Investor/Realtor · Wentzville, MO · Member since 2014 · 846 posts · 431 votes
We are closing on our first two rental properties next week. They are turn key ready to rent properties. We have a few potential renters already. One is a young couple with a dog. I have dogs myself and know that they can be messy and destructive to a property. IMO I would rather not allow dogs at all. Fellow renters, what is your policy on dogs?
@Marcus Johnson I think people need to have a more open mind when they're so quick to assume all pets cause more damage than humans/kids. Kids also poop and pee in places that are not the assigned place depending how young they are. Kids draw on walls. Kids generally get into things. This, of course, goes back to the parents and how much they are or are not watching them and correcting them.
Just because there is a pet doesn't automatically mean it's pooping and peeing all over the place. Obviously, pets wouldn't be so popular if this were the case. Even with cats, generally, they WANT to go in their litter box. If they aren't, it's either because of some sort of health issue or because the human isn't doing something right such as cleaning the box!
Sure, humans tend to be allergic to animals and that's the only reason they notice the dander and hair in carpets. But don't for a minute think that those carpets aren't also full of human hair and human skin flakes (and who knows what else!). Carpet is generally a gross flooring option.
@Nicole A. Pet owners are very much like smokers, they don't realize that they smell like their pets and their homes smell just the same. When i walk into a house I can smell if a dog or cat had been in that place years ago, depending on how it had been cleaned after they were gone. Pet's smell big time. Plus, when I'm looking for a primary residence the minute I smell that an animal has been in the property, I'm automatically thinking discount.
@Marcus Johnson You must be going in a lot of homes of people who don't clean. Pets do not always "smell big time". Could you at least try not to put blanket statements out there? If every house you go into that has pets "smells big time", you should really sit back and question the quality of people and housing you're visiting. You said yourself you can smell it "depending how it had been cleaned..." Clearly the prior people did not clean up after their pets or themselves. Are you implying that every person with a pet doesn't clean (or have well-behaved, house-trained pets)?
Also, I don't know what smokers you know, but they are WELL aware of the old smoke smell. Some just don't care. That is the difference.
When I travel for a while and come home, I can smell the distinct smell of my personal home again. I assure you it doesn't smell like pets. It smells like...a wood cabin, because that's practically what it is. It doesn't smell like a vet office. And it doesn't smell like an animal shelter. In fact, I've worked at an animal shelter for years, and I definitely can still smell the smell of that place when I go in; I'm not magically immune to the smell because I have pets of my own. Please don't come on here and say all-encompassing, insulting statements. If you don't want pets in your rentals, then by all means, don't allow them. No big deal.
@Rumen Mladenov I do not allow smoking in the house. I do not have a separate deposit for that but if smoking goes on in the house then I will take $ out of the security deposit to rectify any issues (smoke damage).
@Nicole A. No insult intended, just speaking the truth. All animals have a smell, any house I have gone in whether cleaned very well or not very well, still has smell. We use to have chickens, pigs, bunnies, cows and horses. All of them smelled whether they were inside or out I had dogs as a kid and as an adult and I love animals, that was until my allergies/asthma took over. Luckily I'm not allergic to my kid, but we all have a smell and whether you like it or not I notice. An yes it is my belief that a lot of people don't realize the smell, because their use to it in their own home.
I have allowed dogs in my apartments, so you cannot say that I hate dogs.
@Account Closed Your wrong man, I've owned dogs my whole life until now and use to train and compete with them in shows. You shouldn't judge someone unless you truly know them.
Purr-haps we all better paws and make sure we all have a good cat-ittude. No need to get fur-ious or make pre-paws-terous claims. Even though we may be feline defensive, let's still make this a paws-tive experience fur everybody!
So you mean a smoker with kids and pets puts my property at higher risk?lol I have never been able to recover the cost of smoke remediation, but pets gets close. Even if there isn't a potty problem inside, with dogs the yard is trashed and doors are scratched usually. That being said, I do have pet friendly places. None of them have kids and none of them smoke. I can get fewer people and higher quality people if I allow pets because not many in my area do. The pets must be fixed, vaccinated and licensed. The good pet owners can prove that and have no problem providing it. The 'service animal' crowd that preach the law to me and explain their dog isn't actually a pet find I just received an application and they are a back-up applicant.
Here is our policy, straight from our lease/rental agreement:
" PETS AND ANIMALS.
This agreement specifically prohibits keeping pets/animals, or allowing
the pets/animals of others on the premises, even temporarily, without
Landlord's prior written consent.
“Pets/animals” include, but is not limited to, both warm- and
cold-blooded animals, such as dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, hamsters, rats, birds,
snakes, lizards, and insects.
Tenant agrees to pay immediately for any damage, loss, or expense caused
by such pets/animals. If Landlord
grants permission for keeping a pet, Tenant must sign a Pet Agreement addendum
for each pet, which may require additional monthly rent and/or additional
security deposits. Service animals are allowed for people with qualified
disabilities upon request and completion of a Service Animal Agreement
addendum. If Tenant allows a
pet/animal in the residence, even temporarily, without Landlord’s consent,
Tenant agrees to pay a penalty fee of fifty dollars ($50) per violation, per
pet/animal."
Note: We rarely grant permission for a pet, but sometimes do if we buy a property and the tenant already has a pet that we are "grandfathering in".
I allow pets, no additional deposit (any damage caused by pet gets taken out of the regular security deposit).
To those who charge more or outright reject pets. Do you do the same for smokers? Cigarette burns can be just as damaging to carpets as pets, and the smell is not much better either.
I allow pets, no additional deposit (any damage caused by pet gets taken out of the regular security deposit).
To those who charge more or outright reject pets. Do you do the same for smokers? Cigarette burns can be just as damaging to carpets as pets, and the smell is not much better either.
We choose not to rent to smokers. They are not a protected class. We are even in a state that passed a law to allow the use of recreational marijuana. We tell our tenants at move-in "It doesn't matter if it is tobacco, marijuana or moss from a tree, you are not allowed to smoke anything, anywhere on the premises... inside or outside. Our no-smoking addendum outlines it even further as to what constitutes "smoking" for those who don't seem to grasp the concept very well. Here is our no-smoking policy from our rental agreement:
"NO-SMOKING POLICY. Tenant acknowledges the premises are
designated as smoke-free and agrees not to smoke and will not allow any of
their family or guests to smoke on the premises, either inside the unit or
outside on adjoining grounds.
Tenant agrees to a no-smoking policy, which is outlined further in an
addendum to this agreement. If
Tenant smokes or allows others to smoke on the premises, Tenant agrees to pay a
penalty fee of fifty dollars ($50) per violation."
I have several units that I rent out. In some I do allow pets, in others no.
First I consider the flooring surfaces of each as a non-porous surface like vinyl, tile, linoleum and concrete are going to withstand far more "accidents" than porous ones like carpeting or even wood. Wood flooring will take on black stains if left with long standing urine due to the damage to the tannins from the uric acid. So my units with the non-porous floor surfaces are a go for tenants with pets.
Then I must consider the applicants. I look for folks that are willing to really get into the communication aspect of the "interview". If they really took some time to tell me about themselves in their written response to my ad, I see that as a far better sign than, "when can I see it?" Another big indicator for me is whether they are willing to look me in the eye when they speak as I appreciate folks that will be upfront (throughout our whole rental relationship) and I see that as a suggestion that they are not trying to hide as much. I do request that they bring their pet along when we go through the space so I can get an idea as to how the pet behaves with strangers and in new territory.
Keep in mind that some breeds are messier by nature as they shed more. I prefer the "hypoallergenic" breeds with hair instead of fur: Shih Tzu's, Labradoodles, Poodles,etc. This is especially important to consider if you're doing a long term furnished rental.
Finally, the decision always has the most to do with the pet owners. I do consider how they present themselves overall because if their presentation was sloppy then that's what you can expect to get more of from them as renters.
@Marcia Maynard I like your policy, but how do you enforce it? I would not want to have to explain to a judge that I am evicting my tenants because they failed to pay me $50 when their guest smoked a cigarette outside...
@Marcia Maynard I like your policy, but how do you enforce it? I would not want to have to explain to a judge that I am evicting my tenants because they failed to pay me $50 when their guest smoked a cigarette outside...
I talk with the tenant and assess the charge on a form I use that outlines fees for different rental agreement violations. Most will pay up immediately. I can also serve them with a Notice to Comply, but legal notices carry a $20 Posting Fee (that the tenant must pay us) and rarely are necessary, so I rarely do this, but if a tenant is causing trouble I do because it provides a good legal paper trail. I don't like dealing with rule breakers, but most will come around to doing the right thing with a bit of nudging.
I would never evict on the basis of failure to pay a $50 fine. My rental agreement allows me to deduct the $50 from any money they pay me, before deducting for rent. So I get my fee paid and they become short on rent. I wouldn't need to evict for non-payment of rent for such a small amount. If the tenant is uncooperative, I can serve a 20-day Notice to Terminate Tenancy (in my jurisdiction it is allowed to use this "no cause" notice).
The 20-day notice basically puts the legal stamp on my message of "This is not working for us and we are asking you to move out." I wouldn't need to explain anything to a court judge unless the tenant held over and we filed Unlawful Detainer. In that case, I don't need to say anything more than we correctly served the legal notice to terminate the tenancy and the tenant failed to comply. The law will rule in our favor on that one.
After the end of tenancy, we would deduct any unpaid fees or unpaid rent from the security deposit.
My PM charges additional rent above the advertised rate for pets. He also collects an additional deposit. And I think that the additional deposit is non-refundable.
@Ryan Billingsley I don't own rental properties yet. Though I will be making a call on 1 that's been in the Market for a while. For me if a tenant with a pet came along. It would be on a certain basis like other in the community mentioned.
1) Spayed/neutered a definite must! ( In my childhood home out neighbor had a K9 and well not spayed so every few months she would have a liter. Owners would not care for the pups. So there you see pups running, not being fed, or dying. Till finally they took the K9 away.) that would be my reason for making that priority.
2) I would also check to see if the K9 is trained/ RR.
3) Seeing if it is a high energy K9.
Thats what I have at the moment. But if they have a well behaved pet well I dont see why not if they are willing to pay extra cash for there companion well that at least would show they care.
@Bryan L. in regards to your PM collecting additional rents and fees (anything not refundable is a fee), do you see any of that or does your PM keep it? Here some PMs are charging $300 pet fees + deposits and I don't think the owners are getting any of it!