Prospective tenant has a rabbit- would you rent to her?

Question

Hello all,

I have a potential tenant that has a "small bunny who stays in the cage" who would like to look at one of my apartments.  So far, I have allowed cats and haven't had an issue, and we are not allowing dogs (except service animals) for numerous reasons.

This lady is a teacher in a good district, other than that I know nothing about her yet.  I just listed the property and don't think I will have trouble filling the space, but given that she is not a student (about half my tenants are) , so potential for drama is likely lower.  The other tenants in this triplex are young professionals.

So what is your take on allowing a bunny, who will most likely be out of the cage at some point despite what she says?  The carpet in that unit is already not the best- I was already thinking 1-2 more years before putting in new flooring.

Kelly

Daniel Mohnkern · Answer

I had a rabbit as a child and, in my experience, they are indiscriminate concerning where they urinate and defecate. In my opinion, they are not able to be trained to control that.  Perhaps i am wrong, but that has been my experience.  I would advise against it.

Scott Harper · Answer

Just one opinion, but I would treat it like another pet. I would require a pet deposit. I would have pictures of current carpet condition. They are messy if they run free. Funny but true story, I once met a lady who had a beutiful condo in a highrise in Daytona. She would go back to Canada in the summer and leave her rabbits running free in her condo. I guess she would have someone come in and feed them and clean up weekly. But these rabbits had a $500,000.00 ocean view year round.

Eric OConnell · Answer

Hi,

We have just been asked the same question from a potential tenant. First rental property. Overall they seem like they would be a good tenant but we are hesitant regarding the rabbit due to knowing nothing about them.how did this turn out? If you don’t mind sharing

Thanks!

Eric

@Kelly N.

Jesse T. · Answer

I think the guidelines to treat it as a typical pet is good.  If you visit the current residence as part of your process, it might be an especially good idea in this case.  Also a past landlord reference may help if she had a rabbit at that point.

Robert Fehl · Answer

I had a tenant move out after living in one of my rentals for the last 2 1/2 years. He had a 12 pound rabbit that was there the whole time. He was able to train the rabbit to use a litter box just like a cat and put cardboard around some corners of doors and furniture.

After he moved out I had expected things to have been gnawed on such as baseboards, walls, bathroom cabinet because I had been warned by other people that this would happen.  I was pleasantly surprised that it did not.

The place was in better shape  then most of my units where tenants had dogs and cats as pets.

I also had a pet deposit of $300.00 put on the lease. The same as any other pet.

I can't say this is the case for all rabbits. This is just my experience. Hope this helps you out.

Therese V. · Answer

My husband and I breed rabbits to sell as pets. They are very trainable. As far as cleanliness conditions, they are a cross between a cat and a dog. They clean themselves by licking like cats do, but they chew things like dogs do.

I would require the pet deposit because rabbits are known to chew molding/baseboards/any wood they can get their teeth on. Rabbits teeth continue to grow which means they need to always chew to make sure their teeth stay trimmed.

As far as the waste goes, rabbits will go in the same area. They can also be trained to use a litter box. (we train ours to do this since we are selling them for pets). The thing is, even if they are in a cage their pee will end up on the wall due to their licking themselves. They will flick their paws and anything on it will end up on the surrounding walls.

Rabbits will also chew wires thinking they are vines. Have you ever seen the episode of Animal Hoarders where the people had a ton of rabbits? Google it, it's horrendous!

As far as smell goes, if they keep the cage clean  it shouldn't be a problem. But if they don't, it can be bad and cause a fly problem (which isn't good for the bunnies either).

Just my thoughts on the issue, let me know if you have any other questions.

David M. · Answer

I would not let the rabbit be the determining factor. If she's a good candidate based on your other tenant-screening criteria, I would rent to her for the sheer possibility of less drama (though our houses are generally drama-filled based on our clientele, so I may be biased in this case).  Also, if you're intending to change the flooring at some point in the next 1-2 years and she's signing a one year lease, the possibility of a bunny-accident should be less concerning than if you'd just replaced the flooring during this last vacancy and intend it to last 4-5 years.

Prospective tenant has a rabbit- would you rent to her?

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