Do you allow pets?

Question

I am debating allowing pets into the apartment complex I own. I am curious of what other people do and if anyone feels passionate one way or another.

Ingrid Nagy · Answer

I don't allow them.  Have allowed cats in the past and their urine smell goes right through the hardwood floors.  They even spray in the electrical outlets.  Its almost impossible to get rid of the odor no matter how big your additional deposit might be.

Account Closed · Answer

I don't have a size limit. I have a list of breeds I won't accept. Dogs and cats must be adults; no puppies, no kittens.

I meet and interview the dog before accepting the applicant. Dogs must be clean and well cared for and have at least a moderate semblance of manners.

I'd rather have 200 pound mastiff sleeping all day in my house than a 3 pound toy poodle peeing behind the sofa.

Larger breeds tend to be calmer and easier to house train. Actually, not any different to house train, but dog owners are more likely to make an effort when the accident is 8 gallons than they are when a pee spot is so small you can't see it. Dogs don't train themselves; someone has to focus their attention on house trainig for a couple of weeks.

Just Don · Answer

If you have 6, 12,18 units and you allow one dog per unit,,,your quickly running a pet motel.

You get ONE barking and they all have to chime in,,no matter how much owner says they NEVER do.  They dont know what happens when they are not home.

Not all dogs get along with all others.

Agreed on asking owner for plan of care while they are gone all day.

Kids are easier to babysit than pets,,least they grow up and potty train,,pets NEVER do!!!

Apartments are best no pets,,,single family houses,,,maybe!!

Lynn Z · Answer

Responsible tenants with pets are better tenants usually than those without pets.  I try not to take dogs but do if desperate.  Interview the dog at the site because prospective tenants can't find many landlords that will allow pets.  Ask what their "careplan" is for the pet during the day etc.  If they don't have a good answer don't rent to them.

Just wrote a check for over $1000 to buff and recoat 1550 sq. ft. of lovely antique heart of pine flooring that a tenant confined too much.

I have a Dalmatian and she weighs in at 60 pounds and she lives on refinished wood floors. No damage in 7 years.

It's all about the owners...not the pets.

Account Closed · Answer

I allow dogs in houses with fenced yards.

I don't own apartments, but I think dogs in apartments might be a bad idea. 2 problems: there is no yard, so lazy tenants must get up early in the AM to potty walk the dog and they must come home from work to potty walk the dog. Not that I don't trust my tenants (yeah, right)

All tenants see the approved dog and think they can get a new puppy without asking, because their neighbor has a dog.

The plus to accepting pets is that you know what is in your unit. You get to meet the dog before accepting the tenant, and you get a pet fee or deposit.

I like refundable deposits because it motivates the tenant to try to prevent damage. Otherwise, they think all damage is pre-paid.

However, my pet fee is non-refundable for the first 12 months. Then it converts to a refundable deposit. I'm in a recreational area with lots of short term tenants who lie and claim they are planning to stay. If they know it is going to cost them an extra $300 to leave in 3 months, they move on to a different landlord

Mitch Kronowit · Answer

For my condo, I simply go by the HOA CC&R's, which state 2 pets max (fish and birds don't count), and no dog over 20 or 30 pounds.
          
          For our rental house, we allow 1 dog (possibly 2) since we like to attract nice normal families in that property, and many nice normal families have a dog (yeah, many jerks own dogs too, but it's THEM we don't want, not the dog)! Our current nice normal family have a small dog and a bird.
          
          For both properties, we simply collect an extra security deposit to cover the pets. One former tenant in the condo had 2 cats and it wasn't any problem at all. The place looked like a model home after they left.
          
          Instead of SIZE of dog, I'm more concerned with AGE of dog. Puppies, regardless of breed can be very destructive because they like to chew and aren't always housebroken. In contrast, we have a 4 year-old 65 pound boxer that doesn't cause any damage in our house whatsoever. Now our 2 year-old daughter... well, that's ANOTHER story!  ;-)

However, all THAT being said, if you have an apartment complex, I assume there isn't a great deal of space for a large dog. Anything bigger than say a beagle, needs some room, like a decent sized yard to run, play, and stretch their legs. Keeping a large dog in small apartment without anything more than a balcony or patio is cruel, IMHO.

Rich Schroeder · Answer

I only own SFH's, they all have hardwood floors. I've found that MOST tenants have dogs and/or cats. So I paint the hardwood floors, let the dogs go nuts, then just repaint it when I have a switchover. Floors look great and is cheap/easy to do. Thank you to MikeOH for the tip!  :o)

Jim Wineinger · Answer

:oops: I thought everyone paid BirdDogs for bringing them deals, not charged the extra!!!!!! :oops:

Timothy W. · Answer

A noisy dog keeps hoodlums out....as long as it isn't the hoodlums' dog.

Do you allow pets?

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