Worth it to allow pets?

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.

What have you seen success/issues with?

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Greg M.

Rental Property Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 2k+ posts · 5k+ votes

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.

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Eric Carr
Real Estate Broker · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 655 posts · 293 votes
7y
I have rentals in Austin and I allow pets, more opportunity for me and I love animals.
I also don't discriminate breed, and size is only an issue with respect to the size of the unit and yard
Charge a deposit, require renters insurance, screen the animal.
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Jordan MoorheadBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2015 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Eric Carr check with your insurance co. I personally don't discriminate, love animals and used to have a pitbull buy my insurance company has a list of breeds they don't allow.
[email protected]512-888-9122
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Eric Carr
Real Estate Broker · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2017 · 655 posts · 293 votes
7y
@Jordan Moorhead
Totally, I have 3 Dobermans and a Pit. There are insurance companies that will compliment an existing policy and insure those breeds.
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Jordan MoorheadBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Austin, TX · Member since 2015 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
7y
@Eric Carr who do you use for insurance? I'm going to be moving into my place in Austin and want another pitbull, my current insurance company doesn't allow them.
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Nick Ferrari
Property Manager · Allentown, PA · Member since 2017 · 88 posts · 40 votes
7y
Here’s my philosophy on pets.
1.) Children can be just as damaging to your property if not worse then pets.
2.) You wouldn’t increase rent on a family for having extra kids.
Therefore isn’t having a pet in your rental really just an opportunity to increase the rent? I charge a $50 monthly fee for allowing a dog on the property and I have an increased security deposit for pets as well. That mitigates most of my risk and the truth is if you screen your tenant properly you should be fine. A person will live in filth regardless of an animal living with them if they’re a filthy person.
Also in my area I would say about half of the potential tenants all have a pet so no point in saying no to all of those potential great tenants.
There are also proactive steps you can take to protecting your home. Installing laminate flooring instead of carpets mitigates the pet concern significantly. No opportunity for them to pee and leave an odor on the carpet.
At the end of the day you want your tenant to live in your property for a prolonged period of time. Allowing their animal to live with them will only make them happier and charging them a fee I think only benefits you because your the landlord whose willing to work with them instead of just saying no.
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John Cassel
Rental Property Investor · York, PA · Member since 2017 · 58 posts · 41 votes
7y
For my rentals I charge a $250 nonrefundable pet fee and then an additional $25/month in rent. The couple tenants I have with pets don't complain about it and we haven't had any large issues to date.
Hope this helps!
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Brandon Penn
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 84 posts · 462 votes
7y
So I allow animals in all of my rentals, even newly renovated ones. The only places I wouldn't do pets would be apartment buildings just because it is too many people ontop of each other. If I had to choose between cats or dogs I would actually choose dogs. Cat urine is the 2nd hardest smell to get rid of right behind skunk smell. Big dogs can do damage to flooring, but if well trained there usually isn't a problem. The added benefit is charging a monthly fee for the tenant being able to have an animal. Most pet owners will pay up to an extra 50 per month. Personally I charge 250 at least signing and then 25 per month per animal. If you do this I'm sure down the road you will have an issue with an animal causing damage but just the same as you will have a tenant damage property. I would just make sure that the tenant gets renters insurance that covers the animal, as well as require you be named as an additional insured. If the animal causes damage, then file a claim.
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Hal Fitzgerald
Chicago, IL · Member since 2019 · 91 posts · 21 votes
7y
If you want to raise rent, it will appeal more tenants if you allow pets. But personally speaking, I will not allow pets in. they probably will scratch the furniture. It is a large amount of cost for me.
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Johnny Castro
Central Florida · Member since 2019 · 3 posts · 0 votes
7y
I currently find myself with this question as well. I'm planning on renting out my current home, and buying a second property. The SFR has a fenced in back yard and plenty of space which would be great for tenants with dogs. How do tenants react to having both a non-refundable fee plus a pet rent added?
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Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Central, FL · Member since 2016 · 950 posts · 821 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Trevor Cox:

Originally posted by @Account Closed:
The big thing is I don’t charge a pet deposit but a non refundable fee for a pet. It is about having a buffer for your damages. Given if a dog destroys a home you most likely have a person who won’t pay you a dime pay your collected deposit.
Yes I should have said pet fee instead of a deposit. Do also charge a monthly fee for having a pet or do you rely on the up front fee to cover any damages?
I will charge a monthly fee for a pet (limit 2). Right now the one tenant I have that has an animal is an inherited tenant and when they renewed I upped their rent to market rate at the time and collected a non refundable pet fee. I knew based on my interactions with them that I had stressed them with the bump in rent but they understand and probably looked at moved but say my place was better and a better value then anything else out there. I know if I would of charged a monthly pet fee they would of moved out. No reason to create a vacancy unneededly and especially given they had paid on time for an entire year, and have continued to since the rent increase.
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Account Closed
Rental Property Investor · Central, FL · Member since 2016 · 950 posts · 821 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Johnny Castro:

I currently find myself with this question as well. I'm planning on renting out my current home, and buying a second property. The SFR has a fenced in back yard and plenty of space which would be great for tenants with dogs. How do tenants react to having both a non-refundable fee plus a pet rent added?
This depends on the market you are in, or specifically what class of neighborhood the rental will be in.
Check out the local rentals for your area, do they charge it for the price point and class? If so then it would be expected. I do it as a deterrent since my price point (class) is a C area in a tertiary market.
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Jeffrey Sakundiak
Vegreville, AB · Member since 2019 · 7 posts · 0 votes
7y
I would look around at other rentals in the area and see if they allow pets, another thing to consider is what materials are in the house, example flooring, is their carpet or laminate where the costs of cleaning or replacing them worth it.
My personal preference is to not allow pets, for depreciation and repair costs.
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Gary Walker
Western NC · Member since 2019 · 7 posts · 6 votes
7y
Originally posted by @Anthony Rosa:

Originally posted by @Alissa Engel:
@Erica Moore
...Really, cats are the worst. I mean I LOVE cats myself, but they can destroy a rental. Think urine smell soaked into solid oak original hardwood! Yup....one cat destroyed, arguably, the most durable floor out there!...
Aren't cats/kittens fully trained in like 2 days to use a litter box. I don't allow pets but I've never been to a home where a cat urinates or poops wherever it pleases. Just change the litter before it smells and get it a scratching post with some toys.
My day job is insurance agent. I've been in a LOT of homes over the past 19 years. It amazes me how nasty some of the cat houses are. Couches reeking of urine when I sit down - enough to burn my eyes, cat litter tracked through the house on the floors, wood floors discolored around the water/food dishes, and I've even seen on more than one occasion a cat walk into the room and drop a poo right in the floor while we were talking. I can't put into words the stench in some of those places. I've left many homes to postpone the next appointment and go straight home for a shower. Cats are generally clean and loveable - I've got a couple of them! But just one cat with a nasty owner can absolutely ruin a place. I would never allow a cat in a rental that I own.
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