Updated over 9 years ago on . Most recent reply
Pet Fees
Hello All!
When my tenant moved in they paid a $300 pet fee and a $300 pet security for 2 large dogs. It was supposed to be a 300 non-refundable fee per pet but we bent a bit. Anyway, they just moved out and the paint needed some refreshing (wipe pet slobber :), the yard was full of dog droppings, and the carpets needed to be cleaned. Do I caulk that up to the 300 fee and charge them nothing or do I take it from the 300 security? Just curious how others are doing this.
Most Popular Reply
I would charge them for my time to pick up the dog droppings for sure, that is clearly not leaving the place clean. I would probably take the washing of the walls out of the normal deposit, but totally agree with above that the pet deposit should be termed an additional deposit and rolling it in with the regular deposit to avoid arguing whether the damage is pet related or not. My rental agreement specifies that the tenant is responsible to have carpets cleaned and leave the receipt, so if they don't I would charge them for it. But it depends on what expectations you set. I usually send out a reminder when tenants give notice of what they agreed to do for move out during move in. We have not had complaints form tenants about items we have charged them for, we try to be firm but fair.