Are these pet fees reasonable?

Question

Hi everyone, I just wanted to get some feedback on a pet policy I will be implementing for a rental property.  The tenants have been living there for a year, and have been great tenants.  They agreed to sign on for another year lease, and asked about getting a dog.  I have laid out the fees as follows...

New security deposit of 1250 (up from 1000 originally).  I have read that having a separate pet deposit causes potential problems when identifying future damages.

Pet rent by weight

0-20 lbs $20.00

20-60 lbs $25.00

60+ $30.00

If the dog is a puppy, $40.00 for the first three months and then $25 after that regardless of the weight of the dog.

Looking for some feedback about the reasonableness of these fees!

Thanks in advance!

Taylor

JD Martin · Answer

My take: that's a lot of extra work for very little extra money. If you are going to set rules, limits, etc, then you had better be prepared to enforce them. Beyond that, the little bit of extra money you're going to get is going to either be a little gravy taken from otherwise great tenants or won't make 5 cents of difference if they get an animal that's untrained or otherwise destructive and they don't do anything about it. In other words, you're either collecting extra money from people who were going to do you right anyway or not collecting anything that will matter based on the repairs you will make later.

My personal view on pets: a good tenant is generally a good pet owner. It is the rare person that is responsible in all facets of their lives and gets an animal that will destroy your property. Collecting some extra deposit is perfectly reasonable, however. I would vote for a one time up-front payment for having a pet outside of the monthly charge. The one-time fee is quickly forgotten but the monthly fee will stick.

One other thing: some tenants that pay a pet fee and have to pay pet rent believe it's no big deal when their animals cause damage as they have already "prepaid" for the damage. Something to keep in mind.

Andy Webb · Answer

We never charge a deposit.  Just a non-refundable pet fee (now at $350) - this is essentially an accelerated pet rent; plus a nominal monthly pet rent on top.

Account Closed · Answer

I do a 100 per animal non refundable pet fee and 25 per animal a month.

Ryan Dossey · Answer

This sounds like a PITA for you. We do a $200 non-refundable pet fee and $25 per pet per month with a cap at 3.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

@Taylor Howe I don't allow pets under one year of age. It's almost guaranteed they will pee, poop, and puke everywhere and there's a very high risk of chewing, scratching, barking, digging, or other bad behavior. if you're going to do it, the cost needs to be significantly higher, like $500 or more. A single puppy can dig a few holes, chew on some window trim, scratch a few doors, and dig up the carpet at the threshold of a bedroom door in a month and cost you $500 or more in repairs.

Increasing the rent is better than a deposit. A deposit is refundable but rent is yours to keep. $50 a month will bring in $600 a year.

If you increase the deposit or rent, I don't recommend you tie the increase to the pet. For example, don't charge $800 for rent and $25 for pet rent. Just charge $825 for rent. If they get rid of the dog, keep the rent the same for the term of the lease.

Personally, I think $50 per pet is reasonable and you can double that for breeds that are large, dangerous, or have a high propensity for causing damages.

Jill F. · Answer

We charge:

$150/pet non-refundable pet fee (in Ohio, deposits over one month's rent must pay 5% interest after 6 months)

$25/pet additional rent

Scott P. · Answer

What you list there is reasonable for my markets.

I'm sure you know that a pet can cause way more damage than these dollars would cover, but those dollars are reasonable for my areas.

Darius Kellar · Answer

If someone wants to bring in a dog I would charge 100 dollars a month extra. This will cover a insurance increase as well as compensate you for this risk of having the dog as a tenant. Defining weight, and so on is extra work for you, that I personally would not do.  I would tell the tenant 100 dollars a month take it or kick rocks with open toe sandles.

@Taylor Howe

Are these pet fees reasonable?

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