Hesitant to allow pets, but want to!
Member since 2022 · 41 posts · 18 votes
Can ya'll share your "lessons learnt" about allowing pets in your rental property ? We have only had one rental property so far and have always had a "No Pet Policy". Now I'm getting ready to market my second one and I want to feel more comfortable to allow pets and increase my applicant pool. I guess I'm concerned about those folks who think it's ok to use the backyard as the "potty", and not bother to pick up. Anyway, your recommendations/suggestions will be very helpful. Thanks in advance !
1. What restrictions do you have with pets ? (animal types/breeds/weight etc)
2. What is the normal fee charged ? (one time deposit or monthly)
Thanks
From my experience pets are a good money maker if you treat them right. I allow pets in all my properties under a few requirements. Worst case scenario pet leaves a bad odor in a house, thankfully you can ozone scrub a house and literally remove all odors from a home. The grass is also pretty simple to fix. Around 40-50% of people have a pet, so saying no pets limits people, and i also prefer people not drop off their animals at a shelter because they want to live in one of my units for 1-2 years. Pets are family to people.
1. Non-refundable pet deposits usually ranging 300-500 per animal depending on the size of the animal.
2. Find a good addendum and attach it to your lease for pets specifically
3. Your addendum should identify the tenant's liability. Tenant understands and accepts they are liable and responsible for their doings. Including inside and outside walls, carpets, floors, grass ect. Tenant will agree to restore the premises to their original condition at their expense if needed. Pet and pet waste are required to stay under control.
as always we do a pre-inspection with video and pictures and have the new tenant sign off on the pre-inspection form. This way when they plan to move out you can reference those documents.
I guess I'm concerned about those folks who think it's ok to use the backyard as the "potty", and not bother to pick up.
I allow dogs and openly encourage them with no size restrictions but do follow my insurance breed restrictions so that I am covered. When buying a new rental I search for a property with a fence if at all possible or install one to attract dog owners and prospective tenants are drawn to this. I have one property without one and it is more difficult to rent but the layout is not easy for a fence. I charge 35/month/dog and a refundable deposit of $600. In KY we have no limit to the deposit we can charge so I just lump it into the security deposit so it can more easily be used for other things. For those that use a pet fee up front instead of a deposit is that just a free pass on the amount of damage up to the fee and you charge whatever is remaining and with no damage you came out ahead or is this just income on top of the monthly pet rent. For ESA's when I mention petscreening.com most of the time they are no longer interested or no show me, but I do have one currently that is fine. I allow dogs anyway so it is not a deal breaker and theirs is real and at least the vacancy is filled. I am allergic to cats and self manage though so absolutely no cats, they stink and it hits me harder than Mike Tyson when I walk into most homes that have a cat.