Pets allowed, dogs , cats, both?

Question

Hi all!  Curious to know what the most recent trend is about allowing pets.   I know dogs can be a big liability even if they are not "dangerous" breeds.  Esp if they had a previous biting incident.  How would you even know if they did?  I was speaking to my insurance agent and she said a client's lab puppy nipped a toddler and made a scratch that turned into an $18k payout from the insurance and that her client could not get insurance again.   Better to allow cats than dogs?  I've seen some posts that cats aren't the nightmare they used to be because of the enzyme cleaners that are out now.   Or are most of you still allowing both?   And only one animal or possibly 2?  I know a lot of cat owners have 2 because they do better in pairs when they are little.  What insurance do you require from your tenant if they do have a pet?  Is it legal to mandate regular inspections, such as every 3 months if they have a pet?  What vaccinations do you require?  TIA

Nicholas L. · Answer

@Carol Burns

I know you're looking for more detail than this but...

1. I allow pets and

2. I let my PMs handle the details.  They have policies that must be and are followed, and they're the experts.

Adam Bartomeo · Answer

We allow pets and RARELY have any issues whatsoever. The biggest issue we have is tenants not cleaning up after their dogs and some barking. To say that they are a big liability tells me that you may want to do some more due diligence to understand the risks vs rewards. We allow pets because we fill units faster, increase revenue, and have happier tenants.

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Carol Burns I allow cats and dogs (non aggressive breeds). In 6 years I’ve only had one slight problem with a tenant not picking up the poop.

I’ve got some with 1 pet and some with 2pets. In one large SFH I’ve got a couple with 3 cats. Ordinarily I wouldn’t allow 3 but the tenants are super obsessive with the cats and walk them on harnesses and post pictures all the time of them interacting with the cats.

I haven’t had any real problem pets, I have had more problems with tenants.

I also don’t charge extra pet deposits or pet rents and this makes my rentals super desirable to people.

Ben Scott · Answer

When you market a listing that does not allow pets, you can eliminate a lot of potential quality tenants that have well trained animals. The biggest frustration I have is how easy it is to get a letter to qualify your pet as an Emotional Support Animal. Then you can't charge a pet deposit or pet rent, per Fair Housing guidelines, but they do have to sign an addendum stating they are responsible for any damage the animal causes.

I once had an applicant with FOUR emotional support animals. No lie.

Colleen McDade · Answer

We allow up to 2 pets max—dogs or cats—with a non-refundable $500 deodorizer fee charged at move-in. We screen all pets through OurPetPolicy, which helps us verify vaccination records and assess risk factors. While we don’t require pet-specific insurance, we do recommend tenants carry renters insurance with liability coverage. This approach has worked well for us while keeping things fair and manageable.

Patrick Hancock · Answer

Definitely pros and cons with both cats and dogs. As you mentioned there is always the chance a dog bites but cats can cause issues as well.  I've seen on many ocassions where prospective tenants will not lease units where there have been cats due to serious allergies.  Our managment company leaves it up to the owners to decide and most have no issue with pets.  We do make sure to collect a pet deposit.

David Peschio · Answer

We allow pets but make sure you are clear on breed restrictions for insurance purposes.

JD Martin · Answer

Pretty much the same thing here. The biggest thing with allowing animals is there's almost always extra cleaning, so if you don't charge pet rent or a fee you should definitely have at least a refundable extra pet deposit because few renters are going to do the kind of cleaning necessary. I've seen dog and cat hair matted so thick on things it was like picking up a pancake. We have a lawn service so we get yard reports as far as cleanliness, and the frequency of dealing with pet waste is specifically dealt with in the lease.

We require all tenants to carry renter's insurance. In the past we were more flexible on this but our commercial insurers are less flexible on it these days, and besides tenants that maintain insurance tend to be more responsible people anyway. Dog breeds: no preference, whatever their (and our) insurance allows is fine with me. Our insurer doesn't have any prohibitions; some renter's insurance policies do. We try to steer tenants into houses that make more sense anyway. If I have 2 applicants for a small 2br with a small yard and no fence, and one of them has 3 Chihuahuas and the other one has 2 Great Danes, I'm going with the Chihuahuas everything else being equal.

Allowing pets with no hard prohibitions discourages scammers from claiming service or ESAs. Having refundable deposits discourages the same people and also the liars who claim to have no animals at all.

Rick Albert · Answer

Where is the property? What are the laws around Emotional Support Animals?

In California, we can't deny someone for having an ESA. Therefore we don't allow pets knowing they might bring one anyways. If we allow pets, say one dog, then we are opening the door for them to bring one dog plus the ESA.

I would consult an attorney about having guidelines, such as obedience school training, etc.

James McGovern · Answer

Allow cats be selective with dogs

Pets allowed, dogs , cats, both?

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