How to deal with pets

[Kyle Coleman]

All,

I'm a first-time landlord, we're looking to rent our first property as it is. I have a SFH that is entirely tile, so floors are pretty durable. My question is this, I set a non-refundable pet deposit that is half a months rent and a stipulation that the animals must be under 50 lbs.

I have a potential tenant who claims that the pet deposit is unreasonable and her two dogs don't cause damage. How should I handle this? She's asking that I negotiate the deposit, should I budge? Is half a months rent too much? Should it be non-refundable?