Rent to applicant with German Shepard?

Question

Hello,

I am going to rent out my house. First time being a landlord. I have an applicant who has 2 dogs, one small and one is a German Shepard. We were only going to allow small dogs but this applicant seems very solid, aside from the dog. The applicant says the dog is 7 years old and very well behaved, but I’m sure they alls at that. All other applicants have had some red flag. I was thinking of making an exception. Any thoughts/suggestions?

John K. · Answer

Hi Mike,

The first consideration would be to check if your homeowner's insurance prohibits German Shepherds--if so it will be listed in your policy docs. I believe most insurers allow German Shepherds, but other breeds such as Rottweilers are almost always banned, and they could drop your policy if you take a tenant with one of those breeds.

Assuming the insurance isn't an issue, it's really a personal decision and should depend on their overall qualifications vs other applicants are available. If you do end up taking a tenant with a pet, I recommend charging an additional monthly pet rent. I prefer this over a pet deposit, because pets inevitably cause more wear and tear on a property and this way you don't have to itemize every little scratch and prove that it wasn't there before upon move out.

John