No pets - harder to find tenant?

Question

Hi, anyone here with a no-pet policy?  In my last property my tenant who had the sweetest dog but left puddles in a few areas.  I had to replace all the carpet and sell the house.   Tenant claims they don't know, initially a pro cleaned the carpet which actually spread the urine smell everywhere.  After they removed the carpet I found the puddle marks and cleaned and primed over.  This may be due to my cat long ago left their marks.  There is no judging a pet by looks, when they go they go.

Deposit and replacing carpet every turn over is a bad deal.  Once the urine is in there it seems to cause future pets to also "go"

I am interested in the Reno area, I have been there many times, in public but did not notice a lot of dog owners , at least compared to Bay Area or central Oregon where dog ownership seems high.  If anyone know the actual stats let me know -- will I be likely to find an ideal tenant that doesn't have pets or sneak them in?  I will be patient and wait months, still cheaper than replacing all carpets.  Thanks.

John Underwood · Answer

1st, I rip out carpet and replace with LVP.

2nd, over half the population have pets and you are ruling out these potential renters.

3rd, most of my tenants have pets and have stayed with me for many many years.

V.G Jason · Answer

Pet proof the place to be best ability. Allow pets.

Hold deposits for pets. Use deposits for pet damage.

Keep it moving. This whole no pet policy is antiquated, learn to accept them. Almost everyone has one or more, and you need to allow it and let them know they are responsible for any damages much like themselves as renters.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

1. About 50% of renters have at least one pet. Allowing pets will double the available pool of renters.

2. Most pet owners are responsible people who control their animals and take responsibility for accidents.

3. Charge extra to mitigate the extra risk. Deposits are refundable, so I prefer monthly rent increases. I charge $25 - $100 depending on my pet screening. I also charge an extra $300 deposit for any cat or any animal owned less than one year, because those are the animals most likely to create problems.

4. Inspect regularly so it doesn't get out of control. I recommend at least every six months, but would prefer you inspect every 3-4 months and be prepared to hold them accountable if there is even the slightest hint of damage or odor.

People with strong applications and good credit tend to be responsible pet owners. Raise your screening standards but allow pets and you should end up with better-quality renters that pay more and stay longer.

JD Martin · Answer

Several thoughts:

1. Always have waterproof laminate and other pet-resistant type floors if you allow pets. That's just an easy one.

2. It is easier to just have a "pets allowed" policy than to try to prevent people from sneaking them in or getting one later.

3. Collect a refundable pet deposit. We have always allowed pets and *in general* our cleaners have to work harder and thus charge more on turnovers in houses that had pets than those without. It is the rare pet owning tenant that properly cleans the tops of door casings, inside heating vents, along the edges of baseboards, and a hundred other places where pet hair and dander gets caught, so you can generally count on needing extra cleaning.

4. Screen hard and appropriate. As @Bill Brandt mentions it's probably a bad idea to permit Great Danes in a 500 foot walkup apartment, so adjust as appropriate. We don't have any apartments any more, but when we did manage them pets were strictly limited by size and type. With our houses, it depends on the house. Those with good sized yards and fencing we are a little more permissible than those without. And tenants that pass muster - good credit scores, stable jobs, good income, no criminal background, no evictions, etc - generally are responsible pet owners. In fact, the only time we ever had an animal do more damage than the deposit was on a set of tenants that had red flags but we accepted them anyway against our better judgement. It came back to bite us.

5. Have some kind of policy on the front end. We don't permit more than 2 animals unless we're talking say 2 chihuahuas and a cat. We always advertise "pets negotiable" so that no one is trying to hide what they have on the front end. If you list hard and fast terms, your sneakier people will conveniently leave some of their animals off the application.

Adam Bartomeo · Answer

We allow all tenants to have pets. In my personal portfolio there aren't any pet restrictions = better tenants, higher rents, and tenants that stay longer. Having pets is a no brainer to us.

Kristine Ann · Answer

Professional carpet cleaners use an enzyme-based product for urine.  If there is urine there, it reacts and the smell is terrible for several days, even a week or so.  After it is done doing it's enzymatic job, the smell disappears.  Usually they warn you about it but some of them don't.

Jake Andronico · Answer

@Jeremy H.

Jeremy, sent you a PM. Always cool to connect with other local investors. My family and I have been investing in Reno for many years.

Regarding pets, you definitely shrink your renter pool when you do not allow pets. There are also a ton of people pulling the ESA card, which can make it difficult.

My response would be to just get rid of carpet all together.

Kim Meredith Hampton · Answer

Jeremy

Why in the world would you put in carpet? Install LVP flooring. The stats state that about 78% of people now have pets, and that number is likely increasing due to covid and more people working from home. We definitely accept pets, increase your pet deposit or fee, screen people through Petscreening and tighten your pet policy, like no puppies etc…

Bill B. · Answer

1) you had to sell a house because of dog pee? Who did you sell it to, someone without a nose?

2) I’ve allowed pets for 20+ years and have yet to have pet damage in excess of the security deposit.

3) once you’re vacant an extra month you could have replaced the carpet with the lost rent.

4) what’s the plan when you wait all this time and then your tenant brings in their ESA dog? You’ve just flushed thousands waiting to end up with a dog anyway.

I suggest you just have your PM do a better job of screening. Pet owner’s tend to be more responsible than non-pet owners. Those with higher credit scores don’t want them trashed over pet damage they don’t pay for. And they tend to stay longer and pay more.

Good luck.

No pets - harder to find tenant?

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