When a guest brought a pet without permission to one of our homestays, we photograph the evidence before cleaning, deduct the actual cleaning or repair cost from the deposit with photos, and tell the next guest before they arrive. Whether pets are allowed at all is set per unit in its house rules, not by law.
This article is for two readers: a guest who wants to bring a cat or dog and wants to do it properly, and an owner who wants to know what happens to their unit when someone does it quietly. It describes a common type of incident, not a story about any particular guest.
Can I bring my cat or dog to a homestay in Johor Bahru?
There is no single answer. In our system every unit has its own policy fields, and one of them is "pets allowed: yes or no". That policy is what we compare against the listing on Airbnb, Booking.com and Agoda. So the honest answer is: read that unit's house rules, and if they are unclear, ask in the booking chat before you pay.
Why do many units say no? Three practical reasons:
- Fur and smell do not leave with a mop. Cat fur works into fabric sofas, mattresses and curtains. The next guest with a cat allergy will sneeze in a unit that looks spotless.
- The gap between guests is short. Check-out in the morning, check-in in the afternoon. Removing fur properly takes longer than a normal turnover.
- The next guest may need sertu. For many Muslim guests, traces of a dog are najis mughallazah, the heaviest category of impurity. If there are wet dog traces, the unit needs sertu, a ritual washing, which is not a normal cleaning job. In Malaysia this matters far more than most foreign hosting guides suggest.
Units that do allow pets usually set conditions: how many, what size, not on beds or sofas, and sometimes an extra cleaning fee. Those conditions are in that unit's house rules.
Do Johor Bahru condos allow pets?
This is the question guests rarely think about. Most homestay units sit in strata buildings, and the building has its own rules.
According to The Star (QuickCheck, July 2026), by-law 14 in the Third Schedule of the Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015 does not impose a blanket ban on pets. Animals are allowed unless they cause nuisance, endanger other residents' safety or health, or break written law. Management can issue a written notice requiring a particular problem animal to be removed. Management bodies can also pass additional by-laws, for example size limits or a pet deposit, but that needs a special resolution at a general meeting.
What that means in practice:
| Point | What it means |
|---|---|
| Fine for breaching a by-law | Up to RM200 per offence, per The Star |
| Who gets the notice | Usually the unit owner, not the guest who has already left |
| When it becomes a problem | A dog barking in the corridor, an animal in the lift unleashed, mess in common areas |
| Stricter building rules | Possible; check with building management, not only the house rules |
So even if a unit's house rules allow a cat, the building can still act if the animal causes trouble. RM200 is small. A building that keeps receiving complaints about short-stay units, and starts looking harder at all of them, is a much bigger cost than RM200.
How do we know a guest brought a pet?
Like cigarette smell, it is not always clear. The evidence we look for in the post-check-out inspection:
| Evidence | Strong or weak | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Droppings, urine, cat litter or pet bowls | Strong | Photographable, unambiguous |
| Scratch marks on sofa, door or curtains | Strong | Physical damage with a repair cost |
| Heavy fur on sofa, sheets and mattress | Medium | Photographable, but a little fur can come off a guest's clothes |
| Guard footage or report of an animal in the lobby or lift | Medium | Has a time and witness, but not inside the unit |
| Neighbour heard a dog barking | Weak | Could be another unit |
| Cleaner says "smells like an animal" with nothing physical | Weak | One person's impression |
We only deduct from the deposit when there is evidence we can show. Our system does not allow a deposit deduction without photos. If all we have is "feels like there was a cat", we clean and record it, without punishing a guest who may have done nothing.
What do we do the moment we find pet traces?
- Photograph first, clean second. Droppings, fur, scratches, litter. Once cleaned, the evidence is gone.
- Separate cat traces from dog traces. Cat traces are a cleaning job: vacuum, wash fabrics, wipe surfaces. Wet dog traces such as saliva or droppings may need sertu for the next guest.
- Wash every removable fabric. Sheets, pillowcases, towels, sofa covers if they come off. Vacuum mattress and sofa.
- Decide whether the unit can be handed over. If fur or smell remains, or sertu has not been done, we tell the next guest before they arrive so they can choose, not after they walk in.
- Message the previous guest with photos. What was found and the actual cost to be deducted. Facts, not accusations.
- Record it for the owner. What happened, photos, cost, and whether the next guest was affected.
When does sertu matter, and who decides?
We are not a religious authority and we do not issue rulings. What we take from official sources: the Federal Territory Mufti's Office explains that sertu means washing the affected place once with water mixed with soil, followed by six washes with clean water, after any visible impurity has been removed, and that it is required when the impurity was wet.
In homestay terms:
- Cats do not call for sertu. A thorough normal clean covers that side.
- A dog that only walked on dry floor is a point on which scholars themselves differ. We do not decide it for the guest.
- A dog that slept on the bed or sofa, or licked plates, is a situation we treat as something the next guest must be told about clearly.
What we commit to is transparency: if we know a dog was in the unit, the next guest is told before check-in. How that family wants to handle it is their call.
How much can come off the deposit?
The default deposit at our units is RM200, paid on the day of check-in. We do not set a flat "RM500 pet fine". We deduct the actual cost, with photos and receipts:
| Cost | Deducted from deposit? |
|---|---|
| Extra cleaning: deep vacuum, washing sofa and mattress | Yes, with photos |
| Sertu done by an outside provider | Yes, with photos and receipt |
| Repairing scratches on sofa, door or curtains | Yes, with quote or receipt |
| Building fine because of the animal | Yes, if there is a written notice from management |
| A night blocked, or the next guest moved | Hard; usually more than RM200 |
RM200 covers extra cleaning. It does not cover a sofa repair or a lost night. For larger costs, our system only lets us charge a guest for a booking that checked out within seven days before the reference date. After that, the cost falls on the owner or insurance.
For Airbnb bookings, Airbnb's help centre says pet fees are for expected cleaning, and unexpected damage goes through AirCover. A third-party guide (Lodgify) says AirCover's pet damage protection also applies to pets brought without permission, with a claim within 14 days of check-out. We do not promise the outcome of any platform claim.
What about service animals?
Airbnb states that hosts must allow a service animal to accompany its owner unless an exemption applies, and may not charge a pet fee for it. A service animal is not the same as a cat in a carry bag. If you are travelling with one, tell us early so we can check the building's rules and match you to a suitable unit.
What do we not do?
- No deduction without photos. A few hairs are not evidence.
- No marking up. We deduct the receipt, not a rounded-up number.
- No public accusations. We reply factually if the guest reviews first.
- No labelling guests. Who brings an animal has nothing to do with where they come from. We judge the act, not the person.
What should an owner know?
- We cannot guarantee no guest will bring a pet. A cat in a bag is invisible in the lobby.
- Costs above the deposit usually appear on the owner statement as an expense, the same as in our deposit deduction for damage article.
- Building fines go to the owner. We try to recover them from the deposit when there is a written notice, but not always successfully.
- Allowing pets is not automatically a loss. Some families look specifically for pet-friendly units. It does need washable furniture and clear building rules. We wrote about that furniture in 10 things we stopped buying, and about cover in homestay insurance for owners.
If the next guest says the unit was not clean, see how we handle a cleanliness complaint. For cigarette and durian smell, see guest smoked or brought durian.
FAQ
I want to bring my cat. What is the right way? Pick a unit whose house rules allow pets, ask in the booking chat before paying, and keep that written answer.
My cat stays in its carrier the whole time. Does the rule still apply? If the unit does not allow pets, yes. But if there is no fur, mess or damage, there is no cost to deduct.
My deposit was cut for "pets" but I did not bring one. What do I do? Ask for the photos behind the deduction. Without photos we should not have deducted. Reply in the booking chat so there is a record.
Can I ask whether a dog has been in the unit? Yes. If we know, we will tell you honestly.
Owners in Johor Bahru or Desaru who want to know how we protect their unit from incidents like this, in any area, can reach us at /ownerenquiry.