What do you charge for Pet Fees?

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Managing Your Property
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What do you charge for Pet Fees?

Noah BaconPro Member
Property Manager · Lansdale, PA · Member since 2021 · 826 posts · 1k+ votes

One of the most common questions I see as a Landlord when leasing out my properties is around Pet Fees/Pet Restrictions.  When renting with my furry friend in the past, it was not uncommon to run into Non-Refundable Pet Fees, Pet Security Deposit, and a Monthly Pet Rent. 

What are you charging in Pet Fees?🐶🐱🐰
Have you increased any of your fees recently?

353 votes total

Non-Refundable Pet Fee
Refundable Security Deposit
Monthly Pet Rent
All of the above
None of the above
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Most Popular Reply

Brett Deas
CO · Member since 2022 · 588 posts · 426 votes
3y

I do a refundable deposit as well as monthly pet rent. The pet rent isn't high, only 20 dollars, but that way it pays for the extra few hours required to clean all the pet hair and things. However, with the refundable deposit I have seen better results with people cleaning up after themselves and less work required to deal with the aftermath. 

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    3y

    Deposits must be refundable; fees are money in your pocket.

    I charge a monthly fee based on the type of animal, propensity of the animal type/breed to cause damage, and size. Even a little bird in a cage or a pet lizard pays a monthly fee.

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    7Reply
  • Brett Deas
    CO · Member since 2022 · 588 posts · 426 votes
    3y

    I do a refundable deposit as well as monthly pet rent. The pet rent isn't high, only 20 dollars, but that way it pays for the extra few hours required to clean all the pet hair and things. However, with the refundable deposit I have seen better results with people cleaning up after themselves and less work required to deal with the aftermath. 

    7Reply
  • Ke Nan Wang
    Developer · St. Augustine, FL · Member since 2018 · 311 posts · 384 votes
    3y

    I used to charge a non-refundable pet fee from $250 up to $500 depend on the size and condition of the property. 

    Now I've switched to pet rent, about $50-100 on top of the rent based on the pet and the condition of the property. 

    Tenants are pretty receptive on either charges. Never had any push back or people saying I'm charging too much. Financial wise, the second option yields more revenue on the long run. 

    I'm pretty indifferent to damages since I'm a contractor and I have teams to take on all aspect in construction. I know it's a risk/cost of doing business. Rarely I had tenants completely trashed my property at the end of their tenancy and I just go in 3 days later it's brand new again. As long as the roof, structural and MEPs are good, it's not that expensive to fix the cosmetic stuff. So whatever the deposit the tenants paid is enough for me to offset this risk. 

    2Reply
  • Adam Martin
    Rental Property Investor · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y

    I selected pet-rent of 35/month/dog no cats and it is a nice revenue stream and opens up a larger pool.  Kentucky has no cap on deposits so I also add an additional $600 to the general refundable deposit to give me extra room if there are damages but I’ve never needed it for pet damage.  The deposit is slightly higher than standard but the monthly is about average and I rarely have anyone complain.  I started at 25/ month but on the second vacancy increased to 35 to be more consistent with the larger companies locally.  

    2Reply
  • Michael DiossaPro Member
    Investor · RI · Member since 2023 · 191 posts · 163 votes
    3y

    $50 assuming it's not an ESA

    2Reply
  • Tim Miller
    Rental Property Investor · Laurel, MD · Member since 2016 · 378 posts · 382 votes
    3y

    We charge $450 non-refundable per pet fee. We market a special, only pay one fee. It make the tenant think they are getting a good deal.

    We were charging $35 a month per pet, it's increased to $50 a month per pet. With a 2 pet limit! 

    1Reply
  • Michael Bandur
    Real Estate Agent · Tampa, FL · Member since 2021 · 11 posts · 8 votes
    3y

    - $250 non-refundable pet fee with our STR's

    - $50/month pet rent fee with a $500 refundable deposit for our MTR

    2Reply
  • Steven Foster Wilson
    Rental Property Investor · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y
    Quote from @Noah Bacon:

    One of the most common questions I see as a Landlord when leasing out my properties is around Pet Fees/Pet Restrictions.  When renting with my furry friend in the past, it was not uncommon to run into Non-Refundable Pet Fees, Pet Security Deposit, and a Monthly Pet Rent. 

    What are you charging in Pet Fees?🐶🐱🐰
    Have you increased any of your fees recently?


     $350 non refundable / pet $35/pet. I once had over $1,000 non refundable because the tenant had 3 pets.

    1Reply
  • Nathan M kiefer
    Rental Property Investor · south carolina and michigan · Member since 2023 · 348 posts · 226 votes
    3y

    $50 per pet, we sign a $0 pet addendum and it locks rent in- allowing them to have pets but there is no deduction if they get rid of one.

    of course except support animals and the like : ( 

    1Reply
  • Brad LarsenPro Member
    Property Manager · San Antonio and Austin, TX · Member since 2016 · 377 posts · 380 votes
    3y

    @Noah Bacon  Great question.  We use a service that does the screening for pets/pet fees.

    All of our criteria is listed on our PM Website in the tenant section and is also very specific to breed restrictions as well.

    "The monthly Pet Fee is determined by PetScreening.com ranging from $40 per month to $100 per month."  A great 3rd party service that saves my staff a lot of time.  We get very little pushback and it is a great revenue generator.

    4Reply
  • Trevor Todd
    Investor · San Antonio · Member since 2023 · 5 posts · 2 votes
    3y

    I do 35/mo per pet. Seems reasonable enough to cover the extra wear and tear and I've never had anyone walk away because of the extra cost. 

    1Reply
  • Kevin Sobilo
    Realtor · Hanover Twp, PA · Member since 2018 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    3y

    I have a 3 prong approach. I charge a $50 cleaning fee knowing there will be some extra cleaning at the end. A good way to collect a few extra bucks up front. I charge a $250 pet deposit (refundable) and I charge $25 pet rent for each pet. I also only allow small pets to eliminate the whole issue of dogs breeds on the dangerous dog list. 

    0Reply
  • Amy Everett
    Investor · Fort Worth, TX · Member since 2016 · 4 posts · 1 vote
    3y

    We also charge a non-refundable pet fee of $250 and pet rent of $25/pet. In the Dallas/FW market it is a very common practice to charge both. Nobody has ever questioned me on it.

    0Reply
  • Mike Gordon
    San Jose, CA · Member since 2020 · 42 posts · 25 votes
    3y

    I manage one unit myself and I only charge a $600 refundable pet deposit on that one. I remember how hard it was to find a place that takes pets as a renter and it felt like a slap in the face to also charge rent for the pet. I've never had a problem in that unit related to a pet and have rented it out for 12 years.

    However, different areas bring different kind of pet owners. On my other rentals I let my property manager dictate what to do and they mostly charge the refundable deposit + $25 or $50 pet rent. One property manager also charges a non-refundable fee. In that area tenants are less careful, so it makes sense.

    0Reply
  • Josh Edelman
    Real Estate Agent · Las Vegas · Member since 2018 · 197 posts · 143 votes
    3y

    $100 more per month

    0Reply
  • John MorganPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Grand Prairie, TX · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    3y

    $0

    They all sneak them in anyway. Lol. But my tenants don’t ever seem to want to leave. Probably because I let them bring all their animals and don’t charge them for it. And nobody else will take them so they stay with me for many years. Lol

    2Reply
  • Alan Grobmeier
    Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 919 posts · 911 votes
    3y

    $500 pet fee which includes a 'pet application' that the tenant fills out.

    0Reply
  • Konsta Al
    Investor · London · Member since 2023 · 1 post · 1 vote
    3y

    I have never charged any pet fees, is this for long term rentals?

    1Reply
  • Bonnie LowPro Member
    Lender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    3y

    The poll doesn't give me the option to select both refundable and non-refundable. We charge both. A $250 non-refundable per pet as well as a $500 refundable security deposit.

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    1Reply
  • Thomas Higgins
    Investor · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2016 · 78 posts · 45 votes
    3y

    @Noah Bacon

    We peg our pet fees to the current cost of ESA registration. We want to be consistently cheaper, so we do not incentivize residents to buy the registration.

    Last time I checked, it was around 200 for the annual online registration, so we undercut that and charged it monthly or bi-weekly.

    No deposit.

    0Reply
  • Jonathan Cisneros
    Inland Empire CA · Member since 2019 · 45 posts · 18 votes
    3y

    I just acquired my first Duplex rental property. I too have questions regarding pets. My new tenant was bit by the bottom tenants dog. Nothing serious. Still, he was bit. How can I protect myself from incidents as such? What specific document? 

    0Reply
  • Account Closed
    Rental Property Investor · St. Louis, MO · Member since 2022 · 125 posts · 124 votes
    3y

    $300 non-refundable pet fee

    $50 per pet/month - limit 2 pets

    Equals an extra $1500/year in most of my leases. I've never had anyone balk at the price. Most people view their pets like children, and if you have a big backyard that is fenced-in, your property will stand out against all the others that don't appeal to pets. For that reason, I only buy SFH that have good backyards.

    2Reply
  • Marcus R.
    Real Estate Agent · Denver CO · Member since 2019 · 209 posts · 332 votes
    3y

    $300 refundable pet deposit

    $29 monthly pet rent (can have up to 2)

    It's been a while since I've researched but most apartments are between $300-$500 deposit and $25-$50 monthly.

    @Noah Bacon - Specifically to CO I think a new bill was proposed that would eliminate the ability to charge pet rent and deposits but setup a statewide fee of $1K for damages if needed.  Please doublecheck this, I only read one article and didn't do much research. 

    2Reply
  • Ashley Gill
    Real Estate Agent · Nashville, TN · Member since 2023 · 12 posts · 5 votes
    3y

    Hi Noah,

    I worked in property management for 8 years, and have seen it done a few different ways!

    One community did not allow pets at all. 

    Another community charged a $1500.00 fully refundable pet deposit. No pet rent. I know this sounds high, but the feedback received from our residents was actually positive due to the deposit being fully refundable. 

    And my last community charge $350/$600 pet fee and $20/$40 pet rent (2 pet limit). 

    Hope this helps!

    0Reply
  • Keith Fitzpatrick
    Real Estate Agent · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2023 · 8 posts · 4 votes
    3y

    In the STR space, I'm quite open to pets while charging only $50 per pet, per stay. Call me crazy, but I believe my place is suitable for animals with a fenced in back yard and near a few veterinary clinics. It's not often my guests bring a fury friend, but with hotels not often accommodating many animals, I like to offer a reasonably priced stay for guests of all species. I also find guests traveling with an animal tend to be more responsible providing a more thoughtful and careful stay, which can make up for a little extra hair left behind.

    0Reply
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