Allowing pets as a modification

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Allowing pets as a modification

Jacob KurianPro Member
Homeowner · Miami, FL · Member since 2019 · 18 posts · 8 votes

Hello, I am a newer landlord and have a tenant in place on a two year lease with one year just about finished. They just asked if they could get a pet. Our lease in place allows no pets in the unit. Obviously this would require a modification and potentially a fee. Has anybody experienced a pet add on in the middle of their lease and if so, what do they recommend? Is the extra fee for the pet worth it? I imagine some sort of monthly fee?

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Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz
Member since 2026 · 53 posts · 13 votes
4d

I'd settle the pet terms in writing before saying yes: what animal, when it can move in, who handles damage, and what the added charge is. Keep the signed change with the lease and give the tenant a copy. I wouldn't rely on a verbal agreement halfway through a two-year lease.

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  • Richard (Ryszard) Cieplechowicz
    Member since 2026 · 53 posts · 13 votes
    4d

    I'd settle the pet terms in writing before saying yes: what animal, when it can move in, who handles damage, and what the added charge is. Keep the signed change with the lease and give the tenant a copy. I wouldn't rely on a verbal agreement halfway through a two-year lease.

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  • Patrick O'SullivanBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2024 · 531 posts · 203 votes
    4d

    @Jacob KurianRichard's right about getting it in writing. You can have a written lease addendum rather than changing the original lease. Just keep the addendum specific about the type of animal, breed, weight, and how many, and require renter's insurance with liability coverage. Also check your insurance policy and any HOA or condo rules that apply to your property. Some associations have their own pet restrictions, and some landlord policies exclude certain breeds or sizes. For fees, most landlords charge monthly pet rent, often somewhere around $25 to $50 per pet, and some add a one-time fee or a refundable deposit on top. If you go with a refundable deposit, handle it the same way you'd handle a security deposit under your local rules. I'd lean toward saying yes. A solid tenant who asks permission instead of sneaking a pet in is usually one worth keeping, and a longer tenancy is worth more than the pet rent.

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  • Divin KanyamaBusiness Member
    Accountant · Seattle, WA · Member since 2025 · 311 posts · 103 votes
    4d

    @Jacob Kurian , this is definitely something you can consider without rewriting the entire lease. If you’re open to the pet, I’d first ask for the basics—type, size, age, vaccination or licensing records, behavior history, and anything your insurer may restrict. If everything checks out, put the approval in a signed pet addendum.

    The addendum can spell out the approved pet, expectations around damage, noise, waste, and what happens if problems come up. A refundable pet deposit or modest monthly pet rent may make sense, depending on your local rules and what is typical in your market. Just make sure this is an ordinary pet request rather than an assistance-animal request, since different rules may apply. If the tenant has been reliable and the property is a good fit, approving the pet could be a reasonable way to keep a good tenant—but it is also perfectly fair to stick with the no-pet policy if you are not comfortable with the added risk.

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  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    3d

    There are no bad pets, just bad pet owners.

    So, how can you figure out if the tenants are good or bad pet owners?

    May want to give them a 90-day trial period and make them aware you expect the property to be in great condition when you inspect - or a 30-day notice of termination to get rid of pet.

    Charges:
    Pet Fee: $100-300 nonrefundable. Covers your efforts to create Pet Addendum to lease

    Pet Rent: $25-100/month, offsets extra wear & tear even the best pet will cause.

    Pet Deposit: additional security deposit to cover potential pet damages. Check your state laws for limits.

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  • Marc Winter
    Real Estate Broker · Northeast PA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3d

    @Jacob Kurian

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  • Amit PatelBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Bartlett, IL · Member since 2025 · 151 posts · 60 votes
    3d

    Hey Jacob,

    Yes, this comes up a lot. We look at it two ways.

    If it is a support animal or service animal, that is not treated as a regular pet. You follow the assistance animal rules, not a pet fee addendum.

    If it is just a pet, we only consider it when the tenant has already been good. Pays on time, takes care of the unit, and has been respectful. In those cases we have added it mid lease with a written addendum instead of waiting for a brand new lease.

    What has worked for us is a signed pet agreement plus a nonrefundable fee of around $500 for possible pet damage and a monthly pet fee. The agreement should say the tenant is responsible for any damage, must keep the unit clean, and must keep all vaccines and records current at all times.

    In our numbers, good tenants who are allowed to keep a pet stay longer in the property. That extra time usually matters more than the small monthly fee. It is only worth doing if the tenant is already solid. A messy pet in a no pet building can still cost more than the extra rent.

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  • Leo SteinBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Orange County, CA · Member since 2025 · 36 posts · 10 votes
    2d

    I treat a mid-lease pet request as a written lease modification, not a text-thread favor. If you agree: pet addendum (type/weight/number), any pet rent or deposit only where your state and lease structure allow it, and clear waste/damage/nuisance rules. In California, security deposit caps still constrain how much you can stack as “pet deposit,” so many owners use modest pet rent plus tight documentation instead of inventing a large extra deposit. Separate lane: if they frame it as an assistance animal, that is an accommodation analysis, not a “pet fee” negotiation — different paperwork. Whatever you decide, get it signed before the animal moves in so you are not enforcing a handshake later.

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  • Daniel Smith
    Contractor · Bend, OR · Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 1 vote
    1d

    One thing landlords consistently underestimate when setting the pet fee is what pet damage actually costs to remediate, so size the fee against that rather than picking a round number.

    A standard turnover clean and a pet-contaminated carpet are two different jobs. Dog or cat urine contains uric acid, which bonds to carpet fibres and backing within roughly 24–72 hours. Surface cleaning after that point will not remove it. Once urine reaches the pad underneath, you are no longer paying for a cleaning — you are paying to replace the pad and treat the subfloor, which runs several times the cost of a normal carpet clean. A $200–300 pet fee does not cover that.

    Three things worth writing into the addendum from the flooring side:

    1. Require accidents to be reported promptly and treated professionally. Most DIY enzyme attempts fail because the product needs long dwell time on a damp area; tenants usually spray, wipe, and call it done.

    2. Photograph all floors the day the pet addendum is signed. Without "before" photos of the floors, you cannot fairly attribute damage at move-out.

    3. Require professional carpet cleaning with a receipt at move-out for pet units. And do not be reassured if the unit smells fine at the walkthrough — uric acid crystals reactivate with humidity, so a carpet that smells fine in dry weather can smell strongly on a humid day. That surprise belongs to whoever owns the remediation bill, so make sure the paperwork puts it in the right place.

    Good tenants with pets do stay longer, as several people noted. Just make sure the fee reflects the real downside.

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    • Richard F.
      Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
      21h

      Great post! #3 is the real deal killer. You might not notice in the fall or winter, but get a hot, humid, summer day, and whew! El Stinko!

      Also, rarely mentioned, are allergies. I think we all know how "sensitive" people are getting in general, well, around 15% of people have allergies, about equally between dogs and cats. With a family of 4, your odds of an allergy problem increase, so you are effectively losing a significant portion of the prospective tenant pool if you allowed pets previously. There is no easy cleanup after pets. Your HVAC ducts collect dander. Your carpet and pad collect it. Curtains collect it. Popcorn ceilings and textured walls can collect it.

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