Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 10 votes
I'm setting up a new rental (large SFR with backyard) in Cozy and can't decide if I should allow pets or not. My current tenants don't have pets, so it didn't come up previously, but with the new listing I'm leaning towards allowing cats and not dogs (or small dogs, but that doesn't seem to be an option). I can also choose to not specify and have that conversation with whoever applies I guess, but is it better to set expectations up front? I'd ideally not like to deal with them, but also don't want to limit my renter pool too much.
Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 5k+ votes
7y
Around 62% of households have a pet. Saying no to pets reduces your renter pool by 2/3.
Anyone who wants a pet can have one. All the tenant needs to do is say that the pet is an Emotional Support Animal and you are out of luck and basically have to accept the animal.
Charge a pet fee if you like, but many people will get around this by claiming ESA. Best bet is to allow pets, price a pet into the rent regardless of whether the renter has one, and get a large enough deposit to cover damages.
Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2019 · 512 posts · 301 votes
7y
@Erica Moore e people are more afraid of cats because if they pee outside the litter box it’s hard to get rid of the smell. Also if a cat gets sick they can sometimes just start spraying.
We allow small dogs on almost all our properties and a good amount of them we allow medium to large.
It depends on the house
For newer homes we allow animals because they can chew new fixtures and it does limit our pool but we still find renters no problem
But in general, so many renters have animals that yes you are cutting out a large number of potential tenants. But if it’s for one Home, you should have no problems with finding a renter under a no pet policy. If you had a ton of homes, you would definitely be limiting yourself or having a potential higher vacancy percentage.
So many renters have pets! Get a pet fee, pet deposit and maybe add to the monthly rent. Then vet your tenants a little harder when it comes to judging if are responsible because the key is finding responsible pet owners! Irresponsible ones will definitely do more damage then the security deposit will fix
Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 5k+ votes
7y
Around 62% of households have a pet. Saying no to pets reduces your renter pool by 2/3.
Anyone who wants a pet can have one. All the tenant needs to do is say that the pet is an Emotional Support Animal and you are out of luck and basically have to accept the animal.
Charge a pet fee if you like, but many people will get around this by claiming ESA. Best bet is to allow pets, price a pet into the rent regardless of whether the renter has one, and get a large enough deposit to cover damages.
Rockford, IL · Member since 2017 · 13 posts · 2 votes
7y
I just came across this situation. I am purchasing my first rental property and didn't think about pets until a potential renter mentioned they'd like to rent our unit but has a dog. I'm glad I found this post to understand how to manage the situation.
Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles · Member since 2019 · 284 posts · 184 votes
7y
Im in Los Angeles, I've seen some rentals in my area that charge addition "pet rent" per animal... on top of pet deposit. I have a vacancy coming up in one of my SFR where I allow pets (depending on the size/ type of pet). Im thinking of doing this. Not sure if this legal to do... so I just need to check with the city to see if I'm violating any "rent control" measures in my area.
**PS... Cat pee is the worse. Pee can get into your subfloor if not cleaned up immediately. Only way to get rid of the odor is to replace subfloor-- can be costly. Puppies will tear and chew everything up. Just qualify the pet like you would any other tenant. Good Luck!
Im in Los Angeles, I've seen some rentals in my area that charge addition "pet rent" per animal... on top of pet deposit. I have a vacancy coming up in one of my SFR where I allow pets (depending on the size/ type of pet). Im thinking of doing this. Not sure if this legal to do... so I just need to check with the city to see if I'm violating any "rent control" measures in my area.
You are allowed to charge Pet Rent in Los Angeles. However, if your unit is rent controlled, any additional pet rent and rent increase cannot total more than the allowed rent increase. Therefore, if the City allows you to raise the rent by $75, you cannot charge a $50 pet fee and raise rent $50. The total of both have to be $75 or less.
Do not charge a pet deposit, just increase the regular deposit. Charging a pet deposit can bring problems as it is a deposit for a specific type of damage.
Rental Property Investor · Concord, GA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
We now charge an "animal" fee of $200 (non refundable) and then an additional $20 per animal. This basically applies to dogs because we don't allow cats under any circumstances. This is intended as a deterrent but if people do choose to have an animal, at least they're going to pay towards the additional wear/tear/damage that animals do to a property.
We used to just prohibit pets but soon discovered that they seemed to show up in nearly all our properties anyway. So we made a provision for it.
Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
7y
@Erica Moore’s I allow most pets. I haven’t really had an issue with it so far. Of course you can have terrible experiences, but if you say no, the tenant will likely get a pet anyways.
Either way, make sure you do frequent (every 3-6 month) walk throughs to make sure there’s no pets or other funny business
Real Estate Coach · Venice Beach, CA · Member since 2012 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
I have a property in LA I landlord I advertise it as a 'pets allowed on a case-by-case basis". So I don't limit anyone from seeing the property, but then if they tell me they have a pet I'm not down with, I tell them that. I love cats but I'm with some of the other posters- I know a lot of landlords now won't let cats but will let dogs. So that's up to do, and may depend on things like- does your property have carpet, how responsible do these people seem in terms of potential for tending properly to a cat, etc. And then with dogs, I just judge it on a case-by-case. Things like, how furry (i.e. sheddy), does it bark, does it tear things up, how well behaved, etc.
You don't have to set expectations for potential tenants, only for the tenants you place in there. You are the boss over the pets, but work it so it doesn't limit the renter pool too bad at first.
Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 29 posts · 20 votes
7y
I think if you charge a pet deposit and a monthly fee that will cover (most) of the expenses of cleaning up, you should be okay. If you select a great tenant that meets all your requirements, hopefully they are responsible enough to take proper care of the pet and you will never need to use the deposit or fees and you're making more money. That might be wishful thinking though.
Columbus, OH · Member since 2018 · 29 posts · 20 votes
7y
Personally, if I allowed dogs, I wouldn't allow small dogs only. I've seen small dogs create way more of a mess than my German shepherd ever has. I think it more depends on the tenant and how well trained the dog is.
Real Estate Agent · Southington, CT · Member since 2008 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
For a single family I would consider allowing pets, but never for a multi family epsecially in lower income areas. Your house will end up like Ace Ventura's house.
Investor · Boise, ID · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
This is market specific. In my market, approx 66% of the population has dogs. If you say "no pets" you are likely to have either higher vacancy or people who lie on their applications and move in with a pet anyhow. We use petscreening.com, charge higher pet fees and work closely with our tenants to ensure that their dogs are well behaved and not causing problems with the property. It's very rare that we have any pet related damage, and generally when we do, our tenants notify us, we have it repaired and the tenants pay for the repairs outside of their deposit.
I hate to sound like a broken record, but it comes back to tenant screening. If you are properly screening and a great candidate has a pet, it's likely that it won't be a problem. A renter with a 750 credit score who makes $150k a year isn't likely to have a pitbull who is going to tear up your yard or eat your drywall. Responsible, quality tenants are responsible with their pets, too.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
@Erica Moore
My clients get $30/month for pets. For the most part we haven’t had any major damage. In my properties I do not allow pets. Not worth it to me, I have seen (and remedied) major damage and smells. And pets are one more expense and excuse of why their rent is late.
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 10 votes
7y
@Jonathan W. good note about cats - I've only been thinking in terms of damage caused by dogs. How much do you typically charge for pet fee and pet deposit?
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 10 votes
7y
@Corby Goade Austin is a huge dog city and I didn't even think about people just bringing pets anyway!
I'll be looking into petscreening.com - thanks! Is there anything specific you do with tenants in the beginning to foster that open communication of notifying you when there's damage?
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 29 posts · 10 votes
7y
@John Teachout I've paid a non-refundable fee at pretty much every apartment I've lived in, but never for a house. How have prospective tenants reacted to that?
Investor · Boise, ID · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Erica Moore Sure- but it's less complicated than you'd think. Just have a procedure in place for them to follow to report damages or maintenance requests. It can be as simple as an email template. Set expectations up front that they need to report maintenance issues or damages immediately and you will work with them to get them quickly and professionally addressed. I don't care if my tenant is a general contractor with 800 years experience, they are not allowed to do any repairs to the home- let them know that is for their safety, if they don't make any "repairs" they won't be liable for damages or fixing their fixes. You are there to make sure the place is in tip top shape and make sure they don't have to worry about a thing.
Just be clear about expectations and address problems immediately. If you've screened properly, tenants will appreciate it and you'll have an excellent professional relationship.
Have your policy in place before you start advertising that way it can be consistent to all. Don't want anyone to feel as though they were screened differently.
Allowing pets can open up your renter pool. I have seen many do a pet deposit, then a monthly pet rent and a pet interview.
Cats will most likely ruin your carpet and check with your insurance company on what breeds they won't insure.
Investor · Oak Park, IL · Member since 2014 · 307 posts · 150 votes
7y
Be aware that some dogs can start a fire on a gas range if food is left on the burner. The food is an incentive, and also fuel for the fire. They can operate some front-mounted controls, even without opposable thumbs. I know, it happened to me.
Real Estate Agent · West Linn, OR · Member since 2016 · 19 posts · 9 votes
7y
Interesting topic and a great thread to gain others' opinion on the subject. Pets are great when they are your own, in rentals they are the worst. Depending on the quality of the rental is how we determine pet or no pet. We've had good and bad experiences. In our area, good rental units can be hard to come by, so we advertise it as "no pets" really does not matter though. I'd say at least 70% of the leads will ask about pets.
I notice there were no other posts from Oregon. Non-refundable deposits are not allowed here, could be something to check on in your own states as it's a potential headache for a landlord if your tenant investigates just a little bit. Also, "non-refundable" is not a deposit, it is a fee.
Rental Property Investor · Tampa Bay Area, FL · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 0 votes
7y
I often go back-and-forth on this decision myself. My husband and I have multiple rental properties and have been renting them for the past six years. We have decided to allow pets with a $300 nonrefundable pet deposit. So far we’ve been lucky without any damage to the homes. I agree with what a lot of people say, many, many applicants have pets so it could really limit and delay finding a good tenant if you exclude them.
Developer · Houston TX · Member since 2018 · 423 posts · 400 votes
7y
@Erica Moore
I allow pets. I collect a refundable pet deposit. Tell tenant if you return property in same condition and your pet didn’t do any damages then can get back. In past use to do a non refundable pet deposit but learned tenants aren’t as responsible since they feel no matter how good they take care of house they will not get pet deposit back.
Also cats in my opinion do more damage. Either way allowing pets gives you more candidates to choose from.