I know this isn't the most popular opinion, but I don't charge a pet fee. Around 60% of households have a pet, so odds are you're going to get applicants that have pets. I don't want to discourage good people from applying. I just factor the pet into the rental price for everyone. I also require a security deposit that reflects potential damage by a pet.
The system is so screwed up that if you ask for a pet fee, the pet suddenly becomes an Emotional Support Animal and for $25 some quack over the internet diagnosed your potential tenant and provided them a letter stating that it is a must they be allowed to have the pet(s). Now you're screwed on pet fees, raising the rent, or increasing the security deposit. Better to get ahead of the pet situation.
How much would you charge for Pet Rent for 2 large dogs in Atlanta? Is it better to charge a monthly rent or a non-refundable fee??
Thanks!
Robin
Here's how the law says it in CA and how I do it in CA and at my rentals in other states. I do not charge pet rent, in fact Oregon is considering making pet rent illegal. My concern is to protect my property, not gouge an awesome tenant or penalize them for having a pet. I charge a larger deposit. In CA, there is no such thing as a pet deposit nor can a deposit be non refundable. Pet rent isn't illegal, but gain, I don't do it. Tenants without a pet, pay a deposit equal to one months rent. Tenants with a pet, pay a deposit equal to 2 months rent - all legal, as long as it's just a deposit and treated like any other deposit. My risks are covered and I am not gouging someone who is caring for an animal family member. My 2 cents there.
I read a few studies over the years that showed kids do more damage than pets. BTW, I also require pet owners to carry renters insurance, I also give $50 off the first months rent for anyone with a rescue animal.
My belief is there is a way to cover your risks, provide the privilege of allowing pets, and not penalize the humans. They tend to be more appreciative, take care of the place, and stay longer.
We usually charge a $250 nonrefundable pet deposit (regardless of how many pets), allow up to 3 pets but no more and charge $25/month for each pet (i.e. up to $75/month). We also don't allow dangerous breeds.
Also, screen the pets. I require pets to be spayed or neutered, and I meet the animal - I think BSL is a joke and I do not discriminate against "breeds" or fear based thinking. Screen the human, screen the pet - the apple does not fall far from the tree. Also, like I mentioned, I require dog owners to have renters insurance. You can do good things, just protect yourself
I second @Greg M.'s philosophy and do not charge extra for a pet. My properties are very solid B class neighborhoods and I prefer renting to families as they tend to be more stable and the turnover rate is significantly lower. Families do tend to have pets, or are likely to obtain a pet at some point during the lease. If there is a monthly pet rent charge, and a mandatory extra deposit that won't stop the family from getting a pet, but it does tend to make them want to try to hide the pet from you. I don't want my tenants to feel they need to hide things from me, and would prefer to know so that I can monitor the situation.
A tenant already pays a security deposit in case of any damages, so why are people worried about a pet causing damage?? If I charge a two month security deposit (maximum for North Carolina) then that means a tenant would need to do roughly 3k worth of damages before I lose any money. None of my properties have carpet, because carpet sucks, so what exactly is the pet going to do to my house? If a tenant causes over 3k worth of damage to to my home then I wasn't monitoring the property nearly close enough.
Also as noted it's ridiculously easy for someone to obtain documentation for an emotional support animal. There is already enough fraud in that market and I don't want to encourage people to do even more of it just because I want to collect an extra 25/month.
@Kevin Polite we also charge a refundable $300 per deposit with the thought it is in everyone’s best interest to keep the pet impact to a minimum. I think this makes us more competitive in attracting quality tenants. We also currently have dogs in 5 of 6 houses, and knock on wood get few calls and our 6 month inspections have not indicated any pet issues. We also exclude the aggressive breeds that are listed by our insurance carrier and any pet that has a bite history.
@Greg M. I don't know about your market, but this seems like more a market specific strategy. If I have a rental complex in a marginal area, I definitely would be more likely to accept pets with no pet fees or if I want to simply renovate the place anyways at a later point in time. Are you not taking a security deposit as well? For example, Illinois it is so difficult to keep up with security deposit laws that many landlords do not even take one. This policy would be difficult to implement in this area. So while I don't disagree with this opinion, I would just say for a different market I don't think you would have that opinion as in my market it is definitely not 60% of households with a pet.
@Robin Cornacchio we charge $30/mo for cats $40/mo for dogs. $500 deposit $150 of which is non-refundable. We always allow pets, and set our rates so that hopefully people will bring or acquire their pets and let us know rather than go and get a companion animal letter. It helps to find people with pets in the first place since it gives us the additional income and they don’t go out and get the letter.
We figure one way or another we will end up with pets, we might as well control the situation.
just be careful with Fair housing and ada rights with pets. once you know the laws you can adjust your pet policy and deposits and prices based on the demand for your rental unit.. for instance, if you dont want pets but you have several people looking to rent your unit and one of the applicants is claiming pet as service, thats fine but weve had people threaten to sue for rights if we didnt pick them.. thats not cool. so what we did is dramatically raised the deposit on the pet where they couldnt afford it, now its not that we dont want to pick you its that you cant afford it.. I know some people are going to say (thats not nice ,your a mean landlord) but look if youre going to threaten me I need to get creative and so do you, survive and thrive friend
1. Do not get a service animal confused with a pet. Big no no.
2. Make sure the resident has renter's liability insurance of at least $300,000.00 per occurrence. I spent 30 years as a claims adjuster. When a little girls face gets scarred there is never enough money. Some individuals are more prone to develop Keloid scarring which results in a raised and discolored scar. For the rest of their life it looks like a smooth burn scar.
3. Check with your insurance company about prohibited pets.
4. Personally meet with the pets in their current residence. If you can't come in the applicant's home neither should the applicant move into one of yours.
5. Pet fees. Pet's under 25 lbs are $25.00 per month per pet. Pet's 25 lbs and over are $50.00 per month per pet.
6. All pets must have proof of registration, vaccination and no history of bites.
7. No exotic pets allowed. "Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my!"
We usually charge a $250 nonrefundable pet deposit (regardless of how many pets), allow up to 3 pets but no more and charge $25/month for each pet (i.e. up to $75/month). We also don't allow dangerous breeds.
Define dangerous breeds?
Mostly pit bulls, dobermans and rottweilers. But here's a pretty good list: https://www.rentprep.com/property-management/landlords-insurance-banned-dog-breeds/
We usually charge a $250 nonrefundable pet deposit (regardless of how many pets), allow up to 3 pets but no more and charge $25/month for each pet (i.e. up to $75/month). We also don't allow dangerous breeds.
I've got three Dobermans and a pit bull, all rescues, all sweet. I hope peoples mentality changes. Also, for anyone reading, there are insurance companies that will insure "aggressive" breeds
Idk how pet friendly Atlanta is but LA is pretty pet friendly and I've seen apartments in LA charge $50/month for small dogs and $100+/month for a large dog (many apartments here wont allow large dogs at all). They also charge a pet deposit.
$150 non refundable deposit per pet and $10/mo/pet added to the rent. I have had very few tenants clain a support animal so I don't think that should stop you from charging extra.
My day job is in luxury high rise apartments in Midtown ATL. We charge a non-refundable pet fee of $250 per pet and monthly pet rent of $40 per dog and $25 per cat. Most pet owners in this demographic are willing to pay for their furry friends and do a reasonable job at taking care of their home. There are always exceptions but in my experience, pet damage is minimal. In addition, any pet damage can be charged back to them. The pet fee is just that, a convenience fee for you to allow their pets into your home.
I would say it depends on the location and caliber of your property. The better your property, the more likely you will be able to tack on those fees. It has been an evolution for me with my own rental homes. I went from not accepting pets to accepting them with a $250 refundable deposit, to charging a $250 non-refundable pet fee. The rental market has improved significantly enough that I will be charging both a non-refundable pet fee and monthly pet rent from now on. As to what monthly rent to charge? I think $40/$25 will fly for a nice home inside the perimeter but you may need to go $30/$15 or lower if you are farther out.
I don't mind true service dogs even though deposits/fees/rent can't be charged. ESA's, well there is not much we can do about them. Most claims are bogus but deposits/fees/rent still can't be charged if the tenant provides you with the certificate. I look on the bright side... Carma is a queen bee ;) Also, I can still charge back any damage the pets cause.
Side note: Remember that damage charges should be prorated. The industry accepted life expectancy of a carpet is 5 years so good record keeping is a critical part of the chargeback process. A three-year-old carpet/padding that is trashed will be charged back to the resident at 40% of replacement invoice. However, if pet urine has saturated the subfloor, 100% of the cleaning/sealing cost can be billed back. This can vary by state/county/municipality so you will need to verify before billing but in GA, landlord/tenant law is very favorable to us. Not so much in CA, VA, MD, DC, and others.
Here is an interesting article that I found on NAA.com. It is geared more towards larger apartment communities but some of you single family and small multifamily investors may find it interesting too.
Does anyone else do what @Greg M.does and not charge a pet fee? I just had a tenant last week tell me he was getting a service dog after being in the house for about 6 months.
My lease prohibits the addition of an animal without prior vetting by myself. If they tried that with me I’d request all legal documents I can request and if anything is amiss I would evict them
@Robin Cornacchio- I charge tenants $25.00 per month for their dog. Sometimes I may charge a pet deposit of $150.00. It all comes down to the type of dog and your gut instinct of how the tenant will be in your property.
You may want to read some other threads about service animal as opposed to emotional support animal. A service animal is trained and there should be some paperwork to back up that specification. Service animals can’t be denied or additional costs levied.
We usually charge a $250 nonrefundable pet deposit (regardless of how many pets), allow up to 3 pets but no more and charge $25/month for each pet (i.e. up to $75/month). We also don't allow dangerous breeds.
I've got three Dobermans and a pit bull, all rescues, all sweet. I hope peoples mentality changes. Also, for anyone reading, there are insurance companies that will insure "aggressive" breeds
One of my friends has a pit bull who is one of the sweetest dogs I've seen. I would prefer to make decisions on a case by case basis, but unfortunately, some of these dogs can be pretty dangerous (although usually only if they had a bad owner). It really just comes down to a legal and civil liability issue.