Is 50 pound mix labrador ok for SFH rentals?

[Atul Mohlajee]

Is 50 pound mix labrador ok for SFH rentals? Please give your personal opinion if you will allow or not. Thanks.

[JD Martin]

To me, a no pet policy is pointless because:

1. Anyone determined enough to be a bad pet owner will just produce an ESA/Service Animal setup;
2. Those predisposed to will just lie on the application and sneak them in anyway;
3. You then have to prove they have a pet with active management of your property;
4. You then have to follow through on your correction or eviction policy to remove the pet;
5. You eliminate 70% of honest households (those that won't lie and say they have no pets) from the renter pool;
6. You eliminate an additional source of income;
7. You eliminate an additional source of tenant retention.

Deposit+pet fees+renter's insurance+occasional inspections and you go about your day. My rentals are nice but I'm not renting out the Taj Mahal. I prefer to say "yes we allow pets" and then screen out the undesirable applicants from there - the 2 pit bull applicants; the 5 cat applicants; the 3 birds and a ferret applicants. In a decade we've had one incident of abnormal damage. The benefits outweigh the risks. I don't have to spy on my property to make sure no one's brought anything in. I get more money. My tenants stay longer so I have less turnover. Responsible pet owners tend to be responsible people, so those that meet my pet criteria (only fixed pets, limits on numbers and general size, breed, etc) generally leave my places in great shape.

[Mindy Jensen]

Quote from @Erin Dreher:

First thing I look for is a fenced backyard for pets. I do ask owners to put a weight limit on what we will accept. Something like - owner accepts one small pet up to 30lbs.  I personally have a 80lb black lab and we are constantly fighting shedding problems. It is a lot to keep up with. And though I might be a great owner and take care of my dog.... I know that not all tenants are going to be. 

If you do decide to do it make sure you take date stamped pictures of the floors, baseboards, doors at the time of move in so you have something to refer to at move out that would stand up in court. Make sure your tenant signs off on a move in check list with the condition of the property. Collect pet rent and non refundable pet deposit. 

 Be careful with your choice of words. A fee is non-refundable, a deposit is refundable. If you have no plans to return any portion of it, then don't call it a pet deposit, call it a pet fee.

[Drew Sygit]

@Atul Mohlajee you can make a lot of money off pets!

Yes, there is a bit of extra cost on most turns and occasionally an ugly one, but overall, worth it.

A few thoughts:

1) Screen the owner NOT the pet!
-If an owner trains their pet well, gets the pet proper exercise, etc., then you have less problems

2) Require Renter's Insurance with at least $50k dog bite coverage and if possible, damage coverage
-If a pet bites someone, you the property owner, will also get sued. Put that liability on the pet owner.

3) Require a nonrefundable Pet Fee based upon pet size and breed.
-This flat fee can be any amount you want and is separate from Security Deposit

4) Require monthly Pet Rent that also coincides with pet size & breed.
-This helps offset additional pet-caused MoveOut cleaning and damages
-To avoid questionable tenant claims that they suddenly got rid of their pet and want to void this payment, state clearly in your lease it cannot be voided.

5) Do a surprise Pet Inspection 30-45 days after MoveIn.
-This will head off any screening mistakes you did. Include lease clause that unacceptable inspection will allow you to terminate lease per state law.

You should include language to cover all these in a Pet Addendum to your standard lease. 

Applicants that refuse any of these, usually aren't good pet owners and filter themselves out!

[Eliott Elias]

Charge a extra pet deposit and keep some of it non refundable 

[Luke Stewart]

I accept pets, I know that in my area in Denver I can charge more per month that I would be able to. I also just do mid term rentals, longest so far being 5 months. So I can have the place really cleaned well in between each renter. I don't think the weight is as important as the age and breed. Cats will do more damage than the average dog in my opinion. Just accept that while you'll take more in each month, you will have to replace carpet, couches, etc, sooner. Also if you get a bad renter, it could be hell. Big security deposit is KEY!

[John Mocker]

Atul,

You should check with your Insurance agent and find out if there are dog breeds that will give you a problem getting the policy renewed.  Normally Labs are not on that list but as this is a mix you may need to find out what the mix is.  If this were a Lab/Pit Bull 50/50 mix you might have a problem with your company.