Prospective Tenant has a Miniature Pig

Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 176 posts · 103 votes

I had a prospective tenant ask today about keeping their pet miniature pig in the house. It weighs 30 lbs, which is right at the limit I use on dogs. She claims it is litter trained for when they are not home and is cleaner than a dog.

Anyone have any experience or knowledge about miniature pigs?

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Ryan B.

Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes

13y

Originally posted by Mark Graffagnino:

I had a prospective tenant ask today about keeping their pet miniature pig in the house..........Anyone have any experience or knowledge about miniature pigs?

Yea, most of my low income tenants let their kids stay in the house. What would you like to know about them?

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Suzie B.
Greentown, IN · Member since 2012 · 140 posts · 18 votes
13y
We had a tenant with a potbelly pig. It was much larger than we expected or than the tenant described it to be and it was trained to "go" outside. The problem we had was that it's legs were too short for it to get down the porch steps easily so it would stop on the porch to "go". That apparently didn't bother the tenant any as she just had a broom on the porch and would brush the little pellets into the landscape.

We told her that the way she was handling the pig droppings was not satisfactory and we needed her to do something to change it. We came up the idea to build a ramp for it to easily get down to the grass and into the backyard. She found a friend to put it together for her and it worked for a short time. It wasn't long until the pig was going on the porch again... seemed too much effort for it to go down the ramp and she simply would open the door and let it do it's thing wherever w/o prompting it to go where it was supposed to.

She kept the house in nice shape but simply had no care about the pigs business and collecting rent was a bit of a chore as well. She managed to eek through the lease w/o being evicted due to rent.. but barely. At the end of the lease she apparently wasn't able to pack up her things herself and whoever gathered her things for her weren't as careful as she was and didn't sweep the debris off the porch. They tracked all of the poop on the porch all through the house on the hardwood floors... STinK! Luckily for the owner it wasn't carpet.

You may have a whole different experience, but just had to share ours.
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Carlos Flores
Commercial Real Estate Lender / Syndicator · Dallas, TX · Member since 2011 · 888 posts · 309 votes
13y
This site cracks me up sometimes.
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Suzie B.
Greentown, IN · Member since 2012 · 140 posts · 18 votes
13y
It wasn't funny at the time :)

We can laugh about it now though.
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Rob K.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I can't help you with your pig question, but I made pulled pork in my crockpot yesterday and it was DELICIOUS!
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Jon Klaus
Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Originally posted by Rob K:
I can't help you with your pig question, but I made pulled pork in my crockpot yesterday and it was DELICIOUS!

So Rob wouldn't be too disappointed if a tenant left their pet pig behind at move out.

My last place in the country had deed restrictions. Horses, OK. Cows, OK. Chickens, OK, loose Pit Bulls, OK. Hogs, NOT OK.
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Ryan B.
Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes
13y
Originally posted by Mark Graffagnino:
I had a prospective tenant ask today about keeping their pet miniature pig in the house..........Anyone have any experience or knowledge about miniature pigs?

Yea, most of my low income tenants let their kids stay in the house. What would you like to know about them?
3 Reply
Seth WilliamsPro Member
Specialist · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2012 · 582 posts · 353 votes
13y
One of the tenants I inherited with a my most recent purchase WAS a pig - we're still trying to get the smell out of the place.

Seriously though - I do have a friend who recently bought a miniature pig. From what I've seen, it does behave much like a dog (and probably has similar consequences). I don't have any first hand experience with the thing, but it does look like a good family pet... as odd as that sounds.
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Mark Graffagnino
OP
Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 176 posts · 103 votes
13y
Thanks for the input....and the laughs. Not sure if I'll approve but I know there will definitely be some kind of large pet deposit.
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Ryan B.
Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes
13y
Maybe a larger pet deposit like you mentioned, plus charge an extra $25/month. Doubt there are too many places that would consider taking a pig so you could probably get away with a bigger deposit and rent premium.

I don't charge a pet deposit because if there is no extra damage, then the tenant gets it back. I always advertise that pets are allowed and once I know they are really interested in the house I let them know there is no pet deposit, just an extra $25/month/pet.

The vacancy I just filled has 2 dogs so an extra $600 rent per year compared to a $200 deposit.
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Carlos Flores
Commercial Real Estate Lender / Syndicator · Dallas, TX · Member since 2011 · 888 posts · 309 votes
13y
+1 pet rent instead of pet deposit.
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Zac P.
Rental Property Investor · Lexington, KY · Member since 2012 · 115 posts · 64 votes
13y
I have had some tenant's units look like pig pens, but a legit pig?? You gotta be kidding! Haha. :)
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Jon K.
Member since 2011 · 798 posts · 216 votes
13y
Originally posted by Carlos F.:
This site cracks me up sometimes.

Ha, me too.

I don't allow pigs.

My neighborhood and, I believe, city limits, doesn't allow pigs-- zoning issues.

No chickens, either.
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George C.
Involved In Real Estate · My City, NJ · Member since 2013 · 181 posts · 81 votes
13y
I had a pot belly pig for over ten years, she lived in the house and used a litter box without any mistakes. They are very smart animals. Mobility is only a problem if they over feed it, otherwise they can move very swiftly & jump three feet in the air if they need or want to. If your applicants check out good otherwise, I would rent to them, you know they'll be staying a while as it will be harder to find someone else to take a pig.
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Mark Graffagnino
OP
Contractor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 176 posts · 103 votes
13y
I guess they ended up renting another house; they haven't called back. But I was going to rent to them if everything else checked out OK. I agree with George, they probably would have been a good long term tenant.
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Chuck Redman
Residential Real Estate Agent · Pearland, TX · Member since 2013 · 163 posts · 32 votes
13y
Originally posted by Rob K:
I can't help you with your pig question, but I made pulled pork in my crockpot yesterday and it was DELICIOUS!

HA!! Love me some pulled pork!!
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Jon K.
Member since 2011 · 798 posts · 216 votes
13y
I want bacon.
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Sunny Jo Gardner
Real Estate Investor · Orange, CA · Member since 2013 · 21 posts · 2 votes
13y
Had a friend once who had a pig for a pet. She used to throw down a handful of raw macaroni when she left the house. Said it kept the pig busy til she got home so it wouldn't tear up anything. I guess each pig is different, lol. It was a long time ago, but I don't remember seeing anything "torn up" when I was there, maybe the mac did the trick.

Ryan B. Smart thinking about the extra pet rent vs. the deposit. I like the end result numbers!

Mark Graffagnino Someone else mentioned laws... may want to just check out yours to see if there are any restrictions about this type of pet in your area.
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Chuck Redman
Residential Real Estate Agent · Pearland, TX · Member since 2013 · 163 posts · 32 votes
13y
Check not only City ordinances but also any HOA you may have.
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Gordon T.
Atlanta, GA · Member since 2012 · 93 posts · 30 votes
13y
Mark Graffagnino - This is crazy that i'm reading about this. We have actually been negotiating with a seller who was furious that their current tenant had a pig at their rental property. They actually claimed it was a "mixed breed" dog on their lease.

I'm wondering if it is the same tenant, the house was in the marietta area. I believe the owners were in the process of evicting them because apparently the pig was wrecking havoc on the house!
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David NilesBusiness Member
Property Manager · DeLand FL · Member since 2012 · 860 posts · 243 votes
13y
Holy cow, this thread has become a real pigsty. mmmmm bacon.
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Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
13y
Tell them you only allow kosher pigs :)
1 Reply
Jon K.
Member since 2011 · 798 posts · 216 votes
13y
Originally posted by Chuck Redman:
Check not only City ordinances but also any HOA you may have.

For sure. My city doesn't allow it. Whereas, my friend's childhood town let them have chickens, bulls, pigs, mini horses, goats, and all sorts of crap (literally) right in the residential neighborhood.
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Tracy Johnson
Member since 2019 · 2 posts · 1 vote
6y
OK I have a similar problem I agreed to let a man and his pig rent a room from me He told me that the pig only weighed 100 pounds the pig weighs 350 pounds now I’m having a hard time With the renter he’s more of a pig then the pig I only charged him $1000 a month and Pig is making my house smell like a farm and my renter dosent clean up after the pig or himself should I raise his rent what should I do please help me
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Natalie KolodijBusiness Member
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Tax Strategist| National Tax Educator| Accepting New Clients · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
I foster for a bulldog rescue.
And there's like....an odd amount of cross over between bulldogs and pigs.
They're sized and shaped similar, similar lazy, similar appitites, snorty, snarfy creatures and so ....several people I know with bulldogs...also have pigs.
When I first asked someone how the pig compared she told me that a bulldog was like having a toddler, and a pig was like having the teenage version of that same kid. Similar attitude, much smarter.
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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
@Tracy Johnson
Evict them now . Not rocket science
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