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Comment by EvanAnderson | Hacker News Reader

They stated "no pets". That's pretty black and white. Why did they need to say "No, really, no pets!"

I am utterly infuriated by the attitude that breaking rules is okay. It's all the more galling that our society rewards some rule breakers. When I'm feeling particularly petulant I can sort of understand how one would feel an attraction toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

From a realpolitik perspective renting your house to strangers is dumb simply because a significant quantity of strangers are rule-ignoring dicks.

Edit: I am aware service animals cannot be prohibited. Service animals are not pets.

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Sometimes things just happen. Maybe a friend comes by to say hi and brings their little doggy, unaware of your host's policy. Now, if I had read "no pets, we are very allergic and it can cause serious health problems" I will tell me friend to get the hell off the porch immediately! If it's simply a standard "no pets, no parties, blah blah" it probably wouldn't even occur to me that a dog on the porch could possibly be an issue.

Things are not black and white and wishing for a world where they are black and white does no one any good. We're all better off accepting the complicated nuances of the world and acting accordingly.

I become frustrated with people find or create "nuance" rather than when things just happen. There's a certain kind of person who seems to instinctively look for ways to edge just beyond breaking rules. It's usually for their convenience, and sometimes to get an unfair advantage. It's galling.

I become frustrated with people who don't appreciate nuance and assume the worst in people who don't view the world exactly as they do.

Working with the American public for any length of time shows one their worst assumptions probably aren't bad enough.

Some countries have mandatory military service. I wish the United States had mandatory labor in a public-facing position-- retail, hospitality, etc. I think it would go a long way to making people feel less entitled to break rules or conjure nuance where very little exists.

Sounds like your the type of person who most definitely shouldn't be renting any property to people.

The simple fact is...when you start accepting money to allow others to use your stuff, things out of your control are going to happen. Of course, I'm not excusing these "certain type of people" you are discussing (I think most of us call those people "assholes"), but as they say...shit happens.

Yes. I've said as much in other comments.

I worked with the public in a variety of retail and volunteer capacities over the years. I watched my family's property get destroyed as part of our small business and just accepted it as a cost of doing business. Americans, at least, mostly treat their own property poorly and are really awful to others' property. They also, by and large, can't follow basic instructions or simple rules-- especially if the rules present an inconvenience to them.

People will break fewer rules the fewer rules you have - and people will also use their common sense to interpret the rules. “No pets” doesn’t seem like it precludes “friend drops by with a pet and we stay on the porch”, in the same way that “no parties” doesn’t seem like it precludes “four friends come for dinner one night”.

If you’re renting a house people will expect to use it like one, no matter how many rules are trying to make it into some more restricted experience.

> They stated "no pets". That's pretty black and white. Why did they need to say "No, really, no pets!"

Because "No pets" means "do not bring a pet". If you want it to mean something else, you need to be more clear.

> When I'm feeling particularly petulant I can sort of understand how one would feel an attraction toward authoritarianism and totalitarianism.

Huh.

Service dogs exist and are required to be allowed (by Airbnb and VRBO policy, possibly by law depending on location). It is also forbidden to ask about them, require proof that they are trained/certified, or anything else like that.

If you have a severe allergy to animals, you shouldn't be renting your home to random strangers.

I dropped on an edit. I don't consider service animals pets.

Having worked with the public in a variety of retail and volunteer capacities over the years I would agree, and expand, to say that short term rentals of your home to strangers is always a bad idea. People are, for the most part, poor stewards of anything that doesn't belong to them, and terrible at following rules.

Agreed - service animals are not pets. Just want to make sure others know the distinction. And that service animals are generally allowed anywhere a person is allowed (often by law).

My parents had a beach home rental for years. It was a gigantic pain in the butt. Tenants would break furniture, steal things, and generally treat the house poorly (with zero recourse, as the the house was 5 hours from primary residence and "managed" by a rental agency). Only "upside" was this was priced into the fees. I don't think I would ever do short-term rentals to a remote house - too much risk, too much work.

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