Airbnb customer furious after being charged extra over dog hair
‘I hate Airbnb,’ guest says
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
An Airbnb customer was left furious after being charged for leaving pet hair at a home rental, despite the listing for the property labelling it as pet friendly.
The angry guest, called Maddie, claimed the cottage stated that it allowed pets on the listing, and even checked her German Shepherd, Judge, in on the booking.
However, Maddie, who initially enjoyed her stay, took to social media to express her anger after the host demanded she pay an additional cleaning fee for leaving behind pet hair.
After challenging the host, Maddie was furious to discover the house was not pet-friendly after all.
The picturesque, three-bedroom property is listed as “Travel Haus: Stunning Cottage in German Village” and is based in Columbus, Ohio. The cottage currently has a 4.96 out of five star rating on Airbnb.
“I hate Airbnb. I checked out and received a message from the host saying they have to charge me an additional cleaning fee because pets aren’t allowed,” Maddie said on Twitter. “Your listing literally says pets allowed. I even included my dog on the booking.”
The disgruntled guest then proceeded to share her conversation with the host, who’d messaged Maddie to say: “Maddie, my cleaner is at the house and has informed me that you had a pet with you.
“This house is not a pet-friendly home and will now require additional cleaning due to the amount of pet hair that was left behind before the next guest.
“I need to charge you an additional cleaning.”
However, the charge was ultimately waived after Maddie pointed out that the listing for the home had described it as pet-friendly. The listing was updated to state that it was not pet friendly after the host suggested the pet-friendly label had been wrongly placed on the listing.
The heated encounter has left many divided - with some backing Maddie, while others sided with the Airbnb host.
“I mean she ultimately didn’t charge you and now you’re doxxing her business and left a really excessive amount of hair on her property,” one person wrote, while another said: “She clearly shouldn’t be charging you. Some of these people do not know how to run a business and sometimes you have to eat certain fees if you want to get those longer bookings.
“That being said, you didn’t feel an urge to sweep up after the dog? That’s a lot of hair.”
According to someone else, Maddie should have “definitely said no” to paying the fee.
“Also, when you book with a pet included you don’t see it but the rate is higher than it would be without a pet! That’s already built in!” they wrote.
In a statement, an Airbnb spokesperson said: “Our Community Support team had already assisted our host and guest to resolve this.
“We understand this issue was due to a misunderstanding by the host, and they have since apologised to the guest who will not be charged for this.”
As of now, the property has been changed to “no pets”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments