Investor · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2014 · 172 posts · 73 votes
11y
Just an alternative, if you really want to cover your bases. Most "dangerous dog lists" are itemized by breed: rottweiler, pit bull and pit mixes, German Shepard Dog etc… You could request your tenant pay $69 and have an objective DNA classification of what breed he really is. This DNA test is accurate and can be printed out and added to the renters file. See this link for what I am talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Mixed-Breed-DNA-Test/... Just an "outside the box" idea...
Mechanicsburg, PA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
my insurance company has a list of 11 breeds, I think that they consider dangerous. If you have a claim caused by one of those breeds they will not pay.
Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes
11y
That dog doesn't belong to me or my tenant, it's been hanging around I think......LOL
All dogs have come from the wolf, imagine that, fluffy is a wolf at heart.
Anything with a mouth can bite.
I look to owners more than the dog.
My insurance may not cover a badazz dog, but does theirs?
Is the pet appropriate to the unit leased, is there some small child next door, is it a house in a rural area, case by case decision.
A four year old Doberman or a 12 year old Doberman that gums is special diet dog food?
Bread is not that much of an indicator of a bad dog, insurance companies like statistics, the data used in the analysis may be very limited, losses from a pit bull bite doesn't prove all pit bulls are bad dogs, they may not look to the population of pit bulls when saying 1/3 of bites are by pit bulls. A yellow lab can be pretty aggressive.
Understand too, that if you admit to liability, your insurance may not cover you.
Investor, Entrepreneur, Educator · Springfield, MO · Member since 2009 · 21k+ posts · 12k+ votes
11y
I self insure such matters! Never had a problem, but I know dogs, I'll bet on that. Not saying I never said no, saying I think I know dogs. Not saying you should do what I do, unless you're confident that you too know animals well enough to trust them, if you don't, go with the flow. :)
Investor · Hampton Roads, VA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 418 votes
11y
I never check. I straight up tell the applicant that I do not accept pit bulls, or "terrier" mixed breeds = pit bulls. I also tell them I need to see the dog and feel comfortable around the dog or its a denial. The ones with good dogs (regardless of breed) always say lets meet.
Specialist · Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
11y
I was at an event where a real estate attorney was telling us about a tenant that had a pitbull and a young child was walking by outside and the dog got loose and mauled the child. End result even though the owner had no idea the parents won a $6.5 million claim and the insurance did not cover it and it got passed to the owner and everything he owned to a large extent was liened up and the owner lost everything essentially.
I don't know much more about the situation, just what was said at the event.
Principal · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2010 · 200 posts · 89 votes
11y
Hey Steve-
i was just in houston not long ago.. your city is huge. We have always had a no acceptance policy on any of the dogs on the insurance list.
One trick our prospective tenant love trying to pull when we ask the question... what kind of dog do you have ... their response is a "stratfordshire terrier" which is the akc name of a pit bull!
tampa, FL · Member since 2014 · 86 posts · 23 votes
11y
regardless of the breed, let's say a situation does occur, renter's dog mauls a child, dog owners get sued, why would it matter if it happened on my property or the neighbors, it's not my dog and I have an LLC?
Isn't that an issue to be taken up with the dog's owner, instead of the property owner? Renter's insurance?
Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
@Steve Rozenberg in addition to the picture, we require vaccination records from their vet. Often times the records indicate the breed on them. We also require a pet application. From this application we screen the pet and owner. It's kind of a self filter. Most folks see the application and realize we are serious about having good pet owners. Others try and sneak through or I imagine really don't know what a good owner is and they are screened out. I have found the number one indicator of quality ownership is spaying or neutering. The few that have applied that don't do this fail on several other counts as well. We also call the vet and inquire about the breed as well. It's easy to fake records but have never found someone that does that.
Or tell them if they want to have that dog or a bunch of dogs, (one prospective tenant told me they had 6 "dangerous" dogs) then they should buy a house and they won't have any problem renting.
Is it true or does it just seem that way, but the neighborhoods with the most pit bulls per neighborhoods are the neighborhoods that you most likely need a pit bull for your own protection?