What is a service animal?
Service Animal: A dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or mental disability.
Examples of tasks a service animal may perform include, but are not limited to:
- Assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks
- Alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds
- Pulling a wheelchair
- Assisting an individual during a seizure
- Alerting individuals to the presence of allergens
- Retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone
- Providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities
- Helping persons with psychiatric and neurological disabilities by preventing or interrupting impulsive or destructive behaviors
Are Hosts required to accept service animals?
At Outdoorsy we support the Federal ADA laws surrounding service animals and the crucial role they play to disabled Americans. Unless there’s a threat to health or safety we encourage you to support all Guests with disabilities whenever possible. Service animals are not the same as pets and serve a specific function for their owner. Hosts are expected to reasonably accommodate reservations where a service animal may be present, even if their listing rules state “no pets”.
Do Guests have to disclose the presence of an assistance animal before booking?
No. While Guests are not required to disclose the presence of a service animal before booking, we always encourage transparent communication to ensure a smooth experience for all.
Is it okay to charge an additional fee, or increase the cleaning fee, to accommodate the assistance animal?
No, Hosts cannot charge extra fees to Guests with a service animal.
Is it okay to request documentation for a service animal?
In the United States, Guests are not required to provide documentation for a service animal and there is no legally recognized certification process for service animals. Where a Guest indicates that he/she has a service animal, a Host may ask:
- Whether the assistance animal is required because of a disability
- What work or task the animal has been trained to perform
Can a Host request additional compensation if the animal damages a listing beyond normal wear and tear?
Yes. The Host has the right to retain some or all of a Guest’s security deposit or charge their payment method on file directly if they opted for the Security Deposit Waiver, to compensate for damage caused by the Guest or service animal.
What if I have a health/allergy related or safety concern related to service animals?
It’s important to be aware of the fact that a service animal plays an important role in your Guest’s ability to travel. However, if operating your RV with a service animal would create a health or safety hazard to you or others (e.g. allergies and pets who are unable to share space with other animals due to a safety concern), we will not require you to accept the booking with the service animal. Please be clear and polite when communicating with Guests about this. We suggest you include information regarding any allergies or any safety concerns regarding animals in your listing description in order to better inform potential Guests.