Airbnb and Vrbo service animal policy: what hosts can and cannot do

Airbnb's service animal policy

Airbnb's Accessibility Policy (Help Center article 1869) sets rules that go further than many hosts expect. For a service animal, a host may not:

• "Refuse a reservation";
• "Charge the guest additional fees ... such as pet fees or cleaning fees for animal hair or dander";
• impose house rules on the guest that are different from the rules for other guests.

That applies even when the listing says no pets, because a service animal is not a pet. Your dog still has to behave like a working dog: a host can raise a problem with a dog that is out of control, and you are responsible for damage the way any guest is.

What can an Airbnb host ask about a service animal?

The same two questions a U.S. business may ask under the ADA. Airbnb's policy words them this way:

1. "Do you require your animal because of a disability?"
2. "What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?"

A host may not ask for documentation and may not ask the animal to demonstrate a task. So a certificate, vest, registration or ID card is not something a host can demand, and it is not proof of anything either.

The second question matters more on Airbnb than anywhere else, because of this line in the policy: "If the guest does not describe the work or task that the animal was trained to perform in the second question, then hosts should treat the guest's animal as an Emotional Support Animal." Name the task plainly ("he alerts me before a seizure", "she interrupts panic attacks"). You do not have to name your diagnosis.

Are emotional support animals allowed on Airbnb?

It depends where the listing is. Airbnb's general rule is that for an ESA, "a host may charge normal pet fees, charge additional cleaning fees for pet hair or dander, or decline a reservation if they don't accept pets." But the same policy says "hosts in California and New York are required to accommodate Emotional Support Animals for Homes reservations", and hosts in Quebec and Ontario must accommodate them for all reservations.

In practice:

• Listing in California or New York (Homes): the host must accommodate your ESA under Airbnb's policy.
• Listing anywhere else in the U.S.: look for a pet-friendly listing and expect pet fees.
• Do not describe an ESA as a service animal to get around this. Misrepresenting a pet as a service animal is a crime in at least 36 states. See fake service dog laws.

An ESA letter written for your apartment does not change a short-term rental host's obligations outside those rules. See can emotional support animals go anywhere?

Vrbo's service animal policy

Vrbo's Help Center and its trust and safety page describe a similar policy for hosts with properties in countries that have service animal laws. In summary, as Vrbo states it:

• Hosts are expected to accommodate travelers who rely on a service animal even if pets are otherwise not allowed, because service animals are not pets.
• Hosts should not charge a pet fee or increase the security deposit solely because a traveler has a service animal.
• Guests are not required to disclose a service animal or to provide documentation, evidence of training or certification, though Vrbo encourages open communication so the host can prepare.
• Emotional support animals are excluded from the policy, because they do not have task training related to a disability.

So on Vrbo, an ESA falls under the listing's ordinary pet rules. Read the listing's pet policy before you book.

Before you book: a short checklist

• Message the host early if you choose to. Neither platform makes you disclose a service animal, but a quick note avoids a surprised host at the door and lets you ask about fencing, stairs and where the dog can relieve itself.
• Keep it in the app. If anything goes wrong, messages inside Airbnb or Vrbo are your record.
• Answer the two questions, nothing more. If a host asks for "papers", you can quote the policy. Some guests carry wallet cards that quote the two questions for this; they state the rule and prove nothing about the dog.
• Check local rules for the trip. State laws can add protections, for example for dogs in training. See service dog laws by state.

Reporting a refusal

If a host refuses your service animal or charges you a pet fee for it, report it to the platform first: Airbnb through its Help Center, and Vrbo through the Contact Us option in its Help Center, which Vrbo points guests to if they believe they were denied a booking because of a service animal. Keep screenshots of the listing and every message.

For U.S. stays you can also go to your state civil rights agency or file an ADA complaint with the Department of Justice. The DOJ's two-question rule and fee rule are in ADA service dog laws.

How short-term rentals compare with hotels

For a service dog, the rules end up close to a hotel's: no pet fees, no pet-room restrictions, two questions only, and damage charged the same way as for any guest. For an ESA, rentals can be more flexible than hotels because many listings accept pets, and Airbnb's California and New York rule goes beyond anything the ADA requires. Compare with service dogs in hotels.

Common questions

Sources

1. Airbnb, Accessibility Policy (Help Center article 1869)
2. Vrbo, Service Animal Policy
3. Vrbo Help Center, guests with service animals
4. DOJ, ADA service animal FAQ
5. 28 CFR 36.302(c), service animals
6. MSU Animal Legal and Historical Center, fraudulent service dog laws

General information, not legal advice. Policies and laws change; follow the sources. Last checked September 25, 2026.