With many offices, schools, and daycare centers closed around the world, parents now have more flexibility with where they live and work. Many are interested in traveling more often—even temporarily relocating their families—to places with more space and access to the outdoors.

While catering to children and pets might not be safe in some spaces, here’s what you should know if you are open to welcoming them in your space:

If you’re unsure about welcoming guests with children or pets in your space, there are a number of steps you can take to feel more at ease.

Communicate in advance about what is—and isn’t available—in your space.
Help parents pack accordingly by detailing all the family-friendly amenities you already have on hand. Your guidebook can also include recommendations for where to pick up or replenish supplies.

To help you transition to hosting families, here’s how you can prepare your space over time:

• Opt for sturdy and safe furniture, and avoid glass, if possible
• Make cleanup easier by avoiding clutter and unnecessary decorations
• Move breakables and sharp objects out of a child’s reach
• Prevent broken dishes by stocking your kitchen with reusable plastic cups and plates
• Consider adding latches to cabinets and protective covers to power outlets
• Choose durable, easy-to-clean fabrics, like the materials used for outdoor pillows
• Cover hardwood floors with washable rugs

Take basic safety precautions to help protect your guests and your home.

• Help put everyone’s mind at ease by installing a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and fire extinguisher near the kitchen cooktop
• Remember to check off these amenities on your listing, and don’t forget to regularly replace batteries
• Include local emergency numbers in your house manual and on a quick reference card for guests

Consider requiring additional deposits and fees.

• Add a security deposit: Hosts can require a security deposit for their listing. No authorization hold will be placed, and guests will only be charged if a host requests to collect on their security deposit. Learn how to add a security deposit to your listing
• Add a cleaning fee: Many hosts include a fee to offset the cost of supplies or a professional cleaning service. Here's more on how to charge a cleaning fee if you don't already have one.

Know what to do if there’s an issue.
No matter how prepared you are, accidents may still happen—but there are a few ways you can help protect yourself when hosting on Airbnb.

• Request money through the Resolution Center: You can go through the Resolution Center for missing or damaged items, extra services, or other trip-related issues—like losing a house key or paying a pet fee. You can also send money to a guest to help compensate for issues like if your space wasn’t ready at check-in.
• Get to know Airbnb’s Host Guarantee and Host Protection Insurance: Airbnb’s Host Guarantee and Host Protection Insurance provide you with primary coverage for damages and liabilities. However, you may still wish to have homeowner’s insurance, renter’s insurance, or adequate liability coverage. Learn how you’re protected while hosting

Tip: As soon as you notice something may be wrong, make sure to take photos for your claim.

If you’re interested in attracting travelers with families, thoughtful touches can help you stand out as the ideal host. To make their stay feel more like home, be prepared to provide commonly requested items, such as extra towels and sheets. It’s also helpful to stock up on toilet paper and pantry items like salt, black pepper, and other cooking essentials. 

Get more ideas from host Elsie of Nashville, Tennessee, who shares how she creates a family-friendly space:

Tip: You can also never have too many cleaning supplies—especially paper towels, disinfectant wipes, and stain remover—or be over prepared for longer stays.

As we notice more families traveling with children, we’ve found they’re also wanting to bring their four-legged friends along—the use of the pet filter has increased recently on Airbnb. If you allow pets in your space, it’s helpful to provide:

• Bowls for food and water
• Pet-friendly furniture covers
• Plenty of designated towels to wipe off paws at the door
• Extra cleaning supplies

If you have a fenced-in yard or private patio, be sure to highlight that in your listing description. While you’re at it, you may want to specify the maximum number of pets you allow.

Here are some ways to highlight your pet-friendly listing:

• Update your house rules to clarify things like when it’s okay (or not okay) to leave the pet unattended in your space, where the pet is or isn’t allowed on the property—like near a pool or in a garden—or where it needs to be leashed. You can also specify where to properly dispose of pet waste. Save time by updating your house rules across multiple listings at once from your Listings page.
• In your guidebook, be sure to include recommendations for dog parks, local veterinarians, and pet stores
• If you anticipate that your guests may want to take day trips without their pet or may need backup plans, consider suggesting any pet-sitting services, doggie daycares, or nearby kennels

Tip: Airbnb doesn’t have a specific section to add a fee for pets, but you can charge a pet fee through the Resolution Center or adjust your cleaning fee.

What you need to know about assistance animals
It’s important to remember that assistance animals—which include service animals and emotional support animals—are not the same as pets and serve a crucial function for their owner. Under our nondiscrimination policy, a host is required to accept an assistance animal if it is housebroken and under control (even if the host doesn't normally allow pets). The only exceptions are for limited health and safety reasons. 

Please note that pet fees or one-time cleaning fee increases may not be applied to a reservation as a result of an assistance animal. Learn more about assistance animals

After you’ve gone through these steps of getting your space ready for families and pets, it’s time to showcase your space by refreshing your listing details and updating your amenities.

• Having an up-to-date listing title and description can help you attract the right type of travelers—and set clear expectations
• Guests who’ll be traveling with children and pets can use search filters to narrow down their options, so you’ll want to remember to also update your amenities. (If you have more than one listing, you can make updates to your amenities across all of your spaces from the Listings page.) A crib and a high chair are the must-have amenities for guests with infants.
• Include amenities like air conditioning, a washer/dryer, and a kitchen if your space has them
• If you offer a washer, mention whether you provide laundry detergent and if there are any additional charges
• Tubs make bathing children easier—be sure to mention if you have a bathtub in your listing, and include a photo in your image gallery
• If you’re open to pets, make sure to add that they’re allowed under house rules in your listing, and specify if there will be other pets on the property
• Double-check that your photos convey everything that you’ve described. Check out our step-by-step photography tutorial to learn how to highlight all the ways you’re meeting travelers’ needs right now.

While getting your space ready to welcome families with children and pets may take some extra work, adding these thoughtful amenities is one of the best ways to delight all of your guests.