Dogs are ‘man’s best friend’ and undoubtedly a member of the family so many guests can’t bear the thought of leaving them behind and having to put them in kennels or to have to find alternative accommodation.

There are things you can put in place to set some boundaries for allowing dogs into your property.

Firstly, set a limit as to how many dogs you are willing to take, it can be true, two dogs make twice he mess. Also consider how much amenity space you have in your holiday home such as living rooms, utility rooms. If you have a tiny kitchen and two dogs and the maximum occupants would be uncomfortable in that space, consider only having one dog. After all guest comfort is paramount (including four legged guests.)

Set boundaries. Dogs have a tendency to have lots of shedding dog hair and at times, muddy paws, especially after walkies. So set boundaries that tell guests dogs are not allowed on furniture or in bedrooms. This can be supported by comprehensive terms and conditions, that way, should you have a problem or pet damage to any furniture, such as paw prints on a bed, you won’t be out of pocket. Don’t be afraid to enforce your Terms and Conditions if you have damage as a result of a guests stay, providing you have set the boundaries at the time of your guest taking out the booking.

Many guests are prepared and expect to pay a one-off fee for bringing their dog to go towards cleaning costs. Usually this can be anywhere from £10 to £30 for a week. Our advice would be, keep it conservative and competitive.

If you use a specialist holiday home insurance company, they often give you the option to add on pet damage insurance, whilst it can be an added cost and hopefully one you don’t have to use. However, you might be thankful that you did if one day you have to replace a damaged and stained carpet, or a half-eaten sofa!

Lastly, your doggy guests are no less important to your human ones, so make them feel welcome, try offering, dog bowls for use, some dog biscuits for when they arrive and a towel to dry them off after walkies! Towels will hopefully encourage guests to make sure they dry their dogs off before taking them into carpeted areas.

With any holiday let, there is going to be a volume if wear and tear, as long as you have adequate cover and boundaries in place, you shouldn’t have too many concerns over any guests, human or canine!