Hong Kong pet owners have been urged to conduct thorough checks before sending their animals to boarding services, with a survey finding half of such businesses will not assume legal liability or provide compensation for accidents.
Victor Lam Hoi-cheung, the Consumer Council’s publicity and community relations committee chairman, said anyone who provided food and accommodation for a fee was considered to be operating an animal boarding establishment and required a licence issued by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
“The Code of Practice under the regulations stipulates that licensed boarding premises must be separated from, and not used for any other purpose except for that of boarding, hence the legality of homestay services may be in doubt,” he said.
Lam urged owners to refer to a list of licensed establishments on the department’s website. But he also noted participation was voluntary, meaning those not on the list might not necessarily be unlicensed.
He urged authorities to make the list mandatory and include all licensed businesses.
The council also contacted 18 establishments – three cat and three dog hotels in each of the three regions of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories – and asked for their prices and other details.
Only four listed compensation rates in case of accidents including injury, loss, illness or even death, with the maximum amount ranging from HK$300 to HK$5,000.
Eight said they would neither assume any legal liability nor provide compensation as stated in their terms and conditions or disclaimers.
The watchdog also found that a number of businesses failed to clearly lay out prices on their websites.
One business that did, later told council staff the list was no longer applicable as the website had not been updated in a long time, which Lam said was “confusing for consumers or may lead to unnecessary disputes”.
Seven businesses required customers to contact them for quotes, including one that gave “very limited information” on fees without providing a full price list, “indicating extremely low information transparency as a whole”, Lam said.
The council found most cat hotels mainly charged according to room size, ranging from HK$1,050 to HK$4,900 for a weeklong stay.
Some varied their prices according to room views, which could be “mountain” or “city”, the watchdog found.
There was slightly more confusion with dogs, with many establishments charging fees according to the pet’s size on top of other parameters, and businesses had varying methods of measurement.
“When communicating with service providers, consumers should clearly provide information about the breed and weight of their dog and clarify details to avoid unnecessary disputes,” Lam said.
The council also urged owners to pay attention to surcharges for extra services such as bathing, administering medication or nutritional supplements.
It also recommended consumers arrange an on-site inspection first, as well as leaving objects such as towels or toys with the owners’ scent so pets can better adapt to new environments.