Lease Details - Pets, Deposits, Lawncare, etc.

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Lease Details - Pets, Deposits, Lawncare, etc.

Travis Smith
Austin, TX · Member since 2014 · 8 posts · 1 vote

Hi guys,

I'm about to lease out my first property and I'm looking for some guidance on some lease details. I'm wondering what the standards are when it comes to pets (deposits, fees, etc), lawncare, security deposits, etc. We know what we're thinking personally, but would love some insight into what other property owners are doing in Austin.

Thanks!

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    9y
    I don't know that there is a standard. My lease states that tenants are responsible for all ordinary Landscaping which would include watering, mowing, and weeding. for larger tasks like pruning trees, I prefer to hire contractors that know what they're doing. as for pets, you can place restrictions on breed, size, or type. You can charge an increase to rent, an increase to the deposit, neither, or both. In my experience, I have the best success with charging a higher rent but I only charge an increase deposit if it's a high-risk tenant. This method results in extra income, particularly for tenants that stay more than a year. I increase the rent based on the type of pet and size. a large dog maybe $50 a month and a small dog maybe $20 a month. if they have 2 large dogs it would be an extra $100 a month. you have to know your market and what it can support.
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  • Bob H.
    Rental Property Investor · Cedar Park, TX · Member since 2014 · 414 posts · 272 votes
    9y

    You need a lawn sprinkler system, but many homes don't have one. Regardless of what a lease says, tenants will never water a lawn or pull weeds, so don't expect it. You can get tenants to mow occasionally, and to trim if you're lucky. (As a hint of responsibilities to come, on my rental application I ask, among other things, if tenants own a lawn mower and if they own a trimmer.)

    It would be nice if you could raise the rent by an amount a landscaper charges, then include lawn care in the rent, but if you advertise that higher rent you are at a competitive disadvantage. I haven't tried this, but maybe it's best to advertise the lower rent and then tell a prospect who is interested in the house that there is a "fee" for lawn care, at least in the warm months.

    Pet rent is better than a pet deposit, because that way you get some money for the damage pets cause without having to argue with the tenants about it when it's time to return or keep their deposit. Don't allow dangerous breeds of dogs, and @Account Closed is right about the damage pets can cause. I recently had a tenant move out and found that her second dog -- not the dog listed on the lease -- had destroyed the back door frame, damaged several interior doors and frames and chewed up some of the baseboard. It would be nice to ban pets altogether, but of course that's another competitive disadvantage. On the other hand, I recently had another tenant move out -- an elderly lady who had a small dog and a son nearby who helped greatly with the rental -- and the house was immaculate. You'd never know that she had a dog or, almost, that anyone had lived there.

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  • Stephen Stokes
    Rental Property Investor · Austin, TX · Member since 2016 · 317 posts · 257 votes
    9y

    @Travis Smith Highly recommend downloading The Book on Managing Rental Preoperties by Brandon and Heather Turner who also runs this site. I was a first timer as well and can't say enough how well prepared I felt going into it after listening to this audio book on Amazon's Audible. If you don't have an account already, you can even get it for free. 

    On Dogs, I choose to adopt the advise of the book and forbid any pets owners and smokers. I even found one of my applicants to be lying about having a dog by pulling up their Facebook profile. Good luck!

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  • Peter Schuyler
    Fort Myers Beach, FL · Member since 2016 · 225 posts · 124 votes
    9y
    Originally posted by @Travis Smith:

    Hi guys,

    I'm about to lease out my first property and I'm looking for some guidance on some lease details. I'm wondering what the standards are when it comes to pets (deposits, fees, etc), lawncare, security deposits, etc. We know what we're thinking personally, but would love some insight into what other property owners are doing in Austin.

    Thanks!

    Have you looked at the standard texas leases online?

    https://rentallease.net/texas/texas-residential-lease-agreement/  

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