Landlords: What would it take to get you to allow pets?

Question

(Myself and the slightly disheveled dog that's causing all kinds of grief as we rental house hunt)

Hi, everybody. My husband and I have been looking to rent a house in the Seattle area. I am a dog owner and I am finding that most rentals that are halfway decent are unwilling to even consider us when I mention my dog. Now, I understand why they adopt "no pet" policies and have already been stunned at the horror stories (and visuals) I've seen. These landlords are dealing with damage caused by pets AND by tenants who seem to be utter morons (Blue hair dye on the living room carpet. Really?). I feel bad for the landlords, but am dismayed that a couple of bad seeds are ruining it for everybody.

My question is this: Is there anything that would sway the "no pet" people to consider a truly lovely dog in their rental? If so, what would it take?

• I have owned my dog since she was 8 weeks old and that now means more than 8 years together.
• She is an SKK (Svenska Kennelklubben / Swedish Kennel Club) registered animal that I got in Stockholm. When I eventually moved back to The U.S., I brought her with me. Nobody on the plane knew that I had her under my seat until I pulled out the carrier at the end.
• She is a small Havanese at about 12 pounds.
• My Havanese is a hypoallergenic breed and non-shedding. Rather than an oily, stinky coat she has hair similar to a human.
• She is bathed & groomed regularly.
• She is on a preventative to stop potential issues with fleas, etc.
• She is not a barker. She does not have separation anxiety. She does not damage interiors. She does not damage exteriors: You can watch this dog move and she will not even break a leaf on a plant in passing.
• She has completed a training class where she was the star of the class.
• I have been diligent in socializing her and training her. People regularly suggest to me that I be a dog trainer, tell me that they wish their dog was well behaved like mine, and welcome my dog back everywhere she goes.
• My dog has been on buses, planes, trains, ferries, bicycles, boats and everything in between. She has travelled and moved with me and does it all with ease. She even has a dog passport for travel between countries!
• I don't leave her unattended for long and take her with me whenever I can.
• I go on "poop patrol" daily and clean up doggy landmines. (TMI, but these are Tootsie Rolls, not big nasty dog piles.)
• She is the calmest, sweetest, easiest dog on the planet; essentially a living stuffed animal. No, I'm not just saying that. She's a true gem.

I can guarantee with absolute certainty that my animal will not harm a property and I can also guarantee that if I did not inform the landlord that I had a dog (which I would never lie about) that he or she would never, ever know a dog had been in their home because she's not disgusting and doesn't damage anything, ever. If there were some extreme situation where she became ill I would take her to the vet and I would promptly clean up any mess, as I will not live in filth like some folks seem to.

The rental market is so hot in this area at the moment that it seems potential landlords need not even consider renting to pet owners. My husband and I feel that we are ideal tenants. We are good, clean looking and friendly, polite people. We spend our free time serving at our church and enjoying the outdoors. I have a green thumb and my husband and I are both handy at fixing these. We have enough cash to pay for several years rent, but we are not even getting to a point where we discuss that because, as soon as pets come up, landlords are emphatically opposed to considering us and our dog as tenants. I bring her in the car when I view homes so that they might meet her but no one has met her because, again, we can't seem to get to a place where they're interested in meeting her.

Folks, we are looking for a place that's a true home, and not just a place to crash. All of this hassle means that when we find the right place, we will take care of it and we will stay there until we're ready to buy, likely saving our to-be landlord from having to rent their place out yet again because we'll stay put. I didn't get this dog weeks ago; I have had her for 8+ years. I feel like my commitment to her, and all that comes with it, including the hassle of finding a proper home that will accept her makes me a more desirable tenant rather than less desirable. I am an extremely responsible pet owner and this little animal is a great joy to all neighbors and friends who cross our path. Does any of this mean anything to potential landlords?

Michaela G. · Answer

I have a pretty large dog (65lb German Wirehaired Pointer) and before a 50 lb medium size mix.

What has worked for me in various cities (Seattle among them) is to put my own ad into craigslist, instead of just answering the ones that everybody else calls/writes.

I write something like:

"I'm not your typical tenant and thus have a difficult time fitting into a box, but I'm the perfect tenant for the landlord, that really takes a close look. Single European woman with awesome dog, looking for our next home.

There are 2 things that you, as a landlord, are concerned about:

1) That your property is taken care of and nothing is being damaged. I have a number of rental properties in another state and thus understand what's involved in landlord/tenant situations. Having done major renovations on many homes, I also understand that , should the sink trap leak, that you don't just put a bucket underneath and ignore it. My dog is not destructive at all and he's never even chewed on any of my shoes ;-)

2) That your rent is paid on time. I have 2 businesses, that create enough income to afford the rent tenfold and so won't have a problem to pay. "

My experience is that a lot of small time landlords don't really want to deal with the onslaught of responses and I've received some great offers that way.

Good luck

Michael Lam · Answer

Hi @Holly Jackson

I have empathy for you. I myself have several dogs (small ones) that have a bad rep. Chihuahuas. I know some folks reading this naturally would be like "yikes, they bark a lot". Its true they can and if you don't train them well they will. However my dogs are well behave. Enough about me. You wanted to know what a landlord would need to see to consider "no pet" policy to be reconsidered?

I myself own several rental properties and I'm too are in the "no pets allowed" group. Due to the fact that generally the demographic in my rental market don't care for their pets like I do. I truly treat my own dog like a family member. But the fact is a lot of pet owners treat their pets as "pets".

If your such a great pet owner. Then you could do your best to be presentable and convey this to the landlord. Here are few options you can do that would make me reconsider my stance on "no pet"

1. Give me your existing landlord phone, so that I can make a phone call to check on what you say is true. Go beyond and give me the landlord prior to your current landlord to check out if stories line up on your dog's behavior

2. Let me visit your home with little to no "lead time" to clean up. Meaning, if you offered, "you can come by my current home anytime to check it out" that would instill some confidence in what you are saying.

3. Let me meet your dog to see how friendly it is.

4. And if you really like a current rental unit, you may offer to carry rental insurance with pet inclusion. A lot of existing rentals that offers pets will charge extra to to make part of rent to carry this insurance or enforce renters to carry such insurance.

5. A nice little story with the picture of your dog, your story to let the landlord experience the empathy you'd want.

If you did those things, it does a few things for me in my perspective.

1. Wow, this tenant is going beyond what is expected to get this place

2. Shows commitment

3. If you went this far to "sway" me, I can imagine you'd not want to do anything after signing the lease to ruin this impression and relationship. So I would be more inclined to trust you'd take care of my property.

Alex Chin · Answer

@Holly Jackson "Is there anything that would sway the "no pet" people to consider a truly lovely dog in their rental? If so, what would it take?"

First off, remember the Bigger Pockets is a landlord-oriented website. Most member will offer advice and opinions from that perspective.

Generally speaking, landlording is all about risk management. Admission of a large pet such as a dog or a cat, regardless of the temperament and training, is an additional risk. Smart landlords will understand this and permit pets with addition of a calculated pet deposit and monthly premium on rent that will, over the long-run, recoup damages and generate extra income. However, this is not an easy process and may not cover the true worst case scenarios (off the top of my head: dog decides to maul a passerby on the property and lawsuit loveliness ensues, cat works their claws into a water line and hey-presto! flooding!). Thus the situation you find yourself in: most landlords, in order to minimize their risk and level of effort put into their business, simply choose the path of least resistance and deny pet owners.

I'd say that your only shot might be to proactively make your willingness to pay a pet deposit and additional "pet rent" known to a landlord BEFORE that subject comes up for discussion when looking at the property. Understand though, that this is a bit of a long-shot and you have to mentally prepare yourself for, as mentioned, a landlord taking the path of least resistance.

I suggest researching pet deposits and pet rental premiums for the type of house you are looking to rent beforehand so that you have an idea of what the going rate will be.

Cheers, and good luck!

Account Closed · Answer

@Holly Jackson I don't charge pet rent. Move to Portland instead!

But in all seriousness, the points you raised about your dog in your initial post were compelling. I wonder if you had quotes from other people who know the dog along with their phone numbers as references (essentially saying the same thing about your doggie as you did), if that would be even more convincing than you simply listing her positive qualities?

When I was a renter (in California and NYC and Oregon), I put together a "pet resume" with a photo, vaccination records, vet contact info, and references from previous landlords. I've also brought my dogs TO the landlord so the landlord didn't have to displace herself but could still meet the dogs (I've successfully rented houses with 2 cats and a lab/heeler mix and a pit bull, so 4 pets).

Renter's insurance is a requirement for my tenants, whether they have pets or not, but especially if they have pets. I don't want to be liable if someone's dog bites someone on my property.

I do ask for a $200/pet extra refundable deposit. I don't ask for "pet rent" because I just advertise that pets are allowed and price my units accordingly.

You'll probably have much better luck when dealing with the landlords directly, rather than property managers. Also, at least in Portland, most of the big new apartment complexes going up allow pets under 25 pounds. They tend to be more expensive than a 30 year old unit from a mom and pop landlord, but you also get all the amenities that go with the big apartment complex.

When you talk with a landlord in person, I suggest already having your pet resume on hand, and maybe even having your dog in the car, in case the landlord would consider your pet after seeing the resume and meeting you, but wants to meet the pet. This strategy works best if there is a group showing rather than the landlord setting up a specific time to meet with you and then finding out that you have a dog.

For the few rentals that advertise pets are OK, set up notices on craigslist and other sites to text you right away as soon as those ads come online. Then *CALL* them right away, talk about your qualifications as a renter (including mentioning that you're a former homeowner and take care of rentals as if they're your own home, and that you have several months' rent already saved, but don't bother mentioning your dog if the ad says pets OK), and at the showing, if you like the place, offer to put down both all the deposits AND first/last at that time to show your commitment. If you would pay more per month for that particular rental, e.g. they're asking $1200 but you'd pay $1300 and think it's worth $1300, you could offer to pay that amount instead. I have heard of renters in tight markets offering to pay more for rent than is advertised.

I wouldn't personally offer to pay a year's worth of rent all upfront, because that would raise red flags with me as the landlord.

Hope this helps. If you move to Portland, get in touch! :)

Richard Warner · Answer

I agree with Dani's detailed Pet Resume *thumbs up*

Carolina E. · Answer

@Holly Jackson I'm not sure how you could convince a landlord in a hot market to accept pets if they don't want to. I know I took the advice to accept small pets when I was not getting much interest in my properties. I know this info would mean something to me and possibly seeing where you live now. Have you tried posting an ad up in a local paper or online? Just a suggestion, hope you figure something out.

Michael Lam · Answer

Hi @Holly Jackson

You are absolutely right, it is an "invasion" of privacy. I wouldn't want to do it either. However we have to be objective about this. What is our scenario?

1. We are in a blazing hot rental market. Rents are skyrocketing. Landlords are leveraging this and increasing rent while choosing the "best" tenants.

2. You are at a disadvantage because of the bad rep tenant with pets have.

3. You have no leverage.

At this point, its painful but you have to give and take. You give and sacrifice your privacy for the love of your dog to find a home your entire family can enjoy.

I would recommend not to let every landlord look at your home. I'd only do this to the ones you really really want. Try the other tactics first. So you won't have the feeling of everyone peeping into your home.

Good luck and really hope you can find home

Aly W. · Answer

No problem @Holly Jackson! There have been some great strategies offered here and I wish you the best.

My rental market in Ft. Lauderdale is strong, although not as overheated as Seattle. Many renters here have pets, and as I mentioned, the condo associations make the rules more than I do. I'm fine with pets along with extra rent.

As a landlord, my bigger concern would be not having any landlord references. Adding a pet is another "strike", so to speak, in a hot rental market. As others have said though, it's not a problem that more money wouldn't solve, since there are now 2 additional risks.

As an aside, my contractor does quarterly inspections of all our properties when he changes the air conditioning filters. It's in the lease, so it's understood up front, pet or no pet.

Finally, in the 3 times over the years that we've had tenants trash our properties, none of them had pets. They, and their kids, cost us thousands of dollars all on their own.

John Thedford · Answer

I can be persuaded with MONEY:) LOTS or money:)Anything less probably won't have any effect...........

Aly W. · Answer

If you want to rent a condo in Florida, call me ;) I personally know a Havanese, and she is just as you described.

In any case, I do allow pets in my rentals at my discretion; it's not a blanket acceptance. Our condo associations limit pet size to 20 - 25 pounds anyway, and would not allow what are considered dangerous breeds, nor would I. I currently have a tenant with 2 mini dachshunds. He agreed to pay an extra $25 in rent, an extra $300 pet deposit, and $100 per year to register the dogs with the condo association. Any owner that is willing to pay extra shows a strong commitment to their pet and their future home.

I had another tenant a few years ago with an elderly Chihuahua that stayed in a crate when she wasn't home. I loved the dog and looked forward to visiting her.

The fear from landlords is somewhat justified. I have had many applicants call about my rentals and when I ask about a dog's breed and size, I get answers like, "I'm not sure", "He's a Lab mix" (that means pit bull usually), "You have to allow my Rottweiler, she's a therapy dog!", "He only weighs 20 pounds - because he's just 8 weeks old".

I once had a tenant who, without my knowledge or permission, got a pit bull. When my husband and I discovered it in the back yard, the tenant claimed she was watching it for a friend, despite the doghouse in the yard and the 50 pound sack of food in the kitchen. I almost never allow dogs in my single family homes just for this reason.

Landlords: What would it take to get you to allow pets?

Landlords: What would it take to get you to allow pets?

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