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?
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore County Maryland and Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
@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.
Investor · Plainville, CT · Member since 2013 · 6 posts · 0 votes
11y
No pit bulls or chows. If you are going to allow pets 30lbs or under with an additional pet deposit. If u can stay away from the situation I would. Once you have pet in the building it can be difficult to get rid of them.
Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
11y
I don't mind good dogs in the rental units. Good owners typically have good dogs. Dogs are not accepted by many rental units, so finding one that does, means that pet owners will pay more. I actually was allowing dogs in many of my places, but only have a couple of dog owners.
Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2014 · 10 posts · 0 votes
11y
The tenant I have has a dog, the PM company charged a non refundable extra cleaning fee and added "pet rent" @ +25/mth. I have no problem with it so far.
Investor/Realtor · Wentzville, MO · Member since 2014 · 846 posts · 431 votes
11y
I believe the right dog and owner would be a good situation. More cash flow and a happy tenant (hard to find rentals that allow pets). I think people with pets might stay longer as well because of the problem with finding a rental that allows pets.
Investor/Realtor · Wentzville, MO · Member since 2014 · 846 posts · 431 votes
11y
Is there a big difference between allowing cats and dogs? I have owned cats when I was a kid but don't remember how messy they were. Also what about caged birds or reptiles???
Rental Property Investor · Jersey City, NJ · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 876 votes
11y
Just waded through the thread. I think I got my answer: to stick with my longstanding "no dog" policy and say no to the applicants with a 50 lb pit mix. They say she's sweet, lazy and inactive, and have offered to let me see their current place. The unit is newly renovated in a 4 family with newly finished old pine floors. I couldn't even get the wood to repair it if I wanted, I had to salvage wood to fix it up from the kitchen before it was tiled. Besides that there's lots of gaps where liquid could seep through. So between claws on softwood and potential accidents it seems a bad idea.
This unit is not moving as the holiday season is bad and I'm told there's a bit of a inventory glut, I've already dropped it 5%. I'd really like to rent it, but can't shoot myself in the foot.
Investor · Saint Augustine, FL · Member since 2014 · 35 posts · 7 votes
11y
I just put a new place up for rent and had 25 responses in 24 hours which is less than the last place I had for rent in October when I had 40 replies in 36 hours. The point is there are a lot of renters out there to choose from. One potential tenant.. who is a chiropractor... sounded great until she said she had two 55 pound dogs that "pretty much sleep all day". This house does have tile floors but still unless the rest of the potential applicants are criminals why take on two dogs that could potentially destroy my newly renovated house ?
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore County Maryland and Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
@Johann Jells I don't understand. So you're going off of what-ifs? What if your no-pet renters put holes in your walls? What if your no-pet renters let their tub overflow? What if your no-pet tenants don't clean and get an infestation of mice/rats/bugs/fleas/bedbugs? Are you not going to rent to humans either?
The potential tenants have not only offered to have you meet the dog, but to see their current home. That most likely means their current home is in good condition.
Pets or not pets, Pine is not a very good flooring choice--especially in rentals. It's too soft. People will drop things on the floor and ding it. It's going to happen. If the lady wears heels, that'll put nice marks in the floor too. Life in general is going to mess up that floor.
Rental Property Investor · Baltimore County Maryland and Tampa Florida · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
@Zana Blue People with no pets could potentially destroy your home too. And just because they look good on paper doesn't mean they take care of a place. I know of "upstanding" military families who have "destroyed" rental homes. Take an extra security deposit. Meet the dogs to see if they really are laid back and lazy. Make some money off your property. Don't expect it to be pristine, but well-maintained; it's not your home, it's a money-maker.
Marshalltown, IA · Member since 2014 · 4 posts · 0 votes
11y
We rent to dog owners. Generally dogs under 30 lbs and require an additional pet deposit. To me, it all come down to tenant screening... Get yourself a good clean tenant and you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck on your first rentals!
@Johann Jells I don't understand. So you're going off of what-ifs? What if your no-pet renters put holes in your walls? What if your no-pet renters let their tub overflow? What if your no-pet tenants don't clean and get an infestation of mice/rats/bugs/fleas/bedbugs? Are you not going to rent to humans either?
The potential tenants have not only offered to have you meet the dog, but to see their current home. That most likely means their current home is in good condition.
Pets or not pets, Pine is not a very good flooring choice--especially in rentals. It's too soft. People will drop things on the floor and ding it. It's going to happen. If the lady wears heels, that'll put nice marks in the floor too. Life in general is going to mess up that floor.
But pine is what was there and the realtor says the gentrifyer types love it these old pine floors. Ignoring the reality of a relatively fragile floor is idiotic. I can't control stiletto heels, but I can control whether or not there's a dog.
Property Manager · Redondo Beach, CA · Member since 2014 · 45 posts · 6 votes
11y
Allowing dogs is definitely a good marketing strategy where most of the competition doesn't. You can charge an additional deposit and even charge additional rent for the dog. Also, pet owners usually stay longer because they have fewer options to move. I highly recommend allowing them.
Investor/Realtor · Wentzville, MO · Member since 2014 · 846 posts · 431 votes
11y
I have 2 dogs and they both shed. One is a yellow Labrador that is 80 pounds and he can scratch the wood floors. We have soft paws rubber tips glued to his toe nails which protects the floors and also helps him get grip on our slippery floors. I know most tenants wont go through the trouble and would let the floors get scratched.
Investor · Edwardsville, IL · Member since 2015 · 432 posts · 481 votes
11y
I never allowed pets in my Illinois rentals. Did have a few that were snuck in though! 5 years ago I started buying a few houses in Florida and gave them to a PM to manage for me. They talked me into allowing dogs and have had no damage. 60% of renters have a pet of one type or another so you are ruling out over half of the renter pool.
Abut 3 years ago I added pets in my Illinois rentals. No vicious breeds - check with your insurance carrier. I charge a refundable deposit of $275 per pet (max of 2). They have to be less than 25 pounds each. I also get $25 per month per pet for additional "pet rent". If they sneak one in now, I charge them the $275 security deposit plus $25 per month from the START of the lease. All due within 5 days.
So after a tenant moves out and saying there is damage to the property. What would you say is covered by the pet deposit and what is covered by the security deposit. How do decipher between the two?
@Johann Jells I don't understand. So you're going off of what-ifs? What if your no-pet renters put holes in your walls? What if your no-pet renters let their tub overflow? What if your no-pet tenants don't clean and get an infestation of mice/rats/bugs/fleas/bedbugs? Are you not going to rent to humans either?
The potential tenants have not only offered to have you meet the dog, but to see their current home. That most likely means their current home is in good condition.
Pets or not pets, Pine is not a very good flooring choice--especially in rentals. It's too soft. People will drop things on the floor and ding it. It's going to happen. If the lady wears heels, that'll put nice marks in the floor too. Life in general is going to mess up that floor.
But pine is what was there and the realtor says the gentrifyer types love it these old pine floors. Ignoring the reality of a relatively fragile floor is idiotic. I can't control stiletto heels, but I can control whether or not there's a dog.
Nicole, although pine is a softer wood, these old pine floors are a harder pine. And they look great (see first link), and they are pricey now (see second link) and that probably partly explains why people want this stuff in their home (it might impress others).
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
11y
We are only allowed one deposit for the rental so it needs to be lumped together, damage is damage. That being said I am a big fan of case by case pets rather then a weight limit. The little dog that just left one of my rentals was more aggressive then the big dog I just rented. We interviewed and approved the pet based on long term ownership, behavior on two separate meetings, breed, insurance , and previous landlord recommendations. Not foolproof but what is.
We don't allow dogs in the multifamily due to noise. Frankly noise is a bigger issue on that front because they can be well behaved and still bark, whine, and howl. Single families not as much of an issue.