Almost half of US pet owners have changed, limited, or cancelled travel plans because they couldn’t find suitable pet-friendly accommodation, according to a May 2026 survey commissioned by PetScreening. Not because pet fees were too high. Not because properties don’t allow pets. Because they couldn’t find clear answers: pet size limits, deposit requirements, screening processes: before committing to a booking.
For vacation rental operators, this represents a conversion leak that has nothing to do with the policy itself and everything to do with how it’s communicated. The properties capturing this demand aren’t the ones with the lowest fees: they’re the ones with the clearest messaging, the most visible pet-friendly details, and the simplest booking experience for travelers with animals.
The PetScreening survey, conducted by Veridata Insights between May 20 and 22, gathered responses from 1,000 US adults aged 18 and over. The findings reveal a significant friction point in the vacation rental booking journey: 45% of pet owners had altered their travel plans specifically due to a lack of suitable pet accommodation. Among Gen Z respondents, that figure rose to 57%.
These aren’t edge cases. This is systematic demand loss affecting nearly half of the pet-owning travel market: and it’s happening before these travelers even reach the inquiry stage. When a property listing doesn’t clearly state whether pets are allowed, what sizes qualify, what fees apply, and what documentation is required, pet owners filter it out. They assume it’s a no. They move on.
The survey also found that 43% of pet owners prefer to bring their pet with them when traveling, rising to 47% among Gen Z. Meanwhile, 64% said their pet was likely to influence their travel choices.
John Bradford, founder and CEO of PetScreening, framed the opportunity plainly: “Pets are part of the family, and they are influencing where people go, how long they stay and whether they travel at all. Our research shows a real gap between what pet owners want and what the market delivers. The operators who make pet travel simple, clear and predictable this summer will be the ones who capture demand that might otherwise disappear.”
The gap Bradford describes: between what pet owners need to know and what most vacation rental listings actually communicate: is what we’ll call the Pet Policy Clarity Gap. It’s the single biggest obstacle between a browsing pet owner and a confirmed booking.
The 45% Who Canceled Before They Even Inquired
This isn’t about pet owners getting to the booking form and abandoning because of a $75 pet fee. This is about travelers filtering properties out of consideration entirely because the policy isn’t visible, isn’t clear, or isn’t specific enough to make a confident decision.
Think about the friction. A family with a 60-pound Labrador is planning a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They’re browsing vacation rental listings. Property A says “Pets considered on a case-by-case basis.” Property B says “Dogs up to 50 lbs welcome. $75 pet fee, $250 refundable deposit. Pet screening verification required before check-in.”
The family doesn’t inquire about Property A. Too much uncertainty. Too much risk that they’ll get a no after they’ve already emotionally committed to the property, after they’ve shown the photos to the kids. They book Property B: even though Property A might have said yes to their 60-pound dog.
That’s the Pet Policy Clarity Gap. Property A loses the booking not because of the policy, but because of the communication. The 45% who cancelled or changed plans didn’t all encounter hard nos: many of them encountered vague maybes and chose not to waste time finding out.
Gen Z Pet Owners Are Rewriting Travel Priorities
The survey data shows that Gen Z travelers are even more sensitive to pet policy friction than the overall market. Among Gen Z pet owners, 57% reported changing or cancelling travel plans due to lack of suitable pet accommodation: 12 percentage points higher than the overall average.
Gen Z is also more likely to bring pets along. Short stays. Weekend trips. They’re not leaving the dog at home. Forty-seven percent of Gen Z pet owners prefer to travel with their pet, compared to 43% overall.
And when they can’t bring the pet, they’re paying more for care. The survey found that 59% of Gen Z pet owners spend more than $25 per day on pet care when traveling without their animal, and 25% spend at least $50 per day. For a week-long trip, that’s $175 to $350 in pet care costs: a meaningful budget line that could instead go toward a pet-friendly property with a simple one-time fee.
This cohort isn’t tolerating vague policies or hidden fees. They expect transparency, speed, and clarity: the same standards they apply to every other digital booking experience.
The Real Cost of Vague Pet Policies
The lost booking is the obvious cost. But vague pet policies also filter out some of the highest-value guests in the vacation rental market.
Pet owners who travel with pets tend to book longer stays: a weekend isn’t worth the hassle of transporting the dog, so they extend to a week. They’re more likely to be repeat guests if the property delivers on the pet-friendly promise, because finding a reliably pet-friendly property is hard enough that they’ll return rather than search again. And they’re already signaling willingness to pay: the survey found that one in four pet owners expects to spend up to $25 per day on pet care, and another 24% are comfortable spending $26 to $50 per day.
These are not price-sensitive travelers. They’re convenience-sensitive. The property that makes the pet policy simple, visible, and predictable captures them. The property that buries the policy in fine print or leaves it ambiguous loses them before the inquiry.
What Clear Pet Communication Looks Like in Practice
Clear pet policies don’t require essay-length disclosures. They require specific answers to the four questions every pet owner is asking:
- Are pets allowed, and what type/size?
- What does it cost (fee, deposit, both)?
- What documentation or screening is required?
- Are there restrictions (number of pets, certain areas off-limits, outdoor spaces available)?
A clear policy in a listing might read: “Dogs up to 50 lbs welcome. $75 non-refundable pet fee per stay. $250 refundable pet deposit. Pet screening verification required: we’ll send a link after booking. Fenced backyard. Pets allowed on furniture with provided covers.”
Compare that to: “Pet-friendly. Additional fees may apply. Contact owner for details.”
The second version forces the traveler to do work: to inquire, to wait for a response, to negotiate. The first version lets them make the decision immediately. The friction isn’t in the policy itself. It’s in the communication.
For operators managing multiple properties, this clarity needs to extend across the entire booking flow. Pet policy should be visible on the listing page, repeated in the booking confirmation email, and referenced again in the pre-arrival message with a link to the pet screening portal if one is required.
Why Direct Booking Sites Have the Pet Policy Advantage
OTAs handle pet policies inconsistently. Airbnb’s pet filter shows properties that allow pets, but it doesn’t surface the fee, the size limit, or the deposit requirement until you’re deep in the listing. Vrbo’s pet policy section is often left blank by hosts who don’t realize it exists. Booking.com’s pet fee is sometimes listed as “on request”: more friction.
Direct booking websites solve this by design. When an operator controls the site, the pet policy can be featured prominently on every property page, integrated into the booking flow with automatic fee calculation, and reinforced in confirmation emails with direct links to pet screening platforms like PetScreening. There’s no platform-imposed ambiguity. No hidden fees revealed at checkout.
This is one element of a direct booking growth strategy that reduces friction at every stage. Pet policy clarity reduces friction at the browsing stage. Listing copy that answers questions before they’re asked reduces friction at the consideration stage. Load speed, trust signals, transparent pricing, and conversion-optimized booking flows reduce friction at the decision stage. Together, they create a booking experience that captures demand OTA listings leave on the table.
The PetScreening survey makes one thing clear: pet owners aren’t avoiding vacation rentals because properties don’t allow pets. They’re avoiding properties where the policy is unclear, where the booking process adds friction, or where they can’t get a confident yes before they start planning.
The operators who capture this demand in 2026 won’t be the ones who race to the bottom on pet fees. They’ll be the ones who make the policy visible, the fees transparent, and the booking process simple enough that a traveler with a dog doesn’t have to wonder whether they’re welcome. Clear answers win bookings.
Your direct booking website should make pet policies impossible to miss. See how CraftedStays builds clarity into every property template →
