cause damage, i.e. you’d be able to deduct the cost of damage from their security deposit.

Also, if you have a good insurance policy in place, this damage could be taken care of as part of your insurance cover.

While highly unlikely, if a service dog causes major damage to your home and the animal’s owner is not doing anything to stop it, you are entitled to ask that the service dog be removed from the property. Keep in mind, though, that you should still give your guest the option to stay at your rental property without their service dog.

14. What happens if I violate Vrbo’s service animal policy?

It’s important to reiterate that Vrbo’s policies are to protect the best interests of their hosts and their guests. The assistance animal policy ensures that hosts know what to expect in the cases of a guest with a disability and to prevent guests from facing discrimination.

By signing up to be a Vrbo host, you are agreeing to all their policies. This includes their policy on service dogs. Therefore, if you violate the policy, there will be certain actions that Vrbo can take. Depending on how severe the case is, Vrbo can:

• Temporarily take down your listing,
• Permanently take down your listing, or
• Ban you from the platform.

For guests who misuse the assistance animal policy, Vrbo may also ban them from using the platform.

15. What amenities may I add to my property for guests with service animals?

If you’d like to make a great impression on guests with service dogs — and give them a reason to give you a glowing review — you can always add a few custom touches to your rental.

Another perk of keeping open communication in your listing is that you can be informed in time when a guest will be traveling with a service dog.

Although guests will not be expecting you to completely upend your vacation rental homes to accommodate them, reasonable adjustments can be made to make their stay more enjoyable. Some ideas for how to do this is to:

• Ensure the property is clean and not cluttered, to allow more space for your guest and service animal to move around without knocking anything over
• Provide basic supplies for the service dog, like water and food bowls
• Provide necessary supplies for the service dog to relieve themselves outside.

Nail Your Guest Communication and Guest Experience With iGMS

When preparing to host a guest with a service dog, the most important thing you can do is get your guest communication and guest experience right. This way, you will be able to stay informed of your guest’s needs, and they will feel assured and welcomed by your attention to detail.

Taking advantage of vacation rental software like iGMS is the easiest way to perfect your communication strategy and streamline your business with the help of our award-winning automation tools.

With iGMS, you will be able to:

• Managing multiple accounts and listings on the top OTAs from a single interface
• Improving communication with automated templates and triggered messaging
• Automating the process of guest reviews
• Processing payments securely via integration with Stripe.
• Adjusting your pricing in a smart way through integrations with PriceLabs, DPGO, and Wheelhouse

  Level-Up Your Business

About the Author
Callan Riddles is the Content and Social Media Specialist at iGMS. Callan has a passion for finding new ways to help vacation rental businesses thrive. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, and experience all the new things that life has to offer.